
Class - 
Book. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



HISTORICAL SKHTCHES 



AM) 



REMINISCENCES 



1)1- 



Madison County, 



ERRATTA. 

On page 399, Postoftice Burglary, Tune 8()th should he 
niuary iiOth. 

On page 8l'l, J. S. Carr should be J. W. Carr. 

On page 331, Frank Craven should read Frank Curven. 



JOHN L'^KOKKNER 

II 

AM) 

1 -.VKON II. D^■sox. 



ANDKKSON, INDIANA. 
IX'.IT, 









r 



) 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



AM) 



REMINISCENCES 



Madison County, 



IIN[I_)I^^>^^X. 



A Uktailii) HisTi)K\ (ii- Tiir. Kaklv Kvknts av the I'iunkkk 

Sktti.k.mknt of thk CorsTY, Aso Many of thk Haim-en- 

iN(;>; i>i' Kkii'nt Years, as avki.i. as a Compi.kti: 

ll|s[(U<V III ICacii Townsiui', to wmk ii is 

Adijf.I) NiMKUois Incidknts of a 

I'l.KA'iAXT N'aTIKI:, IN THE WAY 

OF RlC.MINlSfKNlKS, AM) 

l.Al CHAlil.F C)rilK- 

KFN( i:s. 



I; 

AMI 

I'.VKON H. DVSOX. 



AM)ll<SON. INDIANA. 
IHitT. 









FROM THE PKHS3 OF WILSON. HUMPHREYS A CO., 
FOUltTH ST., LORA>HPORT, IND. 



Entered According to Act of Congress 

IN THE 

Office of Librarian of Congress, in the Year 1897, 

BY 

John L. Forkner. 




JOHN L. FORKNER. 




HVKON 11. insox. 



l'^l^¥OTc-^J^(^FC 



The publication of this book is wiiollv u labor of lo\e, 
witiiout the remotest idea of beiiitj reimbursed for the time 
and inonev spent in its preparation. 

The natural atlection for the old-timer, and a desire to 
|)erpetuatc liis tnemorv. and to hand ilown to jiosteritv his 
customs and manners was the sole object that first projn[)teil 
the writers to undertake such a task. .\s the work projrressed 
it became more e\ident each dav that it would be iloinji; a 
great countv like Madison an injustice not to go further into 
detail, and to include the new comer, and to treat of the new 
order of thintrs. since the county has grown, as it were, by 
mafjic from a monotonous atrricultural district to a bustling 
manufactln-ing community. So we have presented to our 
readers, what we (latter ourselves, to be a statement of facts, 
and a compilation of useful and desirable information, not 
found in anv other work of the kind extant. 

We have endeavored to spice the pages of this work with 
a few incidents of a mirlhful nature, to lighten the pathway 
of the reader as he passes through the volume, relieving the 
monotony of the task of reading its contents. 

The reminiscences contained herein are taken from real 
life, manv of them having been written bv one of the authors 
for the Daily Democrat and other Anderson [jublications. The 
matter contained being in manv instances the portrayal of the 
oddities and customs of the oki-timers. It is thought proper 
to reproduce them in this work. 

Many occurrences have taken place in the comitv, not 
recorded here, from the fact that to publish alt wouUl rec[uire 
a volume manv times the size of this, and we have contented 
ourselves with giving the most important ones, and those of 
which we could ascertain the most trc.stworthv information. 

Manv of the early incidents of the |)ioneer historv of the 
County have become traditional, as there are but \ery few of 
the early settlers left to tell the tale, and no records of such 
e\euts were kept, and no newspapers printed at that lime. It 



4 niEFACE. 

is wholly from tliu niemoiies of those who yet survive, that 
we have gleaned nnich of the information in restart! to ^uch 
matters. 

We expect criticism upon the merits of this work. Its 
defects will be verv apparent to those who borrow il of tlie 
subscribers. Its contents will also induce criticism from a few 
old-timers who cannot be convinced by written records that 
their recollection of certain events is at fault. The ''natural 
born kicker"" who does not know, nor cannot appreciate, the 
difference between a history of this character and a directory 
or gazetteer, will likewise remark upon its imprefections be- 
cause his name does not appear in its pages. And there is tiie 
self-constituted critic who cannot write a grammatical sent- 
ence in any language, and whose criticisms are always severest 
upon matters that he knows nothing about; he, too, will find 
discrepancies and mistakes, not only in the text, but in the 
style of narration. We are prepared for this — for any and all 
animadversions. Possibly we have not done our best, but we 
flatter ourselves that we have done fairly well. We have also 
learned by experience the significance of Job's desire that iiis 
" adversary would write a book.'" Notwithstanding his 
patience and long suft'ering, he had much of human nature in his 
composition, and wanted to get " even "" with his " adversary," 
or enemy, who was no doubt a critic. We recognize the fact 
however, that it is the province of a critic to criticise, not to 
be criticised, and we therefore submit our effort for what it is 
worth, feeling assured that those who appreciate the difliculties 
of such an undertaking will over-look whatever of crudities 
and imperfections it may contain. 



HISTORICAL. 



CHAPTER I. 



l'ni;-HisToHic I'eiuoh ok Madisox Coixtv — The >r()i'NDs 
.\\n THE M(>i.'Ni)-l?i;ii.DERS — Stone Implements — The 

M AM'ODONS. 



A work of this cluiiacter, and especially of Mudisoii coiin- 
IV. would be largely deficient iti interest if proper mention 
were not made of siicli arch;eolo<jical data as are fouiul with- 
in the limits of the territory under consideration. To the 
arclui'oloijist, the scientist, the lover of research and the 
curious, there are cxistiiiff evidences of the pre-historic occu- 
pancy of Madison county both by men and animals that are 
of absorbing interest. I'ntil recent years, comparatively, no 
active or scientific research had been made into the mysterious 
past of Madison county and other portions of the I'nited 
States where remains iiave been discovered, that indicate the 
])resence here, at a verv remote period, of a race of beings 
posscssinif intelligence superior, doubtless, to that of the 
North American Indians. The in(]uiries and in\estigations 
that have lliiis far been made have resulted in the establish- 
ment of a ntnnber of theories concerning this pre-historic 
people, but nothing definite or satisfactorv has been learned as 
lu their name or character. Tliev are called the " Mounil 
lUiilders"' for want of a better name ami for the further 
re. -.-.on that, whoever or whatever they were, they left nuiner- 
ou- evidences in the shape of inunense mounds in ditl'erent 
loralities throughout the country, that challenge the wonder and 
adfniration of the student and scientist, h^minent archa'ologists 
have indulged in much speculation and arrived at conclusions 
which are fairly plausible concerning this lost race. But 
"whence came thev and whither did they go'" will tioubtless 
remain unanswered. This (|uestion has eliciteil no end of 
Ic.imed discussion and a great iliversity of opinion has been 



IlI!<TORY OK MAniSOX COUXTV. INDIANA. 

the result. There is one opinion concerning them, howexer, 
that i.s generally held in common by archa>ologists and ethnolo- 
gists, and that opinion is with reference to their origin. The 
following from Baldwin's Ancient America upon this subject 
will be of interest : 

" They were unquestionably American aborigines and 
not immigrants from another continent. That appears to me 
the most reasonable suggestion which assumes that the Mound 
Builders came originally from Mexico and Central America. 
It explains many facts connected with their remains. In the 
Great Valley their most populous settlements were at the south. 
Coming from Mexico and Central America, they would begin 
their settlements on the Gulf Coast, and afterward adyance 
gradually up the riyer to the Ohio Valley. It seems evident 
that they came by this route, and their remains show that 
their only connection with the coast was at the South. Their 
settlements did not reach the coast at any other point. 

'•Their construction were similar in design and arrange- 
ment to those found in Mexico and Central America. * * * 
A very large proportion of the old structures in Ohio and 
farther .South, called 'mounds' — nameU', those \yhich are 
low in proportion to their horizontal extent — are terraced 
foundations for buildings, and, if they were situated in Yuca- 
tan, Guatemala and Southern Mexico, they would neyer be 
mistaken for anything else. The high mounds, al-o in tlie 
two regions are remarkably alike. In both cases they are 
pyramidal in shape and haye leyel summits of considerable 
extent, which were reached b}- stairways on the outside. * 
* * All these mounds were constructed for religious u:-es, 
and they are, in their way, as much alike as any fine Gothic 
churches.'' 

Other eniineiil arclia-ologihts lake a similar \-iew of the 
question and advance plausible arguments sustaining the the- 
orj- that this mysterious people were American aborigines. 
And yet, the theorj- advanced by some that the Mound Build- 
ers were natives of the far East, who came to the \\'estern 
hemisphere by way of Behring strait, is not regarded as 
wholly untenable. Man)- of the mounds were undoubtedly 
erected for defense, while others were constructed for religious 
or devotional uses. They difTer in the manner of their con- 
struction in different localities, and this has contributed no 
little to the myster}- which envelops them, and the diversity of 



IIISTORV Ol MADISON COl•^T^ . IXDIAVA. ( 

opinion generally concerning, not only the race that built 
them, but the purposes for which the)' were constructed. 

Tiiese remains exist in but one locality in Madison coun- 
tv, and in comparison with other mounds in the country 
are but little known. not\\ithstanding' one of them is 
as well, if not better preserved than any of the ancient 
mounds in the couutry north of the Ohio ri\er. Tiiey 
have been visited hv arch;vologists and scientists in recent 
years, who have made them the subject of nuich interesting 
speculation, but their researches have contributeil nothing new 
concerning them. They stand today as thev will stand until 
the ravages of time effect their obliteration, the mysterious 
monuments of an unknown people. 

The mounds in ^ladison county are situated on a bluff, 
four miles east of Anderson on the south side of ^^'hite river, 
in laiion township. They are eight in number, three of 
which still preserve their outlines completely. The largest in 
the group is remarkably well preserved considering the ages 
that have circled away since it was constructed. It is a circu- 
lar embankment with a steep liitch on the inside. The 
"mound'" is 1,020 feet in circumference and the ditch at this 
time lO.j feet deep and i5() feet wide. There is a niound on 
the inside of the embankment, and an entrance on the south- 
west side i}() feet wide. Through this passage carriages enter 
and are driven around the mound, as the ditch terminates on 
each side of the entrance. The mound is surrounded by the 
native forests, and a number of large trees are still standing 
within the enclosure. Several large walnut trees at one time 
grew upon both the mound and embankment, but they were 
cut down inany years ago and manufactured into lumber. 
This mound, as well as two other enclosures iust west of it, 
are supposed by arcluvologists to have been devoted to relig- 
ious uses, while a mound to the east about a half mile is 
thought to have been used as a means of defense. Several of 
the mounds, or enclosures, belonging to the group ha\e be- 
come almost entirely obliterated by the plow, the land upon 
which they are situated being under cultivation. 

In 1878 a report on the geology and archaeology of Indi- 
ana by the state geologist contained a very interesting ac- 
count of these ancient remains. Their dimensions and situa- 
tion were illustratetl, and all the facts obtainable coiKerning 
them given in detail. 

But what became of this race of people.' Whither did 



8 HISTORY OK MADISON COIXTV. IXDIANA. 

tliev go: Did they retrace tlieir steps to the south, assuming 
that the\' came from Central America, or did famine, war or 
pestilence, or all three effect their destruction? That they 
were here in Madison countv there is no question, and that 
they disappeared leaving nothing behind them to indicate tlie 
purpose of their coming, their numbers, or their fate, is a 
mystery that the jiatient research of the arch.i'ologist has 
been unable to dispel. 

OlIIEK RELICS OK ,.V I!V-GO.\E A(iE. 

Besides the mounds there are other evidences that Afadi- 
soa county was inhabited centuries ago. Flint spearheads 
and arrowheads ha\e been found in abundance in difl'erenl 
localities, as well as niunbers of other stone implements, used 
probably for domestic purposes. The stone relics found here 
belong to the two ages of stone — the rough and the polished. 
But at what time in the world's history ^vere they used? It 
is asserted bv high authority that there is not a vestige of 
evidence that would prove the existence of man in lndi;ina 
two thousand years ago. He inaj- have roamed over the hills 
and through the valleys of this territory unnumbered ages be- 
fore the mounds were built, but there is no evidence to prove 
it. The flint implements found almost in abundance at an 
earlv day in this county, and still occasionally picked up here 
and there by the husbandman while plowing his fields, were 
fashioned by human hands, but wlien, and by whom there is 
no record. That they were brought here there is but 
little doubt, as the \-ariety of stone out of which they were 
made is not found in this part of the countiy. 

In this connection it is proper to make due mention of the 
fact that at several points in the connty^the remains of animals 
have been found which indicate by their enormous size the 
presence here at one time of the mastodon. In 1871, while 
some laborers were constructing a ditch on the farm of Mr. 
John Harmeson, three miles south of the city of Anderson, a 
number of huge bones belonging to this extinct species of 
animals were found, and presented to the late Dr. AVilliani A. 
Hunt, a student, and besides one of the best informed gentle- 
men no doubt in the county, upon archaeological as well as 
other scientific matters. 

These remains together with an interesting collection of 
other archaological and geological specimens were, after 
his death, presented to the Madison County Historical Society 



IllSrOIfS" ol MADISON COrNr\. TNOIANA. 9 

by !iis sons, Di->;. M. \'. ami j. W. Hunt. ScNcral toetli of 
enormous size, one of which was found on the Devault Cro- 
wcil farm, in Adams township, unel jiresentetl to the society 
bv the hite Harry Irish, of that township, attests the immense 
projjortions of this extinct species of animal, if it be true that 
there is a relative proportion between the size of the teeth of 
an animal and the animal itself. Upon this subject Dr. Hunt, 
in a scholarly and exceedingly interesting chapter, contributed 
to Hardin's history of Madison county. say> : •■ ff this rule is 
even proximati\e, and in the \icinitv of truth, we attain all 
that is expected by the comparison. We ha\e in our posses- 
sion a tooth of an ox that had a living weight of eighteen 
hundred pomids. As the ox's tooth is to its living weight, so 
is the matsodon's toits live weight. The rule, if correct, makes 
the weight of the li\ing mastotlon, \\hose bones were found 
in the \ icinity of Anderson, forty thousaiul one hundred and 
twelve pounds. It is not claimed lliat there is any great 
degree of accin'acv in the calculation, but as good as any from 
the kind of material we have to reason fiom." 

At what time did these immense animals rove through 
the forests of Madison county, feeding on the tender branches 
of the trees, anil succulent herbage growing along the margins 
of marshes and streams? The remains of this extinct pachy- 
derm have been foimd in nearly every country on the globe, 
and were as much of a mystery two thousand years ago as they 
are today. Xo human remains indicative of great antitjuity 
ha\e ever been fomul in this locality, and if man ever beheld 
a living mastodon in Madison county or on this continent, 
there is no evidence of it. \Vhether the\ were few or many 
is also a matter of speculation, as well as the cause, or causes, 
of their disappearance as a species. So far as the investiga- 
tioiis of scientists are concerned they have thus far been mi- 
availing in determining these questions, and, like the mystery 
of the mounds and Mound Guilders, will probabh never lie 
solved. 

It is a theory of those who have given this subject mucli 
painstaking consideration, that the mastodon's haunts on this 
pai! of the continent were around lakes and marshes, and they 
point to the localities where its remains have been foinid as 
proof of their position. The bones found on the Hanneson 
farm were in a marsh which at one time was undoubtedly a 
lake covering many miles of territory east and west. Remains 
of the mastodon exhumed in other localities have uniformly 



10 IIISTOKV <)!■ MAmsOX COIN IV, INDIANA. 

been found in marshv places where it is thought the animals 
went to feed and getting mired, perished. The cause, or 
causes, of the extinction of the entire species, however, will 
remain unknown. 



}\ 



CHAPTER II. 
GENErjAi, HisToiiv OF Madison Cointv. 



Of that lair territory King witliin the boundaries of In- 
diana which was named in lienor of the fourtli president of 
the United States, it is the purpose of this work to treat, not 
alone that the early pioneers who settled here and bl:t/.ed the 
way for tlie splendid civilization thai now oljtains within its 
borders may be appropriately remembered, but that their de- 
scendants may be made ac((uainted with tiie diftlculties and 
iiardships thev encountered as well as the pleasures that fell to 
their portion as the lirave heralds of a destiny that lias made 
the county at this writing (lSi)(")) the second in importance 
in the Slate. As the work will be conlined entirely to local 
use the authors have adopted a form in its construction that 
admits of biography and personal anecdote, and consequently 
a greater latitude in certain directions than is deemed per- 
missible in more pretentious annals. 

Madison county is in the sliape of a parallelogram an<l 
has an area of 450 square miles. It is situated a little to the 
east of the center of the state, anil is bounded as follows ; On 
the north by Grant county, on the east by Delaware and 
Henr\' counties, on the south by Hancock county, anil on the 
west, by Hamilton and Tipton coimties. The county is thirty 
miles long from the soutli to the north line, and is fifteen miles 
wide. ' 

Indiana originally constituted a part of the Northwest 
Territory and was first e.xplored probably in KISO anil first 
settled by the French at \incennes in 17<ll'. although this has 
been questioned, there being considerable authority indicating 
Ft. Wayne as the first place of settlement in the State. The 
territoiy of Indiana was admitted as a stale, December 11, 
181(5. INladison county was subsequently organized. During 
the territorial period and previous thereto, the territory com- 
prising the county, was owned and occupied by the Delaware 
and Miami Indians, the former making their home along 
White river, and the latter in the territory to the north along 



12 HISTOIO- OI' MADISON COINTV. INDIANA. 

tfie Alississinewa unci Wabash rivers, tliev Inning acl<no\vl- 
fdged by ^Article II., of the treaty at Fort Wayne, September 
3(1, 18()'.l, the equal rights of the Delawares with themselves 
to the country " watered h\ the White river." This treaty 
was signed on the part of tiie Delawares by Captain Ander- 
son or Kik-tha-we-nund. Captain Killbuck and others, and on 
tlie [lart of the .Miainis by i'ucan. Little Turtle and other 
prominent chiefs. 

On the third day of October. J,sl>, the Delawares, at .""^t. 
Mary'.s, ceded to the United States all claim to their lands in 
Indiana. Ry this treaty, " the United States agree to provide 
for the Delawares a country to reside in, upon the west side of 
the ^Sli.'sissippi, and to yuarantee to them the peaceable pos- 
session of tlie same." 

This treaty was signed by Capt. Anderson, also James 
Nanticoke and Capt. Killbuck. along with other chiefs of the 
Delawares. The names of these chiefs are given for the rea- 
son that they once made what are now the fertile fields of this 
counly their home and hunting ground. That they were 
cliiefs of influence and prominence is evidenced by the fact 
that their names are attached to the various treaties made by 
the United States with their tribe. .\nother Delaware chief. 
Captain White Eyes, maj- be mentioned in this connection for 
th'.' reason that he once lived in this county, his lodge being 
situated near the land now owned bv the comitv. and used as a 
poor-farm. 

The city of Anderson was named in iionor of Captain 
Anderson, and occupies the site of liis principal village. An- 
derson's domicile consisted of a large, double log-cabin, one 
side of which was occupied by his son. This cabin stood 
about where the Madison county jail now stands, the spot 
being regarded by the early pioneers of this loctilitv as not 
only very picturesque, but convenient, there being a large 
spring of clear, cold water at the foot of the hill a little east 
of the brick block recently erected bv Major Doxev on the 
north side of East Ninth street : also White river flowing at 
the base of the hill, or liluff. on the north, whose waters at 
that time afl'orded abundance of fish. 

lames Xanticoke also had a village in this counly. an<l 
was jirominent among his people. There is a tradition to the 
efiect that his sc|uaw was a very handsome woman, and ga\e 
tl c name of •' Our Town ' to the principal village. 

Captain Killbuck had a village of considerable importance 



lIlSTOK'i- ()I- MADISON COl'N r^". INDIANA. 1;.5 

ill what i^ now Richland township, and near thf hirger of the 
creeks that hear his name. Next to Captain .\ndcrson, per- 
haps, lie is entitled to consideration as a chief and warrior. 

These chiefs were on friendly terms with tiie whites, ami 
advocated peaceful measures in --ettlin"^ the ilift'erences that 
arose between their people and their pale-face brethren. The 
early settlers found them tractable, and were not mole-ted 
either in their persons or pio[ierlv. It is pmliahle that this 
friendly feeling for the whites had been transmitted to the 
Indians of that day in this county from their fathers, who had 
been \isiled Liv the Moravians. In fact, a mission was estab- 
lished bv these people on the farm owned by Mathias Ilughel 
in Anderson township, and tiie dim outlines of this villasre 
were vet visible to the earlv settlers of (his part of the county. 
In 18-1. a house supposed to have been used as a fort, was 
still standing on the site of this mission. All evidence of tlie 
existence of this \illage has long since been obliteraled. 

.\fter the treaty at St. Mary's the Delavvares began pre- 
paring to leave for their new home beyond the Father of 
Waters, and on the I'Oth of September, IfSlM, they started. 
They went by way of Xoblesville to V^incennes, their chat- 
tels being conve\ed on horses. Manv, howe^■er, preferred 
to go bv water, anil as the Government had proxided theni 
with a large number of canoes, thev left for their new home 
by way of the river. " Uncle"' Jo'in Allen, who is still kindly 
remembered bv the remaining old settlers and their descend- 
ants in .\nderson township, recalled distinctly the departure 
of tiie Indians from this locality. lie stated that no less than 
twenty canoe loads of them left at one point, and that tliey 
were the last <if the Indians in Madison county. 



CHAPTER III. 

Eaki.v Indian IIistokv — The Bi'rmxg of the Dela- 
wAKii Villages Xeah Anderson — Kik- rnA-\vi':-NrNi> 
AND Capi. Pipe. 

The Delaware Indians, who at one time inhabited Madi- 
son county, were orig^inaliy known as the Leni Lenapes. 
They began to renio\e from the eastern side of the ^Mlegheny 
mountains to tiie country nortiiwest of the Oiiio river about 
the middle of the eitihteentli century. Thev wendeil llieir 
way into the wilderness of what is now the state of Indiana. 
and for many years were undisturbed in their wild aiul 
savage natures. In the spring of 1,S()1 a few Christian 
Indians came from tiie Delaware \ illages on the Muskingum 
river, in Ohio, to the lodges of the Delawares on White rixer. 
in Indiana territory. These Christian red men came for the 
purpose of establishing missions for the enlightenment and in- 
struction of the tribes in this locality. The niissionarv banil 
was composed of the brethren Xatuge and Luckenbach from 
Betlilehem. Pennsylvania, and three families of civilized 
Indians, among whom was one named loshua, a national in- 
terpreter. These missionaries accomplished much good among 
tlie aborigines until about the year 180(5, when the Shawnee 
prophet Ellskwatawa, made his appearance upon the scene 
and through his wonderful influence, led the peaceably in- 
clined Indians again astrav. Thus the good work of the 
mission was destrovetl. The prophet was a brother of 
Techumseh. the great chief, who with his warriors opposed 
Gen. William Henrv Harrison and his soldiers at the battle of 
Tippecanoe. Thev were sons of Pukeesheno, a brave who 
fell in battle when Ellskwatawa was a child. The Delawares 
retrograded and again became a war-like nation, although 
they were never so hostile as their kindred of other tribes and 
were possessed of many noble traits. 

The prophet fought bitterh- the intermarriage of Indian 
squaws with white men, and the selling of lands by the 
Indians to the whites. He also made a bitter warfare against 
the christianized Indians who had settled amonir the tribes. 



HISTORY OF MADISON C'OUNTV. INDIANA. ]5 

and accused them of witch-craft. lie caused an old Delaware 
chief of tile name of Tat-e-ljocli-o-she, tlirout;;!] whose inllu- 
ence a treaty witli the United States had been accomplislied in 
]y04, to be put to death by being tomahawked, and his body 
burned, on tiiis cliarge. 

The Indian missionary, '■ Josliua," above referred to was 
also taken at the instigation of the propiief, and brought 
before a council iield just across the border of Madison countv 
near where tiie town of Yorktown now stands, anol was tried 
and convicted of witch-craft, and was burned at the stake as 
a punish >nc>nt for his crime. The wife of Tat-e-bock-o-she 
was also convicted and sentenced to death, but was rescued bv 
an Indian warior, and thus escaped a horrible death. Josiiua 
was at the time of his terrible torture and death very old and 
iiitirm. 

TKRATV .\T OUEEN'XII.I.K. 

After a long and serious warfare with the Indians 
throughout the west, a council was called by General Anthony 
Wayne, to be held at Greenville, Ohio, for tlie purpose of 
making peace, and trying to induce tiic Indians to abandon the 
war-path and to become civili/.id. At this meeting, which 
took place on the '3rd of August, 1795, tlie difl'erent tribes 
entered into an agreement with General \\'ayne on Iiehalf of 
the United States to become citizens of the government and for 
certain valuable considerations to " cede, sell and convey to 
the States '" large, -valuable tracts of lands, composing nearl}- 
all territory northwest of the Ohio. At this council there were 
present man)' representatives of the VVyandots, the Delawares, 
the Shawnees, the ^Nliamis, the Otto was, the Chippewas. the 
Pottawattomies, the Kickapoos, the Eels and the Weas. The 
consideration given the tribes to be divided among themselves 
was an amount of goods and merchandise then paid in hand. 
ifiO.OOO and the sum of !);1,0()() to be paid to each of the tribes 
signing the treaty " annually forever." These to be by the 
United States delivered at some convenient place north of the 
Ohio river, and to be reckoned at first cost. It was also stipu- 
lated that in lieu of goods or merchandise any of the tribes 
might take their portion or any part in domestic aniiiials or 
implements with which to till the soil. 

KiK-TnA-wi;-N'i"N'n. 

This treaty was duly signed by Anthony Wayne as the 
party of the first part and by the several tribes b)^ their chiefs 



1(5 ■ HISTORY OK MADISON OOI NT'S-, IXDIANA. 

^iiul warriors. Tlie second name signed was Kik-tlia-we-iiund, 
or Anderson (his x mark), on behalf of the Delawares. Kik- 
tha-\ve-nund was the old chief after whom the citv of Ander- 
son took its name. 

A treaty prior to the one above recited was made at Fort 
Ilarmar, on the Muskingum river, in Ohio, in which the Del- 
awares took part. This was on the '.lib of ]anuarv, 1789. and 
was signed by Gen. .\rthur St. Clair, for the governmen', to 
which was subscribed the name of C'a[it. Pipe (his x mark), 
on behalf of the Delawares. Capt. Pipe was either afterward 
a resident of what is now Madison countv. or an immediate 
descendant of one of the same name who resided here, as the 
stream. Pipe creek, took its name from a chief of that tribe 
known as Captain Pipe. 

AX AliMV SE.XT oi'r. 

These treaties of peace were afterward broken b\- the 
Indians, who were, perhaps, not whollv to blame, as manv 
speculating and unscrupulous whites found their wav into the 
new country and committed depredations among the red men 
and trouble ensued. The war-like actions of the Indian- be- 
came so alarming that in the month of June. ISIH, a ■•mall 
armv consisting of 1(11) mounted men, organized at Vincennes 
by order of Governor Posey, was sent out under the commanil 
of Colonel Joseph Bartholomew, to mo\e upon the Indians on 
the west fork of White river, and to destroy their villages and 
all their means of sustenance. The troops consisted of parts 
of three companies of rangers, commanded severallv b\' 
Captains Williamson Dunn, James Bigger and C. Pevton, 
and a small detachment of militia under command of Major 
Depauw. of Harrison county. 

The arm}' moved on the 1 lib of June to the U])per villages 
of the Delawares. which must have been situated in Delaware 
county near where Vorktown now stands, and then down the 
White ri\er through the present site of Anderson. The des- 
cription given bv the colonel in command in a letter to the 
governor describes the route covering this territory. He savs : 
" We pursued a cour-,e between north ami northeast about one 
hundreil mile- to the upper Delaware town on White river, 
where we arrived on the loth, where we found the principal 
part of the town had been biuMit three or four weeks previ- 
Duslv. We found, however, another village that had not 
l)een burnt, at a distance of twehe miles below the upper 



IIISTDRV OF MADISOX COUNTV, INDIANA. I ( 

town. .Vt this point many horses and a goodly (|iiantity of 
com were captured and destroyed and the village laid in waste." 
This is supposed to be at or near where the city of Anderson 
now stands. Possibly a few miles to the west. 

The troops made a tour of the surroundinjj; countiy and 
became engaged with some straggling Indians in the neigh- 
borhood. In attempting to surround them the Indians were 
fired upon and one was killed. One of Captain Peyton's 
rangers was thrown from his horse and was shot by an Indian 
lurking in ambush and was severely wounded. About one 
thousand bushels of corn was capturetl and destroyed. The 
army returned to its headquarters on the 2 1st of June, carry- 
ing the wounded ranger on a horse litter. 

PE.\CP:AliI.E DELAW.\RES. 

The Delaware Indians were not disposed to go lo war 
with the whites when not influenced by other tribes and were 
often censured by their red skinned brothers, and accused of 
friendliness to pale faces. They often sent messages of peace 
and words of love and affection to General Harrison, who 
always gave them a kindly hearing. 

I'UUTIIEI! INDIAN IIIS'|-ORV. 

^V tradition has been hantled down from the earliest set- 
tlement of Madison county that Tecuinseh, the famous Indian 
warrior, was at one time a resident of the county. This, 
we think, is clearly a mistake. In Dillon's early historj- of 
Indiana, we find the following allusion to that illustrious per- 
sonage : " In the early part of the year 1S()5, the Shawnee 
warrior and his brother, the prophet, resided at one of the Dela- 
ware villages which stood on the borders of the west fork 
of the White river, within the present boundaries of Delaware 
county."" This clearly establishes' the fact that Tecumseh at 
one time resided veiy close to the borders of this county; but 
there is no record of his ever having been an actual resident 
iiere. 

^Ve wish to state further that there is a difl'erence among 
the authorities as to the proper name of the Shawnee prophet. 
Appleton's Encyclopedia of American Biography, gives his 
name as Ellks-wa-ta-wa, and his birthplace as being near the 
present city of Chillicothe, Ohio, on the banks of the Scioto 
river. He was the son of Pu-Ke-She-no, a .Shawnee chief. 
Dillon gives his naine as Law-le-was-i-kaw, which signifies a 
loud voice. He also says that the prophet afterward assumed 



1> 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTV, INDIANA. 



the name of Peins-c|ual-a-wa. which in the dialect of the 
Shavvnees. means an open door. 

Teciim.seh was born near Springfield, Ohio, in 17l)I^. It 
is stated on good authority that lie once visited this locality, 
and held a council with Kik-tha-we-nuud. or .\nderson. the 
chief of the Delaware tribe which dwelt on the spot upon 
which the city of Anderson now stands. His mission being 
for the purpose of enlisting the Delawares in a combina- 
tion of ail the difl'erent tribes of the northwest, to take 
part with Great Britain against the whites in this territory 
during the struggle of 181:?. but it is said that Anderson re- 
fused his overtures, and this ended the negotiations. 

Many of the older settlers of iMadison co'mty claimed the 
distinction of haying been personally acr|uainted with the Del- 
aware Indians in this county, and to haye enjoyed a personal 
acciuaintance with Chief Anderson. This, the writers haye 
the best ot reasons to iloubt. Tiiere is, perhaps, but one living 
white man now in Madison county who ever saw Chief An- 
derson, and, if so, it must ha\e been when he was but a child. 
We refer to the venerable James Hollingsworth. at present a 
resident of Anderson. Mr. Hollingsworth came to this county 
with his parents from the state of Ohio in 18:20. 

According to Dillon's history, on the i51st of October, 
1^18, a treaty was concluded at St. Mark's, Ohio, whereby 
the Delaware Indians ceded to the United States all their 
claims to lands King within the boundaries of the State of In- 
diana in which the United States agreed to pay a perpetual 
annuity of four thousand dollars to the Delawares, and to pro- 
vide for them a resilience country on the western side of the 
^Mississippi river, and guaranteed to them the peaceful pos- 
session of the same. 

The commissioners who negotiated this treaty on the part 
of the United States were Jonathan Jennings, Lewis Cass and 
IJenjamin Parke. The Delawares reserved the right to occupy 
their lands in Indiana for a period of three years from the date 
of this treaty, at which time, it is said, they took their depar- 
ture, and, if Mr. Hollingsworth ever saw them at all. it must 
have been a very short time prior to their leaving. 

John Rogers, who is said to have been the first white in- 
hal)itant of Madison county, and who came here about the 
year 1818, ami settleil on Fall Creek, may ])ossiblv, and, in 
all probability did have a personal acc|uaintance witli this 
tribe. 



HlMllKV ()1- MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 19 

About the year ls|:-!,a battle was fought between the 
United States Army, under Gen. Harrison, witli the Miamis 
;ind other tribes on the Mississinewa. after which a message 
was conveyed to the Delaware tribes by Gen. Harrison, through 
Lieut. -Col. Campbell, requesting them to abandon their 
towns and to remove to the state of Ohio, and also regretting 
the unfortunate killing of some of their people in the battle. 
Soon after these negotiations the main bodvof the Delawares, 
togeliier with a small number of Miamis mo\ed into the State 
of Ohio, and placed themselves under the protection of the 
go\ernment of the Ihiited States. The remaining few 
Indians in this countv lingered here with Chief Anderson until 
his departure as above recited. 

The Shawnee prophet, and some of the principal chiefs of 
the Miamis, retired fro n the borders of the Wabash, and 
mo\ed to Detroit, where thev were received as the friends and 
allies of Great Britain. 

(jen. Harrison, in giving Col. Campbell (irders to proceed 
to the Mississinewa coimtry to fight the Indians, instructed 
him to avoid coming in contact with the Delawares on White 
river, and to pass around their villages in such manner as to 
in no way disturb them, as they were friendly to the whites. 
He also instructed him to counsel with William Conner as to 
his movements, and to court friendly relations with one " (iod- 
frov." a Canadian living in what is now Grant county, ^vho 
had for his wife an Indian squaw, and ^vas friendly to the 
Avhite people, and had great influence with the Miamis and 
other Indians in the countrv. 

CO.\CERNIN(. WILLIAM AND JOHN CO.VNEi;. 

Among the first white men to visit the present site of 
Anderson, if not the first, were the Conner brothers, William 
and John. The former entered the tract of land upon which 
the most valuable portion nf the city is situated, antl subse- 
([uently (lS2i5) transferred it to Captain John Berry. The 
Conncrs were taken when quite young by the Shawnee 
Iiuiians and were reareil among them. William was intimate- 
ly acquainted with the great Shawnee chief and warrior, 
Tecumseh, and being familiar with the language of many of 
tiie tribes, acted as interpreter at several treaties. He was at 
the battle of the Thames, and was the first man that identi- 
fied the dead Tecumseh after the engagement. 



20 HISTOIIV OK -MADISOX COINTV, IMJIANA. 

The following concerning his brother John and iiis visit 
to " Andersontovvn." is reproduced from O. H. Smith's 
" Early Indiana Trials, Sketches and Reminiscences :'' 

" John Conner, the proprietor of Connersville, was one 
of Nature's strong men. Taken by the Shawnee Indians when 
a mere youth, he was raised and educated in Indian life, 
language and manners. When dressed in their costume, and 
painted, it was difficult to distinguish him from a real savage. 
On one occasion, as he told me, he came to -Vntiersontown, 
then the lodge of a large band of Indians under Chief Ander- 
son. He was dressed and painted as a Shawnee, and pre- 
tended to be a representative of Tecumseh. As is usual with 
the Indians, he took his seat on a log barely in sight of the 
Indian encampment, quietly smoked his pipe, waiting the 
action of Anderson and his under chiefs. .Vfter an hour he 
saw approaching the old chief himself, in full dress, smoking 
his pipe. 1 give his language. ' As the old chief walked up 
to me I rose from my seat, looked him in the eyes, we ex- 
changed pipes, and walked down to the lodge, smoking with- 
out a word. I was pointed to a bear skin — took mv seat with 
my back to the chiefs. A few minutes after I noticed an 
Indian by the name of Gillaway, who knew nic well, 
ej'eing me closely. I tried to evade his glances, wiien 
he bawled out in the Indian language, at the top of his 
voice, interpreted, • You great Shawnee Indian, you John 
Conner." The ne.xt moment the camp was in a perfect roar 
of laughter. Chief Anderson ran up to me, throwing off his 
dignitj-. 'You great representative of Tecumseh,' and burst 
out in a loud laugh.'" The scene of this meeting was prob- 
ably where the Catholic Church now stands, at the corner of 
Eleventh and Fletcher streets. 

THADrriOXS CONCERNING CHIEF ANDERSON. 

The interesting legend contributed to this work by Mrs. 
Earle Reeve, iicc Lovett, concerning Kiktha-we-nund, or 
Chief Anderson, which mav be found elsewhere, is but one of 
the manv transmitted b}' the e;irly pioneers to their descend- 
ants, relaiive to the fate of the noted chief. There are several 
others, however, that are worth}' of mention. It is said that 
he came to his death while riding a pony by plunging from 
the high bluff on White river, JList east of Anderson. It is 
also said that he died before his people left for their reser\a- 
tion beyond the Mississippi, and that he was buried in tiie 



IIIMORV Ol' MADISON COUNTV, IN'DIAXA. L' 1 

burial i^i-ouiul of liis tribe. This burial groutul \\as situated 
where the residences of Major Doxey, T. M. Norton and 
Martin Gruenewald, in Anderson, are located. 

Another tradition is to the effect that he removed to Ohio 
\\ith a remnant of his people and died there. And still 
another that he went west with his people, and, being dissat- 
isfied with the country, started to return to his old home, and 
was poisoned to death while on his way. 

It is a matter of regret that nothing definite is known con- 
cerning his last days. He was a noble Indian, and always the 
steadfast friend of the whites. 



CHAPTER IV 



Early Settlement and Organization of the CorNiv. 

A majority of the early settlers of this county c;ime from 
Virginia and Kentucky, the former State being more largely 
represented than the latter. The first man who came to tlie 
county for the purpose of locating permanently was John 
Rogers, an Irishman. Rogers faced the perils and hardships 
of the wilderness and located in Fall Creek township in No- 
vember, 1818, two years after the territory of Indiana had 
been organized as a .State, and while the seat of the State 
goyernment was jet at Corydon. He left the county some- 
time after coming here, but subsequently returned and located 
about two and a half miles east of the town of Pendleton, 
where he reared a family. A sketch of Air. Rogers will be 
found elsewhere in these pages. 

But it was not until 18:^0 that any considerable number 
of pioneers located within the borders of the county. Those 
who came at that early day, like those who followed, saw that 
the land was well watered and that the soil with proper culti- 
\ation would yield abundantly. They settled in the primeval 
wilderness and began the arduous labor of cutting and hewing 
out of the unbroken forests, homes for themselves and their 
descendants. It was in this year that the nucleus for Madi- 
son county's present population settled near the falls of Fall 
Creek. Among the number were Elias Ilollingsworth and 
famil}', William Curtis, Nathaniel Richmond and family, 
John Linsey, Israel Cox, Conrad Crossley, Saul Shaul, 
Samuel Holliday, Thomas and William McCartne\'. Tiiese 
were soon followed by ^Vdam Dobson, Manly Richards, 
Stephen Corwin, the Silvers, W'illiam and Thomas, Palmer 
Patrick and many others \\ lio have long since gone to their 
reward. 

About this time other settlements sprang up in the yicin- 
it}' of Chesterfield, at Anderson and Perkinsville, with a -oli- 
tary cabin here and there between these places. 

Among those wiio settled in I'nion township in the vicin- 



IIISTOltY OF MAIHSOX COV^TV, IXmANA. 28 

ity of Chesterfield were Frederick Broniieiiberj^r, sr., William 
Diltz, John Suman, Daniel Nohind and Airiasa Makepeace. 
Those who first settled at Anderson were John Berry, A\'illiani 
^Vllen, Samuel Cory, William Curtis and William Stogdon. 
These pioneers were soon followed by otheis who will receive 
honorable mention elsewhere in this work. 

Two families of the name of Kinser and Dewey settled in 
the vicinity of Perkinsville, and were followed by Benoni 
Frell, of Ohio. Then came Daniel Wise, who made the first 
entry of land in Jackson township. In the fall of 182-5, Will- 
iam Parkins, with his family, which consisted of his wife and 
seven children, came from Ohio, and located where Perkins- 
ville now stands. Other immigrants followed and the settle- 
ment nourished. 

FoUov.'ing the organization of the territory of Indiana 
into a state, the agitation of the matter of organizing the 
county began in earnest in the infant settlements and did not 
cease until the metes and bounds of the territory which now 
comprises the county were established. At the session of the 
legislature which assembled at Corydon on the first Monday 
in December, lcS22, an enabling act was passed and received 
the signature of Governor William Hendricks on the 4th of 
January, 1828, granting the residents of the county the right 
to organize a separate and independent jurisdiction for the ad- 
ministration of affairs. That act is as follows : 

Section' 1. A'c // cimctcil by tlic (ici/cral Assciith/v of the 
Stale of Indiana, that from and after the first day of July 
ne.xt, all that tract of land which is included in the following 
boundaries, shnll constitute and form a new county, to be 
known and designated by the name of the county of Madison, 
to-wit ; Beginning at the south-west corner of the county of 
Henry, thence north with the line of the saniL' and to the 
township line di\iding 20 and 21 north, thence west to the 
north-east corner of Section 5, in Township 20 north, range 
6 east, thence south 20 miles; thence west to the north-east 
corner of the county of Marion ; thence south to the north- 
west corner of Shelby county; thence east with the line of 
Shelby until the same intersects Rush county; thence north 
with Rush county to the north-\vest corner of the same ; thence 
east to the place of beginning. 

Sec. 2. The said new county of Madison shall fri>m 
and after the first day of [ulv next, enjoy all the rights, privi- 



24 HISTORY OI- MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

leges and jurisdictions, which to separate and independent 
counties, do or may properly belong or appertain. 

Sec. 3. Abijah Bayless, of Harrison county i \Villiam 
Williams, of Jackson county : Jesse Reddick, of Bartholo- 
mew county ; Rollin C. Dewey, of Lawrence county, and 
James Dill, of Dearborn county, are hereby ajipointed Com- 
missioners, agreeably to an act entitled, " An act for fixing 
the seats of justice in all new counties hereafter to be laid oft." 
The Commissioners above named shall meet at the house of 
William McCartney, in said new countj- of Madison on the 
first Monday in September next, and shall immediately pro- 
ceed to discharge the duties assigned them by law. It is 
hereby made the duty of the sheriff of Marion county to no- 
tify the said Commissioners, either in person or by written 
notification, of their appointment, on or before the 15th day 
of August next, and the said sheriff of Marion county shall be 
allowed therefor by the County Commissioners of the county 
of Madison, such compensation as by them shall be deemed 
just and reasonable, to be paid out of the county treasury of 
the county of Madison in the same manner other allowances 
are paid. 

Sec. 4. The Circuit and other courts of the county of 
Madison shall meet and be holden at the house of William 
McCartney until suitable accommodations can be had at the 
county seat of said county : and so soon as the courts of said 
county are satisfied that suitable accommodations are provided 
at the county seat of said county they shall adjourn thereto ; 
after which time, all the courts of said county shall be held 
at the seat of justice thereof; provided, however, that the 
circuit court of said county shall have authority to remove 
from the house of said William McCartney to any more suit- 
able place in said county previous to the completion of the 
public buildings if they should deem the same expedient. 

Sec. 5. The agent who shall be appointed for said county 
to superintend the sales of lots at the county seat oi' said county 
or receive donations for said county shall reserve 10 per cent 
of the proceeds of such sale and donations, which he shall pa}- 
over to such person or persons, as b}- law may be author- 
ized to receive the same, for the use of a county library 
for said county, which he shall pay over at such time or times 
and manner as shall be directed by law. 

Sec. 6. The Board of County Commissioners of said 
county shall, within twelve months after the permanent seat 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. I'O 

or justice sh;ill ha\e been selected, proceed to erect the neces- 
sary public buildings thereon. 

Sec. 7. Provides for the organization, conduct and sup- 
port of a county library, as provided by the act organizing 
Dubois county, approved January 23, ISllS. 

Sec. S. The county is attached to and made a part of 
the Fifth Judicial Circuit of the State of Indiana. This act 
to be in force from and after July 1. 18J-5."' 

It will be seen from the foregoing that Madison county 
included all of what is now Hancock county and only so much 
of its present territory north of the White river as lies south 
of the north lines of LaFayette and Richland townships. 
With the formation of other counties adjoining the territory 
designated as the county of Madison the boundaries desig- 
nated in the original act were changed by subsequent legisla- 
tive enactments until the county boundaries were established 
as we find them to-day. 



CHAPTER V 



Formal Organization oi' the County — Circuit Colrt 
Organized — First Public Business. 

The L'ountv uas foniially organized Xoveinber, 1(1, 1823, 
at the house of William McCartney, within the limits of what 
is now the town of Pendleton, in accordance with the provi- 
sions of the foregoing act. The house of Mr., or ''Major"" 
McCartney, as he was usually called bv the early jiioneers, 
was constructed of logs and was situated on the lot where the 
Universalist Church now stands. It had two rooms, and in 
one of these the county was organized aiul the Hrst term of tiie 
Madison Circuit Court was begun and held. Joini Roberts, 
sheriff" of Marion county, who had been appointed liy the Leg- 
islature to conduct the organization of the county, was present 
to discharge the duties of his ofHce. The record shows that on 
this occasion "Samuel Ilolliday and Adam Winsell presented 
their commissions as associate judges, they having been 
appointed as such by the governor of the State, William Hen- 
dricks. On each commission was endorsed the certificate of 
John Kolierts. sheriff of Marion county, certifying that the 
person it was issued to had taken an oath to support the Con- 
stitution of the United States, the Constitution of the .State of 
Indiana, an oath of oflice. and also the oath against dueling." 
The ne.xt commission presented was that of Moses Co.x, as 
clerk, upon which was indorsed a certificate that he had taken 
the proper oath of office. Samuel Corv next presented his com- 
mission as sheriff" of the county, upon which was indorsed the 
proper certificate entitling jiim to enter upon the discharge of 
his official iluties. After these connnissions had been received, 
Sheriff' Roberts proclaimed that "the Madison Circuit Court is 
now open, according to law. " 

After the court had been organized, it appears of record 
that " Daniel B. Wick is now admitted as an attorney and 
counselor at law at the bar of the court. And it appearing 
satisfactorily to the court that his license is signed by two of 
the presidents, judges of the .Stale of Indiana, aiitl that the 



HISTORY Ol- MADISON t•Ol'^•T^ , INDIANA. _! ( 

oath prescribf J liv law is endor.sL'il there(.)n. he is therefore 
admitted as an attorney and counselor at law in this court."' 
Mr. \\^ick then moved "that Calvin Fletcher and James Gil- 
more be admitted as members ot" this bar as nttornevs and 
counselors at law." They were admitted, accordingl}-, after 
being sworn by the clerk, and their names enrolled as members 
of the Madison countv bar. These gentlemen have the dis- 
tinction of being the first attornevs adinitted 1o practice their 
profession in the courts of Madison countv. 

The next business of the court was the impaneling of a 
grand jury. The sheriff returned the venire issued to him by 
the clerk, and announced the names of the grand juiors as 
follows : Isaac Jones, John Rogers, Captain John Montgom- 
ery, Charles Tharp, Jacob B. Iliolay, Jacob Shaul, George 
Stockton, John Berry, Samuel \'angilder, John Russell, 
George Cunningham, Saul Shaul. John Montgomery. Henry 
Sybert, Nathaniel Richmond, Isaac Smith, Frederick Bron- 
nenberg, Sr., and John T. Bridge, the last named being one 
of the men who was subsequently hanged for the murder of 
the Indians in what afterwards became Adams township. It 
will be noticed that eighteen names were announced by the 
sheritT, but it is probable that only twelve of the \enire served 
as jurors. John Berry was appointed foreman of this jury and 
James Gilmore prosecuting attorney by the court. 

The first case on the docket for trial was that of Henry 
Nicholson vs. George Stockton, action and assumpsit, which 
was continued until the next term. The first case submitted 
for trial was that of Conrad Crosely \s. Andrew Sawyer, for 
slander. The case was tried by jurv and a verdict returned, 
but the clerk neglected to record it. 

The first indictment returned bv the graiul jurv was 
against one of its own members, Jacob B. Hiday, for assault 
and battery. Mr. Hiday pleaded guilty to the charge and was 
fined six and one-quarter cents bv the court. This compleletl 
the business of the first term of the Madison circuit court. 

The second session began on the ^th of April, ]t<l'4.at 
the house of William McCartney, the business being con- 
conducted b>- the associate judges, in the absence of the presi- 
dent judge. 

Oliver II. Smith, afterwards elected United States Sen- 
ator; Charles H. Test, Lot Bloomfield, James Bloomfield, 
James B.,and Martin M. Ray, Josiah F. Polke, Philip Svveet- 
zer and William R. Morris were admitted to practice in this 






28 HI>rOK^- OI- .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

court. The grand jiuvat this term consisted of Amasa Alake- 
peace, Saul Shaul, William Young, Aloses Corwin, John Su- 
man, Isaac Williams, Samuel Hull, and James Montgomery. 
Amasa ^Makepeace was selected as foreman of the jury. After 
the jury had been empaneled, the prosecuting attorney, James 
(iilmore, asked that the court appoint Cyrus Ferich as assist- 
ant prosecutor, which was accordingly done. It was this grand 
jury that returned bills of indictment against John T. Bridge, 
John Bridge, Andrew Sawyer, James Hudson and Thomas 
Harper for tiie murder of the Indians, to which reference has 
before been made. Two witnesses. Andrew Jones and Ste- 
phen Sawyer, were required to enter into bond in the sum of 
■1800, with approved security, for their appearance in court to 
testif}- when the indicted parties should be tried. The indicted 
men, excepting Harper, had been arrested and imprisoned in 
a jail built of logs hewed square, so that each timber fitted 
close to the one upon which it rested. There was but one 
door and no windows in the structure. It was guarded night 
and day from the moment the murderers were placed within 
its rude walls. That the wants of the guards were not neg- 
lected appears from the following order of court : " Thomas 
McCartney is allowed tiie sum of $5 for furnishing whiskey 
and corn for the use of the guards.'" The following order was 
also made at this term of court: " Charles Tharp is allowed 
the sum of $i^5 for impaneling a jury and holding an inquest 
on the bodies of certain Indians found dead in Madison 
county." 



CHAPTER \I. 



Concerning the Location of the Seat of Justice — John 
Berhy's Proposition — More Legislation — Pendle- 
ton — Anderson Selected. 



Iinmedi;itely following the eiiiibling act of the General 
Assembh- authorizing the organization of the county, John 
Berr}'. one of the first settlers to locate at Anderson, made a 
proposition to the commissioners, designated in the act, to 
meet at the house of William McCartney on the first Alonday 
in September, ]82;5, and select a seat of justice ; to donate 
certain lands at Anderson for that purpose. What the con- 
ditions of this proposition were are not known, but it is evi- 
dent that they were not satisfactory to all concerned, as the 
commissioners met as directed and considered the matter, but 
failed to select a county seat. 

Li the meantime justice was administered at Pendleton, 
by the Associate Judges. Madison county was within the 
limits of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, the president judge being 
Hun. William \\'. Wick. The Associate Judges for the coun- 
ty, at that time, as has been stated, were Samuel HoUiday 
and .Vdam Winsell. Subsetjuent legislation placed the county 
in the Third Judicial Circuit, and Judge Eggleston became 
the President Judge, presiding at the trials of Sawyer and the 
Bridges, father and son, for the murder of a number of friendly 
Indians, an account of which is given in a separate chapter 
elsewhere in this volinne. Hudson, the other murderer, was 
tried before Judge Wick. 

Bat for various reasons there was more or less dissatisfac- 
tion concerning the continuance of the seat of justice at Pen- 
dleton, and steps were again taken to re-locate the county 
seat, as we find that at the session of the legislature of 182-")— (5 
a supplemental act was passed for the purpose of disposing of 
the matter. The act, which was approved January US, ls2(i, 
is as follows : 

Be it enacted, etc.. That l^enjamin Irwin, of Bartholomew- 
county ; George Hunt, of Wayne county; Lew-is Hendricks, 



30 nisroi!-!' oi- MADisox corxT^-. ixdiana. 

of Shelby county; Klisha I^ong, of Henry county, and Daniel 
Heaton, of Hamilton county, be, and they are hereby, ap- 
pointed commissioners, to re-locate the seat of justice of Mad- 
ison county. The commissioners aboye named, shall meet at 
the house of Moses Pearson, in said county, on the first Mon- 
day in June next and shall proceed to locate the seat of justice 
of said county under the proyisions of the lau's regulating the 
fixing ot the seat of justice in all new counties hereafter to hi' 
laid oft'. 

Section I^, of said act provides that tin- circuit an<l all 
other courts of said county shall be held at the house of the 
said Moses Pearson, until suitable accommodations can be hail 
at the county .seat, when all the courts of said count\' shall be 
remo\ed thereunto. 

'J'here \yere several other sections of this act. in one of 
which reference is made to the donation of "John Herry and 
others to said county at »\ndersonto\vn, in said countv.'' The 
section annuls and re\okes all previous proceedings witli reler- 
ence to the donation of land for a seat of justice. 

But it is dnulitful whether an\ thing was accomplished l)y 
the commissioners under this act, as we find that an act was 
passed by the succeeding legislature and approved January 
2('), 18:27, giving atithoritj' for the re-location of the county 
seat. This was the last act of the legislature concerning the 
matter, and is as follows : 

Sectiox 1. 15c it enacted, etc., tliat \\'illiani Shannon, 
leremiali K. Li-nicm ami William C. Blackmore, of Hamilton 
county ; Moses Prewitt, of Shelby county, and John Thomp- 
son, of Marion county, be, and tliey are hereby appointed 
Commissioners to re-locate the seat of Justice of Madison 
county. The commis'-ioners aboye named shall moet at the 
house of John Perrj- (Berry), in said county, on the third 
Monday in May next, and proceed to locate the seat of justice 
of said county agreeably to the provisions of an act entitled, 
"An act to establish seats of justice in new counties.'" ap- 
proved January 14, 1Sl'4, and the act amendator}' of tlie 
.same approved December Ji), ISi'."). 

The Commissioners named in the above act met at the 
house of John Berry, in •• Andersontown," on the third Mon- 
day of May, \^'21, and pursuant to the authority vested in 
them, proceeded to relocate the seat of. justice. The proposi- 
tion of John Berry was received, and the terms being satisfac- 



IlIs■^<lK^' i)F MAntsox coi-\t\', Indiana. ;!1 

tory, was accepted. And " Aiulcrsontown "' becaiiii' tlie countv 
seat of Mailison countv. 

The main provisions of John Berry's proposition are st-^ 
foith in the deed <!;i\en by him and his wife, Sally, dated 
Novendjer 7. lb-!T, to "\\'illiani Curtis, the county agent 
appointed lor the purpose. The tract of land conveyed bv 
Berr\' anil his \\ ife is described as follows : " Commencing 
at the southeast corner of lot No. Iti. in the southwest sipiare 
in the town of Andersontown ; thence north witji Meridian 
street to the northeast corner of lot No. 1, in the northwest 
Sfiuare of said town; thence east to ^\'hite river; thence U]> 
saitl river, at low-water mark, until a line running a due soutii 
course till it comes parallel with tlie south end of Meridian 
street, will contain thirty acres, being pai t of the southwest 
quirterof section 1 1?, town lU north, of r.uige 7 east '■• * * 
so long as the town aforesaid continues to be the permanent 
seat of justice of Madison county * '" * and in considera- 
ti(Ui of lot No. 7. in the north front of Andersontown, in said 
county, the leceipt whereof is herebv acknowledged. 

The l)Oundarv lines of this donation circumsci ibed the 
site of Chief Anderson's village, but was resurveyed by order 
of the Roard of Commissioners, in hSi^U, by Samuel C. Wood- 
worth and Xormon Way, the origitial survey having been 
found to be imperfect. The land thus given to the coiuity for 
a seat of justice is now the most valuable in the city of Ander- 
son, embracing as it does all that part of the citv east of Mer- 
idian street between I'^ighth and Eleventh streets to the river. 
^\!ong with the donation of land a subscription was raised 
among those w ho faxored iXndersontown as the count}' seat, 
but the amount sul)scribed is not known, neither the names of 
the subscribers. It appears, however, from the records of the 
Commissioners' Court that the subscription amounted to 
several hundred do-llars as an entry concerning the building of 
a iail states amoitg other things that " the Board agrees to 
appropriate the sum of iji^tlO, according to the conditions of a 
subscrijition signeil at the January session of this Board for 
I.Sl'O." The laud donated was divided into lots, platted and 
sold for the purpose of erecting public buildings. An order 
made by the Board of Justices at their September terin, 1828, 
reads as follows: "Ordered that Samuel Cory be allowed the 
sum of -i!.") as an additional allowance fi'i' xvliiskv and crying 
the sale of lots in Andersontown." Another sale of lots took 
place April 1, 18:^1), after the town had been resurveyed b)- 



32 IIISTOllV OI MADISOX COUNTY. INDIANA. 

Woodworth and Way. The record with reference to this 
sale reads : Ordered, that Bricknell Cole be allowed the sum 
of $8.]2A for crying the last sale of lots at Andersontown, and 
for whisky furnished for said sale. 

At that early day, and indeed for a quarter of a centurv 
later, it was customary on important occasions in this and 
other new states to dispense liquor to the public. In fact, 
there were but few- " gatherings "" aside from those of a relig- 
ious character at which there was not a jug or two of liquor 
to stimulate the feelings of those in attendance. At house- 
raisings, log-rollings, corn-shuckings, during harvest and at 
political meetings, the " little brown jug" usually cut an im- 
portant figure. Without it there was an absence of that joy- 
ous spirit with which the early pioneers usually entered upon 
undertakings of " pith and moment." And yet, be it said to 
the eyerlasting credit of the men who first peopled this great 
county, that notwithstanding the hospitable customs of their 
time, but very few of them indulged to excess in intoxicating 
liquors. They ^yere hardy, sober, honest, industrious and gen- 
erous, and whatever shortcomings they may have had, their 
character will not suffer when brought into comparison with 
the men who ha\e followed them thus far or who may follow 
them hereafter. Their manners were hoinel}' and in keeping 
\yith their surroundings, but their ways were honest and their 
faults were of the head rather than of the heart. We of today 
may be superior to them in manj- respects, but it will be gen- 
erally admitted that from the standpoint of morals we ha\e 
made no improvement on their time. Their descendants have 
no cause for shame ^^■hile perusing their historj', for there is 
but little doidDt that they would not have achieved the same 
triumphs or have been so successful under similar circumstan- 
ces. They were preeminently the men for the time and the 
herculean undertaking of subduing the wilderness. That they 
succeeded, the fruitful lields and fair homes of the county 
abundantly attest. 



CHAPTER VII. 



First Piblic Biildii\<;s — Coikt IIousp; — Jaii. — County 

Infirmary. 



Immediately following the locating of the county scat 
preliminary steps were taken toward the erection of a court 
house and jail, and the record shows that a notice of the in- 
tention of the County Hoard to erect a court house was pub- 
lished in newspapers adjacent to the county with an invitation 
to builders and contractors to submit plans and specifications 
for the same. ()ue of these notices was inserted five times in 
a newspaper at Centerville, this State, published bv '' Septi- 
mus Smith, Esq.," for which he was allowed the sum of .^i.^o 
by the Board at the January term, 1829. At the following 
term it was ordered by the Board that " the agent of Madison 
county sell to the lowest bidder the building of a jail in 
Andersontown, according to the plan adopted at the present 
.session, to be finished within six months, recjuiring bond and 
securit}' for the performance of the building in a workmanlike 
manner." 

At this time the Board of Justices, or County Board, con- 
sisted of the following named members: William Curtis, 
William S. Penn, Amasa Makepeace, John Busby, Thomas M. 
Pendleton, Daniel Hardesty, Jacob Hiday, William Nelson, 
Daniel Wise and Richard Kinnamon. William Curtis was 
president of the Board. lie had formerl)- resided at Pendle- 
ton, but had taken an active part in securing the re-location of 
the seat of justice at Andersontown. He subsequently moved 
to the county seat, and the first term of the circuit court was 
held in his house, after the seat of justice had been removed 
from Pendleton. His house stood on Main streef, about where 
the hardware store of J. P. Barnes now stands. 

It seems that for some cause or other no action was taken 
with reference to the building of a court house for some time 
after the first notice was published, for at a session of the 
County Board in January, 1831, it was, " Ordered by the 
Board that the agent of the county of Madison, sell to the 



34 HISTORY OF .MADISOX COUXTV, INDIANA. 

lowest bidder, the building of ;i court house, to be built on Lot 
No. 17, in the northeast siiuure, in Andersontown, to be built 
on the following plan, to-wit : One story high, thirt\--six 
feet long and twenty feet wide ; to be elevated one foot from 
the ground and underpinned with stone'; the story to be ten 
feet between floors ; the building to be well weather-boarded 
and covered with good joint shingles ; to have a good brick 
chimney in the west end, with a large fire place therein; ten 
feet of the end to be partitioned, so as to make two ten foot 
jurv-rooms : all the partitions to be made of good seasoned 
planks; each of said jurv-rooms to have a door to open into 
the large room; the said house to have three twelve-liglit 
windows in the south side and three in the north side; the 
windows to be so placed that the large room shall have four 
and each of the jury-rooms one ; the under floor to be laid in 
good, workmanlike manner, the upper floor to he laid of loose 
planks: hou-e lo have one door in front, to open near the par- 
tition ; the windows to be in. the outside door hung and the 
house inclosed on or before the second Monday in May next, 
and the whole work completed, according to the above plan, 
on or before the second Monday in November next. The sale 
to take place in Andersontown on the third Saturday in Janu- 
arv, inst., the said agent taking bond of the contractors in 
double the amount for which the work is taken, conditioned 
for the completion of the work against the loth day of No- 
vember. 1831." 

At the time designated in the foregoing order the con- 
tract for the court house was let to Daniel Harpold, but the 
building was not completed according to contract, as it appears 
from the proceedings of the Board at the January session, 
1832, that John Drewry and Nathaniel Chapman were ap- 
pointed a committee to examine the new court house and re- 
port if it had been built according to the contract. This com- 
mittee reported to the Board that the contract had not been 
fully complied with, and recommended that " $30 be deducted 
from the amount of the original contract, which recom- 
mendation was adopted by the Board and the contractor dis- 
charged." 

This building stood about where the Lovett block now 
stands, on East Eighth street, between Main and Central ave- 
nue, and answered the purpose for which it was built for a 
period of about six vears, when it was sold by order of the 
County Board, a new court house having been built in the 



HISTORY OT<- MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 85 

puljlic s<|iuire in the meantime. Tlie Iniikliiii^ ^vas used as a 
residence until it was torn down in order to make way for the 
present business block that now occupies its site. The jail 
that was built in 1S;50 was situated about where the west 
steps of the present court house are situated. The structure 
was sixteen feet square, a story and a half high, and was 
made of hewed logs. The entrance to the jail was in the 
upper story, which was reached bj' a flight of stairs con- 
structed on the outside of the building. There was a trap- 
door in the ceiling of the lower room, through which prison- 
ers were let down to the first floor by means of a ladder. 
After the prisoner was let down to the cell or room below the 
ladder was removed and the trap-door closed. With the sale 
of the old frame court house the Countv Board ordered the re- 
moval of the jail from the public square, as it was not only 
unsightlv but insecure. It was accordingly torn down, and 
from 1887 to 184:2 all prisoners that had to be confined for any 
length of time, or who were considered dangerous, were taken 
to Indianapolis for safe keeping. During the trial of prison- 
ers they were guarded and securely ironed, which entailed no 
little expense to the county. The following is a copy of a 
claim that was allowed at the Afarch session, 1844, of the 
County Board for this purpose : 

Allowed Daniel Williams — 

For riveting irons on S -S-"'. 

For riveting irons on 2.'). 

For riveting irons on 12. 

For cutting rivets 12,'.^. 

For altering rivets anil riveting on 25. 

Fur fastening handcuffs on Ofi. 

Sl.O.'J 

The names of the parties upon whom the irons were fast- 
ened were given in the claim but are omitted here for vari- 
ous reasons. 

ORDER FOR A NEW COIRT HOUSE AND JAIL. 

The order for a new court house to take the place of 
the frame in which the county business had been trans- 
acted was made by the County Board at the September 
session 1828, but was afterwards revoked, and it was not until 
April. 1837, that the contract for the new building was let. 
The description of the building given in the contract is asfol- 
fows : " Of brick, forty-four feet stpiare, two stories high. 



36 HISTORY OK MADISON COLXTY. INDIANA. 

all to be like tlie court house at Noblesville, except the court 
room, which is to be on the lower floor ; the tower to be hke 
that on the court house at Indianapolis, and the cupola which 
is to be like that on thecourt liouseat Indanapolis." The build- 
ing was to be erected, according to the terms of the contract, in 
the public square of Andersontown, and was to to be inclosed 
previous to the 1st of November, 1887. The contract was 
awarded to Messrs. Crawford & Meek, of Hancock count}-, 
for the sum of .155, TTO. The building was completed "'on 
time,"' and according to the terms of the contract, and was fir^t 
occupied for judicial purposes at the October term of the Cir- 
cuit Court, 1889. At this time the ofKceis of the court were 
Judge William W. Wick, who presided over the first court 
held in the county, Andrew Jackson, clerk, and Joseph How- 
ard, sheriff. NV'ill^am Prigg and Abraham Thomas were the 
Associate Judges. This court house stood in the center of 
the public square until the morning of the 10th of December, 
1880, when it was consumed by fire, and with it many inter- 
esting and valuable records. The lire was undoubteiUy of 
incendiary origin, but no steps were taken either bv the 
county commissioners or other authorities to apprehend the 
guilty party or parties. 

^lany matters of interest could be written ab">ut the build- 
ing, as it was for many jears the only public place of meeting 
in Anderson excepting perhaps the frame Methodist church 
which at an early day stood on the northeast corner of IMerid- 
ian and Eleventh streets. The record of the commissioners' 
court shows that one of the rooms was once used as the post 
office, as it is " ordered that Xinevah Berry pa)* !i!;5 per month 
rent for the room which he now occupies in the court house 
for the post office so long as lie remains in the same.'" Also 
at tlie March session, 184(5. it was " ordered that the south- 
east room of the court house, up stairs, be assigned to Mount 
Moriah Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, and to l)e kept 
in good order by said lodge."' A lodge of the Sons of Tem- 
perance also met in one of the rooms '• up staiis " for a ni.m- 
ber of years. Other rooms were rented for law offices from 
time to time and also to Justices of the Peace up to I8C0, 
when the commissioners devoted the entire building to the 
exclusive use of the county. 

Shortly after this building was erected notice was given 
by the board of commissioners that " sealed proposals would 
be received until the first Monday of December (1841) next 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUN'l V. INDIANA. 87 

for the erection of a jail in Andersontown." Tiie structure 
was to be built of hewed oaiv timber twelve inches square, two 
stories liit;h, !"> \ :22 scjuare ; stories to be eight feet high be- 
tween the floors. "The jail to be built on the public scjuare 
west of the court house, the north side of the jail to be on a 
line with the north side of the court house," which was about 
the same site of the one previously removed. This jail was 
completed and accepted bj' the county commissioners Ji'ne, 
1842. It cost but $149, and was not a very secure place in 
which to coifine a restive criminal possessed \vith ordinary 
ingenuity and a desire to be at libertv. In fact it soon be- 
came a burden to the county on this account, as rewards for 
escaped prisoners were frerjuently given, and this, with other 
expenses for its mairjtenance, determined the commissioners 
to provide a new jail. This was accordingl)- done, the Board 
at the March term (1852) appointing John Davis. George 
Millspaugh and William Roach to superintend the erection of 
a new jail, with full authority " to make contracts and esti- 
mates and order allowances, and do all other things in the 
premises they may see lit."' 

These gentlemen at once entered upon their duties in the 
premises, and at the following December session of the board 
(1S.52) made a final report, showing that they had discharged 
their dutv as directed, the building being completed and fully 
adapted to the purpose for which it was erected. This build- 
ing was a two-story brick, situated at the northwest corner of 
Jackson and Ninth streets. About this time a one-storv brick 
liuilding was erected in the southeast corner of the court house 
scjuare for the use of the county officers. The auditor, treas- 
urer and recorder occupied this building until arrangements 
were made for the erection of the present handsome court 
house. The clerk and sheriff had their offices in the court 
house when it Inirned. Concerning the present court house 
and jail, it is thought best to make them the subjects for an- 
other chapter. 

THE COUNTY INFIRMARY. 

The pr ictice of " selling" that class of unfortunates who 
are compelled to depend upon charity for a subsistence, al- 
though quite common in the early historj- of the country-, never 
obtained to any great extent, if at all, in this county. The 
method of " selling paupers "' resulted too often in cruel and 
inhuman treatment of those "sold," and was considered, 
besides, too expensive. We find, therefore, that as early as 



38 HISTORY OF MADISOX COINTV, INDIANA. 

1834 the county commissioners determined upon a more 
humane method of takin<r care of the poor. The record of the 
May session of that year shows that '-Joseph Shannon 
reported that he had contracted with Jacob Shaul to build a 
poorhouse for .$20; that the same was completed according to 
contract, and that Shaul was allowed .i^lJO for the same." This 
poorhouse was constructed of logs, but just where it was sit- 
uated is not known. It was probably located near Anderson, 
but the record is silent upon the subject. In 1840 ten acres 
of land were purchased by the county commissioners in the 
addition to Anderson now known as South Park. The tract 
was situated between Xineteenih and Twent3'-third streets, 
and extended from Main street to Pearl street. A new poor- 
house was erected on this tract of land by John Jordan, to 
whom the contract was let by John Renshaw, who was county 
agent at that time. The record informs us that the building 
was 20x30 feet square, two stories high, with a stone chimney, 
and cost 1100. I'his poorhouse was enlarged and greatly im- 
proved from time to time, as necessity demanded, and was 
used up to 1868, when the commissioners disposed of it, 
together \vith the land upon which it was situated, and pur- 
chased a farm in Richland township of John Xelson, to which 
the paupers were removed. Bv the terms of the purchase and 
sale of the new poor farm Xelson became the superintendent, 
or keeper, of the poor, which position he held until the county 
Board decided to purchase a more desirable location and erect 
permanent buildings thereon that would aft'ord better accom- 
modations for the poor. 

The record of a special session of the county Board, held 
July 5, 1877, shows that the Board purchased of Berryman 
Shafer a tract of land, containing two hundred and twelve 
acres, situated about four miles east of Anderson, in Union 
township. There was a large brick residence on the land and 
the commissioners very properlv determined to use it exclu- 
sively as a residence for the superintendent of the poor, in- 
stead of converting it into an infirmary. They accordingly ad- 
vertised for plans and specifications for an inhrmary building 
and on the 18th of July, among a number of plans that had 
been submitted, those of the late Edwin May. of Indianapolis, 
were accepted. Xotice for bids on the work were made and 
on the 8d of September, the contract was awarded to William 
B. Wright, of Anderson, he being considered the lowest bid- 
der. The building cost $7,200 and was completed early in 



IIIsroKV OK MADISON COUXIV. INDIANA. HO 

January, 1878. It is made of brick, two stories liigii and is 
situated near to and a little southeast of the superintendent's 
residence. It Is considered admirably adapted to the purposes 
for which it is used, being well ventilated, commodious, and 
comfortable. As compared witli other infirmaries of other 
counties throughout the State, it is very creditable. 

After the building had been completed and the poor trans- 
ferred to their new home, ex-sheriff A. J. Ro-is was appointed 
superintendent and that gentleman, assisted bv his estimable 
wife, as matron, had charge of the friendless poor of the 
county for a number of vears, when he resigned. He was 
succeeded by W. A. .Swindell, who was succeeded by John 
Kinyoun, wlio has since had charge of the poor farm and in- 
firmarv, and, like his predecessors, Mr. Kinyoun has given uni- 
versal satisfaction. His etiiciency generally is conceded, as the 
poor under his charge ha\e not only been well provided for in 
every respect, but the county's interests have been carefully 
guarded. Mr. Kinyoun is a practical farmer and a man of 
sound judgment generally, and his administration of infirmary 
atTairs have thus far been not only creditable to himself, but 
the county. 

Since the above was written, Mr. Kinyoun has been suc- 
ceeded as superintendent of the infirmary by Augustus Heagy. 



CHAPTER Vni. 



The Present Jail axd Court House — Their Cost, Etc. 



The jail mentioned in the preceding chapter, like the 
one that preceded it. in the course of time became insecure 
and inadequate, and from motives of economy and other 
considerations it was considered advisable to dispose of it 
as advantageously as possible and erect a new one. Accord- 
ingly in 18S0, the old building was sold, and the Commission- 
ers purchased the site of the present jail, at the northeast 
corner of Eighth street and Central avenue, the consideration 
being $] ,400. A frame dwelling occupied the lot and this 
was .sold and removed. Notice was dul\- given to architects 
inviting them to submit plans and specifications for the new 
building and at a special session of the Commissioners' court 
held October, 1880. T. J- Tolin & Son, architects, submitted 
a proposition to the Board, which, after due consideration, was 
accepted. Notice was subsequently given to contractors and 
builders of the intention of the Board to build a new jail, and 
that bids for the work would be received on the 11th of 
February, 1881. On that day the Board met and opened the 
bids, which were three in number. It was considered that the 
bid of W. H. Myers & .Son was the lowest and best, and they 
were awarded the contract. They agreed to erect the build- 
ing according to the plans and specifications for !i!17,989 and 
gave bond for the performance of the contract. The building 
was completed in 1882, and has been in use ever since. Al- 
though tliere have been several escapes from the jail, they 
were not on account of its faulty construction, but rather the 
result of negligence on the part of those having the prisoners 
in charge. The first escape was eft'ected through 

THE CUNNING OF A WOM.VX, 

An accoimt of which \vill be found, not only interesting to 
the general reader, but may be of benefit to those who are 
placed in charge of criminals. 

The circumstances of the case are these: Louis Kuhn. 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COINTY, INDIANA. 41 

the son-in-law of Philip Kellar, a saloonkeeper at that time on 
the south side of the scjuare in Anderson, shot and vvounded a 
negro who had assaulted Kellar. The grounds upon which 
Kuhn justified the act was that his father-in-law was a crip- 
ple, one of his arms being paralyzed. Kuhn was arrested on 
a charge of shooting with intent to kill, and not being able to 
give bond, was placed in jail. His wife, to whom he had 
been married but a short time when he became involved in the 
difficulty, was very attentive to his wants and was a fre(|Uent 
visitor at the jail, often taking him his meals. Randal 
Biddle, who was sheriff of the countv at the time, had known 
Mrs. Kuhn from her infancv and being naturally great- 
hearted, svmpathized with her and permitted her to visit the 
cell where her husband was confined whenever she asked per- 
mission. Kuhn had been in jail probablv a month wlien his 
wife called at the jail one evenintj in company with a young 
negro about the size of her husband. The turnkey was re- 
quested to let iicr and the young negro \'isit her husband in his 
cell, and as siie had been in the habit of enjoving that privi- 
lege, the request was granted as usual. Mrs. Kuhn and her 
negro attendant had not been in the cell but a short' time 
until they appeared at the circular cage and asked to be let out, 
which was promptly done by the accommodating turnkev. 
After getting out of the cage and into the jail office, Mrs. 
Kuhn and her companion lost no time in rjuitting the premises. 
The turnkey thought everything was all right until about two 
hours after Mrs. Kuhn's visit, when the negro who had 
entered the cell with her was heard calling upon the turnkev 
to be released from confinement. As soon as the turnkev sa%v 
the negro be realized the situation and at once communicated 
the fact to the sherifl' that Kuhn had escaped. Mrs. Kuhn 
had gone to the jail with a box of blacking and after she and 
the young negro, whom she had br'.bed of course to act as she 
directed, entered her husband's cell, at once prepared for his 
escape by blacking his face and otherwise contributing to a 
"make up'" that resembled her negro companion's apjiearance 
as much as possible. Her scheme was successful and the es- 
cape of Kuhn was tiie reigning sensation in Anderson for 
weeks after. Mrs. Kuhn's conduct, while reprehensible per- 
haps from the standpoint of law, was very generally ap- 
plauded. She was indicted for conspiring to liberate a pris- 
oner but her attorney succeeded in having the indictment 
against her '•quashed." The voung negro who so materially 



42 HISTORY OK MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

iissisted her in her plans was iield in custody for a while and 
then liberated. Kuhn escaped and was gone a year when he 
was arrested one night on a train at the Crossing as he was at- 
tempting to pass through Anderson on his way to Chicago. 
lie was afterwards sentenced to the Michigan City prison for 
a term of two years on a plea of guilty to the charge against 
him and seryed his term. 

THE FIRST PRISONER. 

In this connecion it may be mentioned that while it is no 
part of the purpose of this \vork to give the names of per- 
sons who have been imprisoned in tlie jails of Madison 
county, it is permissible to state that the first person to enter 
the new jail as a prisoner was William Hudson, a well-known 
character in .Vnderson at the time it was completed. "• Bill." 
as he was commonly called, had been arrested for some slight 
misdemeanor, intoxication perhaps, and was •■ boarding out " 
his fine, when the inmates of the old jail were transferred to 
the new one. When he was informed that the prisoners were 
to be taken to the new "•cooler," he requested of Captain 
Coburn, who was at that time deputy city marshal of »\nder- 
son, under Marshal Augustus Heagy, that he be taken to tlie 
jail first as he wanted the "' honor" of being the iirst man to 
enter the institution as a prisoner. The officer gratified Hud- 
son's ambition, and he therefore enjoys the distinction he so 
ardently coveted. 

I HE NEW COURT HOUSE. 

As stated in a previous chapter, the burning of the old 
court house lendered it necessary for the Board of Conimi>- 
sioners to adopt measures looking to the erection of a new 
building. Long before the old building was destroyed, the mat- 
ter of disposing of it and the erection of a new one better 
adapted to the times and the needs of the county bad been 
discussed and it seemed to be the general desire of the citizens 
of the county that a new temple of justice should take the 
place of the old one. There were therefore, \er\ few, if any, 
regrets when the old building burned, and had it not been for 
the destruction of many valuable records and papers in the 
clerk's office its loss would have been hailed with feelings 
akin to joy by a majority of the people of the county, ratlier 
than sorrow. The old court house had answered the purpose 
for which it was built fairly well but it had become antiijuated 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNIV, INDIANA. 43 

and while improvements miglit luive iiddetl to its conveniences 
they could have contributed nothing to the beauty of its appear- 
ance. The progress tiiat had been made in the development 
of the county and the improvements that had been made in its 
immediate surroundings emphasized the importance of hav- 
ing a new place of justice that would Ije commensurate, in 
some degree at least, with the greatness of the couiitv and the 
" new order of things." With the old building out of the 
^vay therefore it was evident that the hope which so many had 
long entertained would now be realized and thai a temple of 
justice would be erected worthy of the county. But to erect 
a building such as the people demanded required time and 
money and the Board of Commissioners went about the work 
deliberately. The Board met in special session the day after 
the court house burned and took immediate steps to provide 
offices for the clerk and sheritY and also a suitable room in 
which the sessions of the Circuit court could be held. Rooms 
were rented in what was then known as Westertield's hall, 
and the clerk's and sheriff's offices were moved to the new 
quarters. The late Edwin P. Schlater, on account of his famil- 
iarity with the court records and documents of the clerk's ofhce, 
was appointed special commissioner to look after the damaged 
records and papers and see that as many of them could be 
saved and restored to their proper places and files as possible. 
This duty was discharged acceptably by Mr. Schlater and it 
was through his instrumentality that many valuable docu- 
ments were saved from destruction. 

The sessions of the Madison circuit court were held in the 
hall of the Westertield block on North Main street for a num- 
ber of terms, when the Commissioners rented the upper rooms 
in the Hannah and Boring block on the north side of the pub- 
lic sc[uare, and the Circuit court was held there until the new 
court house was completed — a period of a little more than 
four years. The clerk's and sheriff's offices were also removed 
to this block, which made it more convenient for litigants, 
members of the bar and everybody having business in the cir- 
cuit court. 

The Commissioners prepared for the building of the new 
court house by levying a light tax upon the taxables of the 
county, and, after duly advertising for plans and specifica- 
tions, on the 8th day of February, 188'2, the plans presented 
by architect G. W. Bunting ^vere accepted. Notice was 
given that sealed proposals for the work and materials would 



44 irisTfiiiv OK MAnisox cointv. Indiana. 

be received at tlie auditor's ottice on Monday. March 27tli, 
1H'<'2, and on that date the record shows that the contract was 
awarded to McCorniack & Sweeney. Their bid was $15l\(l<l(), 
and. althouirh there were other bids, and one for a less amount 
by several thousand dollars, their proposition was regarded as 
the best presented. They began immediatelv, with a large 
force of laborers, laving the foundation of the building. J. E. 
Redmond superintended the work for the contractors, and 
Xeal C. McCullough. since deceased, looked after the county's 
interests as local superintendent. There was no interruption 
in the work, and it progressed as rapidly as was possible until 
the day designated for the laving of the corner stone. This 
event will be considered in the following chapter. 

It may be mentioned here that as soon as the stone began 
to arrive for the new court house the little brick office build- 
ing in the south-east corner of the s(|uare, reference to which 
was made in a preceding chapter, was vacated bv order of the 
commissioners. This building was erected in the good year 
lS4'.t — the vear of the American Argonauts who flocked to 
California for gold like those who sailed with Jason after the 
golden fleece — under the supervision of George !Millspaugh, 
William Sparks and Robert N. Williams, who were appointed 
for that purpose by the Board of Commissioners. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Laying of the Corner Stone ok the Xew Coiht Hoi ,se 
— Memorable E\-eni- — Addresses, Etc. 

Tilt' laving of the corner stone of Madison county's pres- 
ent court house took place on the 17th day of August, 1882, 
and in many respects is the greatest event in the county's his- 
tory. No civic demonstration bsfore or since has equalled it 
in the " pomp and circumstance '" that render such occasions 
memorable. Extensive preparations were made for the occa- 
sion, not onlv by the Board of Commissioners, but hv the city 
authorities of Anderson, the ^■arious fraternal societies and 
citizens generallv. At a session of the Commissioners' court 
it was orderetl that the honor of laying the corner stone be 
tendered to Mount Moriali Lodge F. anil A. j\L, of Ander- 
son. Invitations were extended to the different social and 
benevolent orders throughout the countv, and also to the 
Masonic lodges in adjoining counties to be present and partic- 
ipate in the exercises. In tine, nothing was left undone that 
would contribute to the interest of the occasion. Anticipa- 
tion ran high, the pride of the people was aroused, and when 
the day came for the imposing cerenunies, the city presented 
a holiday appearance. The d.iy was propitious for such an 
event, being delightfuUv sunnv, yet cool for the season of the 
year. The early morning trains brought a number of Masonic 
lodges, several commandaries of Knights Templar, and large 
delegations of citizens, and bv the time the procession was 
formed and ready to move, which was not until two o'clock 
in the afternoon, the streets around the square were almost 
impassable on account of the throngs of people. The parade 
was a grand spectacle and was witnessed bv thousands of citi- 
zens who crowded the sidewalks along the line of march. 
The music of the liands was inspiring and the courtly Knights 
and Patria'chs in their handsome miiforms rendered the scene 
and occasion not onlv interesting but impressive. Maior John 
T. Wildman was Grand Marshal. His aids were J. P. Barnes, 
C. K. McCullough and L. I. Burr on tiie part of the Masons, 



46 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

C. B. Cooper, Capt. C. T. Doxey ami W. S. Di\en on tlie 
part of the I. O. O. F., C. D. Thompson, Jas. Mohan, Peter 
Fromlet. J. S. Carr and Thos. Gee for tlie Red Men. 

RKCEI'TJON COMMITTEES. 

For F. and A. M . J. P. Barnes, J. M. Dickson, T. J. 
Stephens, Col. N. Berry, C. K. McCullough. For I. O. (). 
F., W. R. Myers, M. H. Chipman, Jos. Fulton, W. W. Wil- 
liams, Samuel Myers, W. S. Diven. For Red Men, C. D. 
Thompson, Jas. Mohan, Peter Fromlet. J. S. Carr and Thos. 
Gee. 

LAVING THE STONE. 

It was three o clock when the ceremony of placing the 
stone in its proper place hegan. Messrs. McCormack cS: 
Sweene)', the contractors, anticipating the needs of the occa- 
sion, had erected a lar>^e stand over the northeast corner of the 
court house foundation for tlie accommodation of the speak- 
ers, officers of the day, invited guests and band. The stand 
was crowded and a dense throng of people extended across 
the streets on the north and east sides, while hundreds of peo- 
ple occupied the roofs of buildings and every other " coign of 
vantage '' in the vicinits'. After music by the band and an 
invocation by J. K. Prye, G. C. F. and A. M., Grand Mar- 
shal Wildman introduced Hon. T. B. Orr, who delivered tlie 
following address of welcome on behalf of the city. 

TilE ADDRESS. 

/ isi/ors and Citizens : 

It is a pleasing thought to know that the people, irre- 
spective of party, caste or creed, have met together for a com- 
mon purpose. And it is a source of great congratulation that 
you are the actors under the benign iniluences of this day. 
The clamoring voice of political passion and prejudice is 
hushed ; the venomous tongue of hatred and malice is stilled ; 
and the withering breath of sectarian bigotry and intolerance 
is calmed. To-day friend greets friend and stranger welcomes 
stranger, as worthy members of a great community, each for 
himself assuming the responsibilities and performing the 
duties of intelligent, useful and honored citizenship. Your 
mission here is a noble one ; as visitors, as taxpayers, you 
come to celebrate with us the beginning of a work that, in 
time, shall stand an enduring monument of the prosperity, lib- 
erality and progress of our county. None are more welcome 



IIIST()R^• OK MADISON COUXTY, INDIANA. 4( 

iiere to-chiv tli;iii tlie pioneer citi/.ens of this county, \vliolia\e 
battled :ind o\ercome poverty and adversity and are now, witii 
their chiklren, enjoying the possessions and comforts of home 
acfjuired by the reijuited toil of busy and useful lives. 

We salute vou who have come with music and banners 
and statelv bearing. The patriotic spirit and splendid disci- 
pline nf this dav give assurance that, in the mid^t of iiulustrial 
pursuits and prosperity, with all of the arts of peace crowned 
triumphant, our noble state will not be without protectors in 
the hour of peril. May your mission ever be to serve your 
state best by encouraging obedience to law ; by promoting 
industry, sobiiety, morality, sociability, intelligence, and all 
the \irtues that combine in true and noble manhood. Words 
of welcome shall be the city's message to the ladies, you who 
have l.'indly graced this occasion with your presence and 
influence. Vou shall be numbered among the joint owners 
of the noble edilice that we are now building. And you are 
this day, by your piesence, demanding that within its com- 
pleted halls the rights of the people shall be respected and 
asserted, the wrongs redressed and violations of law made 
odious by an enlightened public sentiment and merited pirn- 
ishment : that the administration of justice shall be such at 
all times as to command the reverence and respect of officer 
and citizen, lawyer and client, judge and juror. 

Many of our sister cities and counties of Indiana have 
honored us and honored themselves by their representatives 
here to-day. It has long been a custom for the people to as- 
semble and celebrate with appropriate ceremony and solemnity 
the erection of buildings designed for the public use. But 
it is not alone the force of an established custom that has 
prompted the city of Anderson to invite your presence here 
upon this occasion. Above and bej-ond mere custom, she rec- 
ognizes that the commingling of sects, orders, societies and 
peoples gives a new life to commercial intercourse and pro- 
motes a broader and higher development of the social and 
political relation. The period of non-intercourse among en- 
lightened people has passed away and forever. The freedom 
of an American city has always meant more than the tri- 
umphal entrance of a conqueror with his captives and his loot. 
With us the masses come and go, inspired with the hope of 
material, social, or intellectual advancement. It is the mod- 
ern freedom of the city that has stimulated the inventive 
genius of the age ; it has set the white sails of commerce upon 



48 IIISTOKV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

every sea and founded her masts in every land; it lias un- 
folded new principles of busineps ; it has swept away narrow 
bigotry and given broad liberalitj- ; it has broken down the 
barriers of seclusion and selfishness and opened the pathways 
of progress, prosperity and philanthropy. Before the grand 
and steady march of the modern freedom the doubted opin- 
ions of yesterday become the fixed principks of to-day ; and 
to-morrow, as it were, we behold them ingrafted into the 
laws of the State by which we shall all be governed. 

In the name of the city of ^Vnderson I extend to vou all 
a cordial welcome to our city to commemorate with us the 
founding of Madison county's stateliest temple. 

At the conclusion of Mr. Orr's address. Hon. Bruce Carr, 
grand master of the Masonic fraternity of the State, took 
charge of the exercises. The corner-stone, which weighs five 
tons, was lifted to its place in the foundation wall by means 
of an immense derrick amid the profoundest silence of the 
multitude. A copper box containing a variety of things, data, 
records, etc., was placed in the receptacle which had been cut 
in the center of the stone. The Grand Master then proceeded 
with the further ceremonies, at the conclusion of which he de- 
livered an appropriate addres*. He was followed by Miss 
Ola Cooper, ^vho read a very beautiful and interesting address 
which had been prepared by Miss Violette Swearinger in be- 
half of the women tax-payers of the county. Miss Swear- 
ringer was unable to be present on account of severe illness, 
and it was but a short time after this event that she was called 
hence. This young lady was a member of the graduating 
class of 1879 of the Anderson high school, and was greatly 
esteemed by all who knew her. 

The address of Miss Swearinger was followed by one pre- 
pared by the late Colonel Xinevah Berry and read bv Hon. 
John W. Lovett. The venerable Colonel occupied a seat on 
the speaker's stand, but was too infirm to speak for any length 
of time. The following is 

COL. liEHIi's's ADDUKSS. 

Fellow Citizens: As the oldest living inhabitant of Mad- 
ison county, and the oldest living native born Iloosier, I have 
been invited by your committee on arrangements to say some- 
thing to you to-day relating to the earlj- days of the county. 
And as I look back over the long line of years that have come 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 49 

and gone, 1 find tliat all of Madison county's history has been 
made during the period of my life within her borders. 

Sixty-one years ago the 4th of March, last, a ^-oung and 
beardless strippling, I came to Anderson with my father from 
another and older part of the State. At that time there was 
no county of Madison. The land throughout this part of the 
State was almost uninhabited except by the Indians. The 
surveyor's chain had never marked its boundaries, and the 
large tract of unbroken forests now composing this and ad- 
joining counties was the hunting grounds of the Delawares. 

In those days life on the frontier meant a life of hardships 
and privations. Railroads had not been dreamed of and the 
only roads were the Indian trail and the ways blazed through 
the forest. In these days of steam machinery and appliances 
for the saving of labor, it is hard for the man now in active 
life to appreciate what it was for their fathers to make a farm 
in '• ye olden time," and how difficult it was to wring from the 
stubborn earth a sustenance for themselves and their families. 
The forests were to be cut down and the logs hewed, rails 
were to be made and log cabins built, with nothing but an ax 
and a broad-ax for tools. The implements of the farm were 
of the rudest kind — the old bar-share plow, the sickle and the 
flail. NVheat was sown broadcast among the stumps, cut with 
a sickle and cleaned with a flail and sheet. And I remember 
how fast we thought our progress when the sickle gave way 
to the cradle, and how wecongratulated ourselves that we had 
reached the summit of human invention, when the okl fan- 
mill came into use for cleaning our grain. In those days the 
mothers and daughters spun the wool and flax and made all 
the clothing worn by both sexes. Theie was not a store within 
thirty miles. The nearest mill was at Connersville, fiftv- 
five miles distant, and a long and weary way it was to the 
mill, over the wretched road that was then our only way. 

But in speaking of the privations and hardships of our 
early life, I would not forget its pleasures and enjoyments. 
The early settlers and pioneers, cut loose from former associa- 
tions and kindred ties, braving the dangers and enduring the 
pri\ations and hardships of a concjuest of the forest, were 
bound together with the bond of steadfast friendship and 
\varm sympathy'. If the neighbors were few and far between, 
they were hospitable and kind, and when they gave them- 
selves up to enjoyments and pleasures they did it with a zeal 
that would be wondered at by the people of to-day. A house 

4 



50 HISTORY OK MADISOX COUXTY, INDIANA. 

was not then built after the well-considered design of a skilled 
architect and let outhv contract to the builder or mechanic, but 
the neighbors, for miles around would come with their axes 
and handspikes, and work with a hearty good will unt'l the 
cabin was raised, and would receive nothing but the good will 
of the owner and his assistance when help was needed in their 
own aiTairs. At night, though tired with the labors of the 
day, the frolic and dance would begin. All night the cabin 
in the clearing would resound with the sound of merriment 
and innocent mirth, which would only cease when the gray 
light in the east shut out the twinkle of the stars. If the 
cabin home was rude and homely, yet the latch-string was 
alwajs out, and within was warmth and good cheer. 

The county was then filled with Indians of the Delaware 
tribe, and our relations with them were of the friendliest char- 
acter. I recall now with pleasure the noble traits of character 
of such chiefs of the tribe as KiUlnick, White Eyes and Nan- 
ticoke. 

I wish also to mention at this point some of the honored 
names of my pioneer associates, most of whom haye been 
gathered to their fathers. Frederick Bronnenberg. Sr., the 
ancestor of the large and honored family of that name, ^vas 
among the first settlers of this county, having come here in 
1(S1U. Eli Harrison, Robert Stockton, Zenas Beckwith, Con- 
rad Crossley, William Diltz, Charles Fisher, Elias Hollings- 
worth and James, his son, Amasa Makepeace, Nathaniel 
Richmond, William Marshall, William Williams, Samuel 
llolliday, lohn Suman and William Curtis were all men of 
this early period, who did mucli by their labors to advance the 
interests of this county and state. Madison county was sur- 
veyed in the summer of 1821, and the next year the sale of 
lands commenced. At that sale my father purchased the old 
home farm at !iil.25 per acre. Looking around me to-day, I 
see upon that ground large and expensive buildings, and lots 
valued at much more than the whole half-section cost on that 
day, for upon the old home farm stands to-day the greater 
part of the beautiful city of Andeison, and the grand and im- 
posing structure now being reared as the court house of our 
prosperous county, stands upon a part of the same land. 
Time will not permit me further remarks upon the early days 
of the county. It is not my purpose to follow it from the 
primitive times to the present age of culture and advance- 
ment. I leave that for younger and abler men. Fellow- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 51 

citizens, the young man loolts into the future gilded with 
bright hopes and hulen with joyous prospects, but it is the 
province and pleasure of the old man whose active life is over, 
whose ambition is quenched, and whose race is nearly run, to 
look backward over the past, drawn by the golden cord of 
memory, to the days of youth and early manhood. I assure 
you it has given me no little pleasure to speak to you as I have 
of the early days of Madison county, live again in memory 
times long gone by, and summon from their graves the ghosts 
of past events, and I thank your committee for the privilege 
of so doing. 

COL. J. B. M,\YNAI5D's ORATION. 

Governor Porter and ex Governor Thomas A. Hendricks 
had been invited bj* the Commissioners to be present and de- 
liver addresses, but owing to the official duties of the former 
and previous engagements of the latter they were comjieiled 
to decline the honor. When it was learned that they could 
not be present the Commissioners, through Auditor John L. 
Forkner, extended an invitation to Col. James B. Maynard, 
at that time editor of the Indianapolis Daily Sentinel, to de- 
liver an oration at the laying of the corner-stone. Portions of 
the able and eloquent address are as follows : 

It has been my good fortune to hear much of Madison 
countv, and of Anderson, its beautiful capital city, and, still 
bettei*, to know personally a number of her large-souled citi- 
zens, who, whether at hoine or abroad, in public or private 
life, contribute their full share in giving Madison county an 
enviable prominence, not only in the aft'airs of the State, but 
in the affairs of the Republic. * * * "Pq ]^y {[^g corner- 
stone of a school house is an event which invites thinking 
inen to survey the educational field, to note the advancing 
steps of learning, the development of the mind forces of the 
communities of the state and of the countrj-. The intimate 
relation existing between mental culture and the virtues that 
adorn our civilization is continually furnishing themes for 
thinkers, and the field broadens as the discussion proceeds. 
Hence we hail with expressions of pleasure and pride an an- 
nouncement that a corner-stone of a church edifice summons 
communities to a reverent thankfulness that another monu- 
ment to man's fidelity to God is to be created ; that the voice 
of prayer and praise is still to be heard in the land; that an- 
other wayside inn is to stand with open doors and free seats. 



52 ITISTOnV OF MADISOX COrXTV, IXDIAXA. 

where the weary pilgrim may eat of the life, drink of the 
water of salvation, be refreshed and go on his way rejoicing. 
Thus it has been in the past. So it is now, and so it will be 
in the future of our great state. When a corner-stone of a 
benevolent institution is laid humanitv expands to still grander 
proportions. Is it for the blind, for the deaf and dumb, for 
the sick, for the poor, or for the most unfortunate classes of 
all, the insane.' It does not matter. Heart and soul and 
Iirain respond, Amen. 

All the good there is within us comes to the front with 
expressions of approval and gratitude. Such institutions are 
the snug harbors found everywhere on life's storm beaten 
coasts, if the people who inhabit the country' are governed by 
the precept to do unto others as they would have others do 
unto them. 

And may we not contemplate with feelings of generous 
pride, the commanding position occupied by Indiana in all 
matters pertaining to education, religion and benevolence.' 
What State has marched on the highways of progress with 
steps more stately, strides more gigantic' What land kissed 
by the sun in his journey, has been truer to all the demands 
of our boasted civilization? School houses and colleges every- 
where ; more churches than are filled ; houses and farms for 
the poor and infirm; asylumns for the sick and unfortunate, 
dot all her hills and vallej-s and plains. To keep their 
machinery in motion requires money every year, with a cease- 
less demand for more, and j'et the money comes, not grudg- 
ingly, but it comes with a princely liberality that gives a 
fresher hue to the emerald-back bill, makes the dollar of the 
daddies glow with the brightness of the silver moon ; or, if it 
comes in single, double, half or quarter eagles, adds dignitvto 
the tax-payer, as well as nobility to the bird of Jove, our own 
proud bird, whose seawaid flight symbolizes the march and 
majesty of our country. 

But the occasion which calls us together is to lav the 
cornerstone of a Court House for Madison county. 

It is not her Hrst court house, nor will it be her last. 
The Hrst court house for M idison countv was built more than 
fifty years ago, when the county was in its swaddling clothes 
wlien the sun of the State \vas scarcely above the horizon ; 
when as our Governor would sav, " Indiana was in lier 
down." But even then, the people of Madison county were 
ready to put their hands into their pockets and pay $5,700 for 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 53 

a court liouse. The people, then, as now, were law-abiding. 
A court house then had a significance, which, I fear, has under- 
gone, in some regards, serious modifications. Court houses, 
in early times, however rude their architecture, were re- 
garded as Temples of Justice, not more in name than in fact. 
Many of us can remember when courts where iield in Indi- 
ana sometimes in log houses. An incident is related of the 
days when Hon. E. M. Huntington was circuit judge in the 
lower Wabash country-. A log cabin had to be improvised 
for a court house. During the session of the court, a staUvart 
Hoosier driving an o.x team halted directly in front of the 
building and became boisterous — so much so as to disturb the 
proceedings. The sheriff was ordered to bring the man into 
court. He walked in with a ten-foot sappling o.x-goad in 
hand, and bringing it down in front of him, awaited events. 
The judge said to him, " You have been disturbing the court, 
sir. by your loud talk. What have you to say why vou should 
not be punished for contempt?" The o.x-driver replied : "Is 
this a court house, judge?" " Yes, sir," said the judge. "Beg 
pardon, judge," replied the astonished Hoosier, '• I am sorry, 
jutlge. Bv smacks, I thought it was a grocery." But th.e 
days of log cabin court houses in Indiana have passed away 
forever, and with them has gone much of the primitive sim- 
plicity of manners which distinguished our pioneer popula- 
tion, and possibly some of the reverence for law, the decis- 
ions of courts, and the verdicts of juries, which were grand 
factors in moulding society and giving direction to thought a 
half century ago. 

Indiana is now taking front rank for the beauty of her 
architecture, as displayed in her court houses and other public 
buildings. I have seen court houses in a number of states, 
east, and west, and south. I remember nowhere to have seen 
the equal of the Madison county court house for beauty of de- 
sign. And it is remarked by those who are familiar with 
public affairs in Indiana that the counties are vieing with each 
other in building public edifices, including court houses, to an 
extent indicative, not only of wealth and liberality, but of an 
exact appreciation of architectural elegance, and in this regard 
I am warranted in saying that Madison countv. when the 
court hojse is completed, the corner-stone laid to-day, will be 
able to point to it with great complacency as an edifice which 
in the highest degree illustrates the culture and the high ap- 
preciation of the beautiful which distinguish her citizens — a 



54 HISTORY OK -MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

building which will stand as a monument to the commission-" 
ers whose comprehensive minds were abre;)st of the demands 
of the age, and who grasp with equal facilitj- the wants of the 
future. There are men here to-day, doubtless, whose lives in- 
clude the whole history of Madison county ; men who have 
known it from the days of its wilderness to its present wealth 
of farm and field, orchard and meadow ; from the days of its 
cabins to the present of palatial mansions ; from the dav when 
the corner-stone of the old court house was laid in 18H1, till 
to-day, when the corner-stone is laid of a more pretentious 
building to be dedicated to law and justice. Witiiin the per- 
iods named wonderful changes have occurred. The march of 
events is a fitting theme for orators and poets. Imagination 
could scarcely exceed the realities, nor fancy with the freest 
rein, eclipse by its freaks the magnificence of prosaic facts. 
The wilderness blooms ; the waste places are fruitful ; the 
Indian trail has given place to the macadamized highways. 
The iron rail has taken the place of the corduroy road. The 
bridge is where the ford used to be. The old. stage coach is 
superceded by the palace car. The lightning is man's errand 
boy, and the conversations by telephone are as free and easy as 
they were in the olden time at a quilting, an apple bee, or 
a corn shucking. How grandly old tilings are passing 
away! * * * 

Indiana is a proud commonwealth. She now has ^,(J00.OU0 
of people, and may have, before the noble structure the peo- 
ple of Madison county contemplate building here, shall 
give place to another still more stately, 10,000,000 of inhab- 
itants. * * * 

For the old court house of Madison county, though I 
never saw it, I shall always cherish pleasant recollections. 
From one of its rafters, owing to the kindness of a valued 
friend, a staff was made and I am its fortunate possessor. 
When the new court house, so soon to be completed, fidfills 
its mission and takes its place among the things that \vere,no 
rafter from its roof will be carved into a walking stick for me 
or for you. We shall require no staff to help our infirmities. 
We shall have passed on to a country where corner stones 
are not laid and where the buildings never decay. We 
read of judge and judgments, of rewards and penal- 
ties in that seemingl)- far away land. We read, too, of 
infinite wisdom which never errs, and of decisions from 
wliicli there is no appeals saj' what we may, we liave all got to 



HISTORY Ol' MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



55 



stand trial. I would not mar the felicities of this occasion by 
a surmise that any one in this audience will lose his case. I 
prefer rather to blend with these ceremonies the devout wish 
that the foundation upon which we have built our hopes is the 
rock wiiich witiistands the storms and floods, so that when the 
corner-stones of court houses, and of the solid earth itself, 
wive way, we shall find that in our cases justice has been so 
glorified by mercy that the fruitions of pardon have forever 
obliterated recollections of error, and that we shall walk out 
of court realizing tiiat the costs have all been paid bv our 
Elder Brother. 



OTHER INTERESTING MATTERS. 

Tlie corner-stone is of Berea sand-stone and was taken 
from the cjuarries near Cleveland, Ohio. Its dimensions are 
ft. 8A in. X 3 ft. 11 in. x 2 ft. G in. The face of the stone is 
neatly dressed and carved, the mouldings forming a panel on 
which is inscribed : 

A. D. 188:^. 

LAID BY 

BRUCE CARR, 

G. M. of F. and A. M. 



I 



B. F. AlMEN, 

J. Bronnenberg, ; Commissioners. 
J. F. Thurston, ) 
J. L. Forkner, 

Auditor. 
G. W. Bunting, 
Architect. 
N. 



McCoRMACK i\: Sweeney, 

Contractors. 
J. E. Redmond, 
Superintendent. 

C. JMcCuLLOUGII, 

Local Suji't. 
In each corner of the panel is artisticallv carved a cluster 
of fruit or grain. 

DEPOSITED IN THE STONE. 

The following are the contents of the copper box that was 
placed in the stone : 

Historv of Anderson chapter, R. A. M., No. 52, with roll 
of officers; Mt. Moriah lodge, Xo. 77, F. & ..V. M., and roll of 
members; Ovid lodge, Xo. 1G4, F. & A. M. ; Madison lodge, 
Xo. 44, F. & A. M. ; Independence lodge, Xo. 281, F. & A. 
M. ; Alexandria lodge. No. 285, F. & A. M. ; Pendleton 
chapter 51, F. & A. M. 



56 HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Proceedings sixth animal meeting of Grand Lodjfo, F. & 
A. M.. Indiana, 1882. 

Proceedings Grand Ciiapter, Royal Arch Mason.s, Indi- 
ana, 1881. 

Forty-fifth semi-annual communication of Grand Lodge, 
I. O. O. F., Indiana, 1882. 

Proceedings ninth annual meeting Supreme Lodge, 
Knights of Honor, Baltimore, 1882. 

History Quincy Lodge, No. 280, F. & A. ]M. ; Anderson 
Lodge, No. 181, I. O. O. F. ; Ononga Tribe, No. 50, I. O. R. 
M. ; Welcome Lodge, No. 110, K. of H. ; roll of membership 
Madison Council, 384, Royal Arcanum. 

Names and addresses of officers Grand Lodge, Indiana F. 
& A. M. ; same of the Grand Chapter, Indiana R. A. M. 

Samples of wheat, corn, oats and rye raised in Madison 
county. Indiana. 

Copies, each, of the Herald. Txcr/'czv a>/i/ DcDiocrat , of 
the issue of August II, 1882. 

The Woman's Joiiriial, May 18, 1882. 

'■'Our I'liion," July, 1882. 

Minutes of the Woman's National Christian Temperance 
Union, held at Washington, D. C, October 26, 1882. 

Bar docket, June term. 1882, Madison Circuit court. 

History of Madison county schools with statistics, com- 
piled by W. M. Croan. 

Third annual report. Bureau of Statistics. 

School laws, Indiana, 1881. 

Names of county officials past and present, also of city of 
Anderson past and present. 

Sketches and history of old and new countv buildings. 

Map of each township in Madison countv, with names of 
owners of lands. 

Condensed history of church organizations in Anderson, 
Indiana. 

Hardin's History of Madison County, Indiana. 

History of Madison County Medical Society, with 
sketches of present members. 

Copies of the Cincinnati papers of August 10, 1882 — 
Gazette, Eutjiiircr, Com mere! al ; Indianapolis papers — yoiir- 
iial. Sentinel, IVezcs and Chicago Times. 

Indiana railway guide, July 1882. 

State agricultural report, 1880. 

A Madison county 1805 war bond — cancelled. 



HISTORY OK MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 57 

Tenth annual report Indiana Reformatory Institution for 
women and girls. 

Photograph of Colonel Nine\ah Berry. 

Photographic group of members of Board of County Com- 
missioners. 

Address of Thomas B. Orr. 

Address prepared by Miss Violette Swearinger. 

Alanuscript history of Star Encampment Xo. ,S4, I. O. 
O. F. 

Specifications of the court house. 

Roll of names of contractors, superintendents and em- 
ployes, and list of public works constructed hy McCormack & 
Sweeney, contractors. 

Photograph and Ma.'^onic record of William Roach, Esq., 
the oldest Mason in Madison count}'. 

Picture of old court house destroyed by tire December 
10, 1880. 

Printed programmes of the day's exercises. 

List of women paying taxes in Madison county. 

Photographic group of eightv-one of the old settlers of 
Madison county, taken in 1877. 

Railroad map of the United States for 1,S82. 

TIIK STRI'CTIIRE COMPI.ETEn. 

The work on the court house was prosecuted without 
serious interference or delay notwithstanding certain objections 
raised by the local superintendent, Mr. J^IcCullough, who 
could not agree witii the contractors as to certain details in 
the plans and specifications. His objections to the manner in 
which the building was being erected were not given the con- 
sideration by the Commissioners which in his judgment their 
importance demanded, and he resigned. He was succeeded by 
John W. Pence, Esq., who was appointed local superintendent 
on the i)d of Maj', 1883. It appears of record that Mr. Pence, 
also, could not agree with the contractors upon many matters 
contained in the specifications and filed his objections with the 
Commissioners, but the record is silent as to the action taken 
by the Board. It was not until 1885 that the building was 
ready for occupancy, and then only a portion of it as is indi- 
cated by the following order made at a special session of the 
Board of Commissioners in February of that year : 

•• By agreement with McCormack & Sweeney, con- 
tractors for the court house, the Commissioners are to take 



58 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

possession of such rooms and paits of the court house as thev 
may desire, and such possession is not to be an acceptance of 
the building or work thereon. And the Board orders that the 
Madison Circuit Court hold its sessions in the new court 
house and that the Auditor, Clerk, Treasurer, Recorder and 
Sheriff be instructed to remove their offices and all records and 
papers thereto belonging into the proper rooms in said court 
house by Saturday evening, February 21, 1885."' 

The offices were removed to the rooms designated by the 
Commissioners in compliance with the abo\e order and from 
that time to the present the county business has been trans- 
acted within the walls of " said court house." The building 
was subsequently received by the Commissioners and with the 
exception of the raised roof which now covers it, stands to-day 
in its symmetrical proportions just as it did when it was 
accepted by the County Board. And while some portions of 
the \vork of its construction may have been slighted, it is 
generally conceded that it is not only ample for the needs of 
Madison county for years to come, but one of the most stately 
buildings of its class in Indiana. 



CHAPTER X. 



County Business in the Pioneeii Days — OiiGAXizATiox 
OF Co.URTS — Members of the Bar, Etc. 

Tlie business of Madison county from the time of its for- 
mation in 1S28 to 1S25 was transacted by the associate judges, 
but sometime during the latter year tliree commissioners were 
elected to look after county affairs. These connnissioners 
^vere succeeded by a board of justices composed of all the 
justices of the peace in the county , who looked after the coun- 
ty's business until 18-!l), when the law was again changed, the 
methods prescribed for the transaction of the public business 
being substantially the same as they are at the present time. 

The first board of commissioners elected under the law of 
1S20 was composed of Thomas McCartney, Henry .Svbert and 
John Berry, who met in special session in September of that 
jear and proceeded to make a tax levy for county purposes. 
The Board ''ordered that, for the purpose of raising a county 
revenue for the present year, the following rate of taxation be 
laid, to-wit: On every hundred dollars' worth of town prop- 
erty, exclusive of improvements, 7-") cents ; on polls, i57i cents ; 
on work oxen, 55 cents ; on horses over three years old, 50 
cents; on land, at the rate of 50 cents on 100 acres of first- 
rate land ; 40 cents on 100 acres of second-rate land, and 30 
cents on 100 acres of third-rate land." 

This tax-levy would not be regarded as much of a burden 
in this day by the tax-paj-ers of the county. But it was suf- 
ficient at the time it was made to meet all the necessary ex- 
penses of the county. 

At a session of the Board of Commissioners lieid in May, 
1881, we find it " Ordered, by the Board, that Aaron Sliaul be 
and he is hereby allowed the sum of $4 for assessing taxes 
during the year 1830, and for taking the census."' It is not 
known how long Mr. Shaul was engaged that year in assess- 
ing property and taking the census of tlie county, but it is evi- 
dent that if he had any board bills or traveling expenses to 
pay he did not '■ lay up "much of his salary. The duties of 



GO HISTORY OF MADISON COINTV. INDIANA. 

the office of assessor at that early day, however, were not very 
onerous: in tact, there was but little to do in any ot the of- 
fices, antl the men who were chosen to fill them not being up 
in the art of ta.xing "constructive fees'" and without educa- 
tion on the beauties of " salary grabbing,'" seemed to be con- 
tented with the meagre compensation allowed them by law 
for their services. 

In 1833. the first delin(|uent tax li>t was published, the 
delinquency at that time for the entire county amounting to 
only .|5.72f . This list was " published "' by being " tacked "" 
on the court house door, there being no newspaper at that 
time within the limits of the county. Posting notices was 
the only method from the organization of the county to 1834 
of calling public attention to the orders and decrees of the 
courts. At a term of the Board of Commissioners in liS29 it 
was ordered among other things that "The clerk make out and 
put up at the court house door of the county a fair statement 
of the expenses of the county for the present year." The 
records do not show what the expenses of the county were for 
the year named, but they would appear very insignificant — a 
mere trifle — as compared with the amount of money that is 
required at this time to run the county. The expense in all 
the departments of the county government during the "20s 
arid '30s was very small, and even so late as 1848 the total 
amount of taxes levied in the entire county anounted to less 
than twelve thousand dollars. The tax duplicate for the past 
year(18U5) shows that the total amount of taxables in Madi- 
son county amounted to !t!:2(i,OU4,775. and the total amount of 
taxes .1398,568.9:2 1 These enormous amounts are very signif- 
icant and indicate among other things the wonderful improve- 
ments that have been made in this county in fifty fleeting 
years. The early officials who administered the aft'airs of the 
county may have indulged in Utopian dreams, but their 
visions of Madison county's future greatness were tame in 
comparison with her proud position to-day. 

THE CIRCUrr AND PROBATE COURTS. 

The seat of justice as we have seen was located tempor- 
arily at Pendleton — from the year the count}' was organized 
until the summer of 18:28 — when it was removed to Anderson. 
The act providing for the location of the seat of justice at An- 
derson designated the house of John Berry as the place where 
the courts of Madison county should be held, and the first offi- 



niSTCIKV OF MADISON COUNTY, IXDIAXA. 61 

cial notice perhaps of tlie remo\aI of tlie seat of justice to An- 
derson was contained in tlie record of tlie October term of the 
circuit court for the above year. Tliis record was destroyed 
by the burning of the court house in 1882. The house of John 
Berry was a double log cabin and the same that had been 
built and occupied bv Chief »\nderson and his son as a dwell- 
ing. 

CIRCUIT AND ASSOCIATE JUDGES. 

From 1823 .to 1852 two associate judges sat with the cir- 
cuit court in the tri.-il of causes, but in the latter year the office 
was abolished. The names of the circuit and associate judges 
from 1829 to 1852 are as follows ; Circuit judges — William 
W. Wick, Miles C. Eggleston, Hethuel F. Morris, William 
W. Wick (second term), James Morrison, David Kilgore, 
Jeremiah Smith. Associate judges — Samuel HoUiday, Adam 
Winsell, Andrew Jackson, Charles Mitchell, William Prigg, 
Abram Thomas, Uriah Van Pelt, David I'ickard, George 
Millspaugh, J. W. Walker, Eli Hodson. 

From 1852 to the present, the following named circuit 
judges have occupied the bench : Stephen Major, Joseph S. 
Buckles, Henry A. Brown, John Davis, James O'Brien, Win- 
burn R. Pierce, Hervey Craven, Eli B. Goodykoontz, David 
N. Moss, M. A. Chipman, Alfred Ellison and John F. Mc- 
Clure. wlio is now on the bench. The names of these judges 
are given in the order in which they held olKce. 

I'I!()SECUTIN(; ATTORNEYS. 

The following are the names of the officials who have 
prosecuted the pleas of the state in Madison countv since its 
organization. The names of the other officials of the county 
will be found elsewhere in this work. 

From 182i5 to the present time the names of the prose- 
cuting attorneys, in their order, are as follows; James (jil- 
more, Harvey Gregg, Oliver H. Smith, James Whitcomb, 
William W. Wick, Hiram Brown, Harvey Gregg (second 
term) William Herod, William (^uarles. William J. Peaslee, 
Jeremiah Smith, John M. Wallace, John Davis, Joseph S. 
Buckles, Richard Lake, William Garver, Reuben A. Riley, 
De Witt C. Chipman, David Nation, David Moss, John A. 
Harrison, Lemuel Gooding, William O'Brien, Joseph E. 
Elliott, F. M. Trissal, Joel StatTord. A. S. McCallister, F. M. 
Householder, Thomas B. Orr, W. A. Kittinger, D. W. Wood, 
A. C. Carver, B. H. Campbell and Daniel W. Scanlan. 



62 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

In 1828 the common pleas court was established, as pre- 
viously stated. The prosecuting attorneys for this court until 
it ^vas abolished were James \V. Sansberry, W. R. Hough, 
Calvin D. Thompson, William F. Wallace, Joseph W. Worl 
and Washington Saunders. 

THE PROBATE COURT. 

The Probate Court was established in 1829, and continued 
in existence until 1852, when it was abolished by an act of 
the legislature and the Common Pleas Court established. The 
jurisdiction of the Probate Coui t was limited in its jurisdiction 
to matters of estates, guardianships, etc., and the first judge 
elected to fill the office was James Scott, who served for a 
period of ten vears. He was succeeded by Judge W. 11. 
Mershon, who served from 18-11 to 1851. Judge Mershon 
was a dignified, yet affable gentleman, and is slill kindly 
remembered by the remaining old-timers in this comity. He 
W'as succeded by J. N. Starkey, who served from 1851 to 
1852, when the court was abolished. 

THE COMMON PLEAS COIRT. 

The Common Pleas district of which ISIadison count v 
was a part was composed of Madison, Hancock and Henry 
counties, and the first judge elected to the office was David 
S. Gooding, of Hancock county, who served from 1853 to 
1856, when Richard Lake was elected. Judge Lake served 
until 1860, when he was succeeded by William Grose, of 
Henrv county. Judge Grose resigned shortly after being 
elected, and E. B. Martindale, of Henry county, was ap- 
pointed to the vacancy by the Governor. Judge Martindale 
also resigned after serving a short time, and Judge Gooding 
was again elected in 1862 to the judg'eship. He served four 
years and was succeeded by William R. West. Judge West 
held the office for a period of eight years and was succeeded 
by Robert L. Polk, who served until 1878, when the court of 
common pleas was abolished. 

THE SUPERIOR COURT. 

After the Commpn Pleas Court had been abolished all 
legal matters over which it had jurisdiction were adjudicated 
in the circuit court. The business of this court increased to 
such an embarassing extent with the increase of population 
and development of the county that it became necessary in 



I 



HISTORY OF -MADISON COUNTV, IXDIAMA. (33 

1895 to take steps toward relieving tlie situation. To this 
end a bill was introduced at the 59th session of the General 
Assembly, held in 1894—5, creating a superior court for Mad- 
ison county. The bill was passed on the I'Ttli of February, 
1895. and became a law. 

JUmSDICTIOX OF THE SUPERIOR COURT. 

Concerning the jurisdiction of the superior court, .Sec. 
10 of the act says : "Said court within and for said county 
shall have original and concurrent jurisdiction with the cir- 
cuit court in all civil cases and jurisdiction concurrent with 
the circuit court in all cases of appeal from justices of the 
peace, boards of county commissioners, and mayors or city 
courts in civil cases, and all other appellate jurisdiction in civil 
causes now vested in or which may hereafter be vested by law 
in the ciicuit court; and said court shall also have concur- 
rent jurisdiction in all actions by or against estates. Pro- 
vided, however, that said superior court, hereby constituted, 
shall not have jurisdiction in a matter of probate or the settle- 
ments of decedent's estates, but the same shall be and remain 
within the jurisdiction of the circuit court as now provided 
by law."" 

After the bill creating the court had become a law, a 
pstition numerously signed by the members of the bar and 
leading citizens of the county was presented to the governor 
asking that William S. Diven be appointed judge. There 
was but little, if any, opposition in any quarter to the appoint- 
ment of Judge Diven and he was accordingly honored by the 
governor with the position, his commission being presented to 
him on the 1st of March, 1895. Judge Diven was succeeded 
bj' the present incumbent, Henry C. Ryan. 

THE BAIt PAST AND PRESENT. 

Among the early practitioners at the Madison county bar, 
from 1823 to 1840, were : Daniel B. Wick, Calvin Fletcher, 
James Gilmore, James B. Ray, Martin M. Ray, Joseph Cox, 
Oliver H. Smith, Lott Bloomfield, Charles H. Test, David 
Wallace, Edgar C. Wilson, Philip Sweetzer, William R. Mor- 
ris. Jos'ah F. Polk, Cyrus Finch, James Rariden, Bethuel F. 
Morris, William Carpenter, James Noble, Harvey Gregg, 
Providence McCorry, Hiram Brown, James Whitcomb, James 
Forsee, David Kilgore, Thomas C. Anthony, William Herod, 
John n. Scott, C. D. Henderson, Thomas D. Walpole, Hum- 



64 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, IXDIANA. 

phiey F. Robinson, Alfred Kilgore, Ovid Butler, Abram A. 
Hammond, John Davis, Addison Mayo, Da\id Moss, Mason 
Hughes, William Canaries, Isaac Scearce, Franklin Cor\vin, 
Robert N. Williams, Earl S. Stone, Jacob Robbins, William 
J. Peaslee, D. Lord Smith. Simon Yandis, John M. Wallace, 
Liicien Barbour. 

In this roster will be recognized the names of men who 
in their time were eminent in the affairs of the State and na- 
tion. One at least was a United States Senator, some were 
elected to the office of Governor, .several to the lower house of 
Congress, and many were chosen at different times as judges. 
But three — Judge Jolm Davis, R. N. Williams and Isaac 
Scearce — resided in the county, the others being citizens of 
other but contiguous counties. Along with the development 
of the county, however, and the increase of population, the 
local bar increased in number-; correspondingly until 1887, 
\vhen, owing to the discovery of natural gas, men of all classes, 
conditions and professions flocked to the county, and the bar 
was augmented to such an extent that it now numbers ninety- 
five members. From 1840 to the present time (1S'.)()) the fol- 
lowing named persons residing in the county have been ad- 
mitted to the bar. Many of the persons whose names are 
given have departed this life, while others have retired from 
the pn.ctice or removed from the county : 

Seth Smith. William R. O'Neil, Richard Lake, Hervey 
Craven, Milton S. Robinson, E. B. Goodykoontz. James W. 
Sansberry, John A. Harrison, S. VV. Hill, Nathan Brag, S. C. 
Martindale. W. R. Pierse, T. C. S. Cooper, Allen Makepeace, 
II. D. Thomp>on, C. D. Thompson, W. R. West. A. S. Mc- 
Callister, \^^ A. Kittinger, John E. Corwin, W. R. Myers, 
J. H. McConnell, John W. Lovett, B. II. Dyson, A. D. Will- 
iams, F. A. Walker, W. L. Roach, C. L. Henry, T. P.. Orr. 
F. S. Ellison, D. C. Chipman. J. M. Dehority, M. A. Chip- 
man, H. C. Ryan, E. P. Schlater, W. S. Diven, J. X. Study, 
I). X. Berg. George Ballard, D. W. Wood. T. J. Nichol, 
J. n. Kinnard, O. P. Stone, A. W. Thomas. J. W. Ilardman, 
Cluis. Nation, J. F. McClure, Frank P. Foster. A. C. Carver, 
E. B. McMahan. A. J. Behymer, E. F. Daily, S. F. Keltner, 
E. E. Hendee, C. M. Greenlee, A. A. Small, D. H. Fer- 
nandas, S. B. Moore, E. D. Reardon, E. B. Chamness, J. C. 
Shuman, J. M. Farlow. J. M. Hundley, W. A. Swindell, 
J. R. Thornburgh, Perry Behymer, L. D. Addison, W. A. 
Sprong, B. H. Campbell, W. S. Shelton, E. S. Griffin, S. C- 



IIISrOKV OF MADISON CGl'NTV, INDIANA. 05 

Forkner. M. M. Dunlap. J. E. Wiley, Frank Matthews, D. T.. 
Bishop, Joiin Siiannon, ^\^ F. Edwards, O. A. Armfield, 
F. A. Littleton, Jos. Schumacher, L). W. Scanhm, Mark P. 
Turner, L. B. Jackson, J. T. Ellis, Nicholas Harper, Isaac A. 
Loeb, Geo. S. Taylor, A. A. Stiles, R. Broadbent, John Beeler, 
James A. VanOsdal, II. F. Wilkie, H. W. Taylor, Edward 
Hall, Austin Retherford, J. W. Perkins, A. J. May, Bert 
Call, J. B. Mclntire, W. W. Barton, L. A. Rizer, Charles 
Bagot, E. S. Boyer, John Finan, Jr., Guy Ballard, |. J. 
Netterville, A. L. Doss, E. M. Welker, J. L. Crousc, \\illis 
S. Ellis, F. T. Pulse, Alva George, W. II. Jones, A. H. 
Vestal, W. A. Tipton, Charles Clevenger, Thomas Bagot, 
W. S. Rector, M. E. Fitzgerald. 



CHAPTER XI. 



Early Efforts for the Promotion of Farmix(; Inter- 
ests — Le(;islatu)X and Organization — Fairs. 



When the first settlerf located in Madison county the 450 
square miles, or 286,997.45 acres comprising its area were, 
with the exception of a small amount of prairie land, covered 
byunbroken forests out of whose sombre depths came no echoes 
save the howl of the skulking wolf, the panther, or the wierd 
halloa of the roving red man. The pioneers plunged into the 
vast solitudes with axe and grubbing-hoe in hand and it was 
but a short time until a number of small farms had been 
carved out of the wilderness. The soil was fertile, the wood- 
men unceasing in their toil, and each year added to the acreage 
of tillable land. Orchards were planted, gardens were laid 
out "where the brood of serpents used to nestle"' and the 
sturdy husbandmen began vieing witli each other in the pro- 
duction of the best of everything a fruitful soil could yield. 
They were encouraged in this not only by the gratifying 
results of their toil, but by frequent exhortations from the early 
governors of the state, who recognizing the fact that Indiana 
was from the nature of her soil and climate peculiarly adapted 
to agriculture, urged upon the legislature the importance of 
passing laws encouraging friendly rivalrv among those engaged 
in agricultural pursuits. Societies for the promotion of agri- 
culture and stock raising were organized in difierent parts of 
the state and fairs were held, as far back as the early '30s, at 
which the farmers annually exhibited their stock and farm 
products. 

the itrst fair 

Held in Madison county appears to have been a private 
enterprise in which Joseph Barnes and Archibald Parker 
were, as an old-timer expresses it, " the officers, board of 
directors and managers." This competitive exhibition was 
held in the year 1837, in " Andersontown "' and on the ground 
now occupied by the court house. The ground at the time 
was covered with stumps and Ex-Mayor Dunham, of Ander- 



HISTOKY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 67 

son, asserts that the largest pumpkin he ever saw was exhib- 
ited from the top ot one of them. There was no admission 
charged at this fair and no premiums were awarded save the 
traditional red and blue ribbons. This fair did not result very 
happily so far as its promoters were concerned, as a decision 
by one of the committee on awards gave rise to a controversy 
between them which eventually resulted in the removal of 
Barnes from the count}'. 

The next fair was held at Huntsville in 1839, but whether 
it was a success or not does not appear. The exhibit of agri- 
cultural products and stock, as well as the attendance, was 
necessarily small and no doubt discouraging. The late Hon. 
William Roach, of Anderson, was one of the directors of this 
fair. Conrad Crossley. John J. Lewis, John H. Cook and 
Isaac Busby also took an active interest in the exhibition, 
being members of the society under whose auspices it was 
given. The county evidently assisted this society financially, 
for at the March term. 1837, of the Board of Commissioners 
the following order was made : " Ordered ,by the Board that 
the sum of $25 of the county funds of Madison count}', be, 
and the same is hereby appropriated to. the agricultural society 
of said county." The society was shortlived and no more 
fairs were held in the county until 1850, when another society 
■was organized. Col. Townsend Ryan was president of the 
society. Andrew Jackson, William Craycraft and others con- 
stituted the board of directors. After the society had been 
organized, a tract of land containing twenty-five acres was 
leased of John Davis at Anderson. This land is now covered 
■with comfortable houses and is situated just west of the Big 
Four railway (C. W. & M). The grounds extended from 
what is now Eighth street to "Green's Branch," the entrance 
being on Eighth street. This street was then known as 
the " Strawtown road," and was traveled more at that time 
than any other thoroughfare in the county. 

Fairs were held on these grounds until 1855 when the 
lease expired, and the society having no suitable grounds where 
they could conduct a fair, passed out of existence. 

THE PENDI-ETON FAIR. 

On July 20, 1867. a meeting of gentlemen residing at 
and in the vicinity of Pendleton was held at that place for the 
purpose of organizing a Fair Association. At this meeting a 
committee on grounds and subscriptions was appointed, also 



68 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

a committee to draft articles of association. The tirst board 
of directors was elected February 1,1868. The directors were 
Thomas Wilhoit, Robert Blakely, John Z. Patterson, W. G. 
Walker, John H. Kinnard, Joseph (). Hardy and Hervy Cra- 
ven. The board organized by electing J. H. Kinnard, presi- 
dent, E.Williams, secretary, and J.W. Bomgardner, treasurer. 
The association purchased grounds southeast of Pendleton a 
short distance, where annual exhibitions were given from the 
fall of 18(58 to the fall of 1876,when the association disbanded. 

MADISON COUNTY JOINT-STOCK AGRICULTUR.\L SOCIETY. 

Laws were passed in the meantime with reference to 
agricultural societies that were more in keepirg with the im- 
proved condition of agriculture in the !>tate. A number of 
public-spirited citizens met and organized a joint-stock fair 
association. This society was organized on tlie 10th of Mav, 
1868, at Crim's Exchange bank, in Anderson. The presiding 
officer at the meeting was James M. Dickson. Dr. Townsend 
Ryan acted as secretary. William Crim was chosen president 
of the association for the ensuing \'ear, Dr. Ryan, secretary. 
and John P. Barnes, treasurer. 

On the 31st of May, a tract of land was leased across the 
road and a little to the northwest of the old fair grounds at 
Anderson. The grounds were eligibly situated and in every 
respect adapted to the purpose for which they were used so 
many years. They were at once inclosed, a fine half-mile race 
track constructed and that fall a fair was given which proved 
a gratifying success, not only to the management, but to ex- 
hibitors and the public at large. Annually for several years 
improvements were made on the grounds imtil they became 
famous throughout the State for their beauty and the accom- 
modations afforded exhibitors and the public. From the time 
the association was organized imtil 1887. its vearly'expositions 
were largely partonized, Thursday being the " great day " of 
each meeting. The best races usuallj- occurred on that day, 
and thousands of people attended the fair to see and enjoy the 
sport. From 1887 to 1890, however, it became apparent that 
the people throughout the county were losing interest in the 
fair, notwithstanding the attractions and large premiums 
ofTered liv the associ.ition. The awards were alwaj's paid 
promptly and no comp.laints were ever made of the manage- 
ment. 15ut with the deciease in attendance the society be- 
came in\olved in debt. The growth of the city had extentled 



ItlSTOHV Ol'- .MADISON COUXTV. INDIANA. 69 

bejond the limits of the grounds in every direction and pro- 
ceedings having been instituted for the opening of streets 
through the grounds, the stockholders very wisely concluded 
that it would be to the interest of the association and all con- 
cerned to dispose of the grounds, settle up its affairs and 
terminate its corporate existence. This determination was 
arrived at immediately after the fair in the fall of 1800, the 
attendance that j-ear being very small and a lack of interest in 
its success being manifested generally by its former patrons. 
That winter the legislature passed an enabling act autlior- 
izing the " Madison County Joint-Stock Agricultural Society, 
of Madison county, Indiana, to sell and convey all her corpor- 
ate property, distribute the proceeds, and end her corporate 
existence." After the passage of this act the grounds were 
divided into lots and sold, and the Madison County Fair 
Association became a thing of the past. The officers of the 
association the last year of its existence were: John P. 
Barnes, president; \V. T. Durbin, treasurer; Edmund Jolin- 
son, secretary; and C. K. McCuUough, superintendent. 

NOUTII ANDERSON DRIVING PARK ASSOCIATION. 

In 189i a number of citizens, several of whom were in- 
terested in fast stock, organized a racing association that was 
known as the North Anderson Driving Park Association, 
from the fact that grounds were purchased for the use of the 
association in that locality. H. C. Ryan was elected president 
of theassociation for the ensuing vear ; W.T. Durbin, treasurer ; 
C. K. McCullough, secretary, and N. A. Free, superintend- 
ent. Several large stables were erected on the grounds and a 
rnile track constructed that was regarded by horsemen as one 
of the iinest in the west. Meetings or races, were held in 
ISUl'--}, but were not very liberally patronized for various 
reasons, and this together with the fact that many who had 
subscribed for stock in the association refused to meet the 
assessments made against them compelled the directors to 
close up the affairs of the organization. Tlie grounds and 
belongings of the association were sold bv an order ot the 
circuit court in 1894. 

ELWOOD DRiyiNG PARK AND FAIR ASSOCIATION. 

This association was organized at Elwood, October 8, 
1895, by the election of the following board of directors ; C. C. 
Dellority, M. J. Clancy, II. G. Ilarting, F. M. Harbit, D. G. 



70 HISTORY Ol' MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Evans and P. T. O'Brien. Grounds \vere purchased about a 
mile and a half northeast of Elwood, and in the following Sep- 
tember, the society held its first meeting. Liberal premiums 
were offered in the various departments, and the fair was a grat- 
ifying success in every respect. The association will hold its 
meetings annually. The following are the present officer- of 
the association: N. J. Leisure, president; D. G. Evans, 
secretary; F. M. Ilarbit, treasurer; P. T. CVBrien, superin- 
tendent. 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Indiana Centrai, Canal — Interest Taken in the 
Improvement by Governor Rav — The First Riot 
IN Anderson — The Anderson Hydraulic. 



Governors William Hendricks, James B. Ray, Noah No- 
ble — in fact all the early Governors of Indiana, were very 
solicitous concerning the development of the State's resources, 
and conse(iuently were deeply interested in the public hisrh- 
ways, whether they were by land or water. In a message de- 
livereil before the Legislature in December, 1820, Governor 
Ray said : " On the construction of roads and canals, then, 
we must rely as the safest and most certain State policy to re- 
lieve our situation, place us among the first States in the 
Union, and change of h.ard times into an open acknowledg- 
ment of our contentedness. We must strike at the internal 
improvement of the State, or form our minds to remain poor 
and unacquainted with each other ! " Governor Noah Noble, 
who succeeded Governor Ray, urged upon the Legislatures of 
1831-4 the importance of a well-defined system of public im- 
provements. The people had become aroused upon the sub- 
ject and demanded the adoption of measures necessary to the 
development of the State's resources. At that time canals 
and railroads were being constructed in various parts of Indi- 
ana, and it became necessary that a general system of internal 
improvements should be adopted. Accordingly, the General 
Assembly of 1836 passed an act providing for the appoint- 
ment of a Board of internal improvements. The Board con- 
sisted of six persons, appointed by the Governor, " by and 
with the ad\ice and consent of the Senate and the Canal Com- 
missioners then in office." This Board had general supervision 
of all internal improvements in the State. Among the im- 
portant works specified in the act was •' the Central canal, 
commencing at the most suitable point on the Wabash & Erie 
canal, between Fort Wayne and Logansport, running thence 
to Muncietown, thence to Indianapolis, thence down the val- 
ley of the West Fork of the W^hite river to its junction with 
the East Fork of said ri\er, and thence by the most practica- 
ble route to Evansville, on the Ohio river.' 



iZ HISTOIiV OF itAniSOX COl'N'TY. INDIANA. 

The Legislature appropriated |3,5(>O.0(>0 for tlie construc- 
tion of this canal and navigable feeder. Work was begun in 
1838 on the division of the canal running through Madison 
county, but there came a revulsion of public sentiment in 1840 
against any further appropriations for internal improvements, 
and work on the canal was abandoned never to be resumed. 
In this connection the following 

ACCOl'XT OF A RIOT 

is given, principally for the reason that the circumstances, al- 
though familiar to all the old-timers of Anderson at that 
period, have never been related in any history or "musty 
chronicle" of Madison countv. 

The men employed on the construction of the canal were 
like they are usually on all public works, very largely of for- 
eign birth, and in this instance a majority of them, Irish. 
While the work was in progress in the vicinity of Anderson, 
they lived in huts or " shanties'" east of town and along the 
line of the improvement. At that time there was a public 
house, or "tavern ,"' built of logs and situated on the south- 
east corner of the thoroughfares now known as Ninth street 
and Central avenue. The proprietor was an Irishman of the 
name of Ferriter, who, besides furnishing forth to his guests a 
sumptuous board, boasted that he had the best "old rye'" on 
White river. Being Irish, he \vas of course patronized liber- 
ally by his countrj'inen employed on the canal, especially 
whenever they wanted a draught of anything to drive awav 
"malaria."" It so happened that a number of the Irishmen 
employed on the canal were Orangemen, and between them 
and the Catholic Irishmen there was, of course, a feeling of 
bitter hatred which needed but slight provocation to manifest 
it.self in acts of violence. One of the Orangemen had been 
caught and severely injured by a cave-in of the bank of the 
canal, and had been removed to the " tavern "" where lie could 
be better taken care of b)- his friends. Another Orangeman 
described as a bright, active young man, was taking care of his 
injured friend. One day a party of Catholic Irish came across 
the river to the " tavern'" and after imbibing freely of Ferri- 
ter's " malaria" cure, became involved in an altercation with 
the young Orangeman who, seeing that he would probably be 
killed, ran from the premises to the house of Willis G. Ather- 
ton, Escj.. where he unceremoniously took refuge in a bed 
room. He was pursued by the infuriated Irishmen to the 



HISTdRV Ol'' MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. (ij 

house, where they demanded that the voiing man be delivered 
up to them. Mr. Atherton was a hiw-abiding citizen, and 
' while somewhat disconcerted at the sudden and unexpected 
outburst of violence at his door, was brave enough to refuse the 
demands of the excited Irishmen, who at once began throwing 
stones at the house. In the meantime the news of the trouble 
had spread abroad through the village and every man that had 
a rifle or shotgun, seized it and ran to the scene of the riot. 
They closed in on the rioters and several of the most violent 
and obstinate among them were arrested and placed in the log 
jail. The friends of the imprisoned men were determined on 
liberating them by force, and it became necessary for the offi- 
cers and a posse of citizens to guard the jail for several weeks 
after the disturbance. They sent wonl to the ot^cials and 
citizens that they intended to cross the river as soon as they 
could prepare themselves, and rescue their friends, regardless 
of the consequences. On several occasions they came as far 
as the river opposite the village and fired a fusilade with their 
guns in order to terrifv' the inhabitants, and one night, believ- 
ing they had the officers and citizens properlv frightened, 
crossed the river for the purpose of attacking the jail and lib- 
erating the prisoners. The officers had been warned, and when 
the mob crossed the river they found themselves surrounded 
by as brave and determined a band of men as ever settled in a 
new countr)'. Their guns and ammunition were taken away 
from tiiem and they were told that any further demonstra- 
tions on their part woidd be received as the acts of outlaws and 
the authors of them treated as such. This had the desired 
effect. There was no more disturbance and the imprisoned 
men were finally released from custodv. 

Mr. T^Iortimer Atherton, who lives on North Meridian 
street in Anderson, has a vivid recollection of all the details of 
this affair and says that the officers' posse captured about a 
half peck of bullets from the rescuing party, manv of which 
had been moulded to fit shotguns. The residence of Mr. Willis 
G. Atherton stood on part of the ground now occupied by the 
Bronnenberg block on Main street. 

THE ANDEKSON HYDRAULIC. ' 

A number of years after work on the canal had been 
abandoned, certain individuals considered the feasibility of 
completing that portion of the work lying between Anderson 
and Daleville and using it for hydraulic purposes. Nothing 



74 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

came of the scheme, and it was hnally dropped. In 1868, 
however, a number of public-spirited citizens began agitating 
the question of utilizing the canal. Great interest was taken 
in the matter by the citizens of Anderson and vicinity as it 
was thought that the enterprise, when completed, would result 
in making Anderson a city of the first class. Public meetings 
were held at which the speakerslocated mills, factories and other 
enterprises without number along the hydraulic. Anderson 
was pictured in glowing colors as the '• coming city "" in the 
State. Finally on the 19th of December, 1868, " The Ander- 
son Hvdraulic Company " was organzied with capital stock 
subscribed to the amount of .f64,C00. The city of Anderson 
subsequently subscribed .$20,0(X) and issued bonds for the 
amount. The board of directors chosen bv the stockholders 
was comprised of the following persons : Peter Human, Wil- 
liam Crim. H. J. Blacklidge. X. C. AlcCullough, George 
Nichol, Samuel Hughel and James Hazlett. The board org;tn- 
ized by electing N. C. McCullough. president, William Crim. 
treasurer, and C. D. Thompson, secretary. The company pro- 
ceeded to let contracts for reconstructing the canal and a large 
force of hands was soon employed on the work. 

The canal extended from a point opposite the village of 
Dalevale in Delaware county to the city of Anderson, being 
about eight miles in length. To the disappointment of many 
the work did not progress as rapidly as had been anticipated 
and people generallv began to lose faith in the benefits that 
would accure after it had been completed. In the meantime 
the funds of the company had been gradually reduced and by 
the time the work had progressed far enough to turn in the 
water the announcement was made that they were practically 
exhausted. Water was turned into the canal from A\'hite 
river at Daleville on the 4th of July, 1874, but the banks gave 
way at several places and it became necessary to shut off the 
water. The places that had been washed out were repaired but 
again gave waj- to the pressure of the water when a second 
attempt was made to flood the canal. The stockholders had 
lost confidence in the practicability of the scheme and refusing 

to contribute further assistance, that which was to have been 

• 

the glory of Anderson was abandoned. Eighty thousand 
dollars were expended on this work. It was afterwards sold 
by the sheriff of Madison county to Edward H. Rogers to sat- 
isfy judgments held bv him against the companj' for labor and 
materials furnished for its construction. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Railhoads i\ Madison County — When Constructed — 
Incidental Matters. 



The Indiana Central Canal project had been abandoned 
but a tew vear,s when the subject of a line of railway extend- 
ing from Indianapolis through Madison county on to Belle- 
fontaine, Ohio, absorbed the public interest along the pro- 
posed route. Madison county had no market for her produce, 
which was increasing yearly as the county developed, and the 
prospect of securing a railroad was hailed with general satis- 
faction by the people. There were " croakers" then as now 
who were opposed to public improvements, and man}- of the 
objections urged against railroads in general, and the con- 
struction of the Bellefontaine railroad in particular, in the 
light of subsetjuent events, are amusing, to say the least. 
Several citizens of Anderson, who were " molders of public 
opinion " in their day, opposed the construction of the road 
for various reasons. One who Iiad occupied several of the 
most important offices in the county, and stood high in the 
confidence of his fellow citizens, did not want the road built 
for the reason that the cars would run over and kill the chil- 
dren! Another prominent citizen urged that the benefits of 
the road would not justify the expense to the people, declar- 
ing that one train could haul all the produce of the county for 
twenty years at one load ! Other objections were urged 
against the building of the road, but the masses of the peo- 
ple were in favor of it, and we find that at the June session, 
1849, of the Board of Commissioners, the following : " Ordered 
that the County Commissioners, for, and on behalf of the 
county of Madison, take and subscribe the sum of |15,5lX), 
which, including the sum of ifinOO heretofore subscribed, 
makes $16,000, as stock in the Indianapolis & Bellefontaine 
Railroad Company, to be paid in four ecjual annual install- 
ments, and to be expended within the county of Madison." 
Citizens generally subscribed for stock in the company, and 
the railroad was built, that portion of it passing througii 



76 IIISIORV or MADISOX COINTV, INDIANA. 

Madison coiiiily being completed in 1852. The road now be- 
longs to the Big Four sj-stem, and is operated under tiie 
name of the C. C. C. & St. L. railway. 

The first station, or depot, built along the line of this 
road in Madison county, stood about where the present hand- 
some Big Four depot is located in Anderson. The first agent 
at Anderson was Philip .Siddall, long since deceased, luit who 
in his day possessed qualities of the heart that rendered him 
popular with all classes of people. He was the first telegraph 
operator at Anderson, having learned the art of telegraphy 
shortly after it had been adopted by the railway conipany to 
facilitate its business. Telegraphy, that is electro-telegraphy, 
was at that time in its infanc}' — the first telegraph line 
between Washington and Baltimore having been established 
in 1844 — and messages were not received by sound as they 
are at the present time, or as they were several years after 
I'rofessor Morse's invention had proven itself the greatest 
triumph of modern civilization, but by means of characters 
indented by the instrument on a narrow strip of paper or 
" tape." ]Mr. Siddall became very proficient in receiving and 
transmitting messages by this method. 

EXTKNT OF TRACK. 

This branch of the Big Four has nearly twenty-one miles 
of main track and about six miles of side-track in the county, 
and is one of the most profitable roads belonging to the sys- 
tem. It is connected with the principal railway systems of 
the country, and so far as its business in Madison county is con- 
cerned, enjoys a prosperity at the present time as compared 
with its early history that approaches the marvelous. Statis- 
tics and other information showing the amount of traffic, both 
freight and passenger, enjoyed by this company at the present 
time \y\\\ be found in the history of Anderson township. 

TIIK r. C. t. ,V: ST. L. ( H.\ N - H .\ N ULE ) . 

What is now known as the Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chi- 
cago & St. Louis railway has been operated under various 
names, having frequently changed ownership, but it now be- 
longs to the Pennsylvania system. This was the second road 
built through the county, having been completed in 1855. It 
was projected as a connecting line between Richmond and Chi- 
cago by the management of the Columbus, Piqua & Indian- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTS', INDIANA. 77 

apolis, and the Riclimoiul & Coxington lines, tlie two latter 
lines being consolidated in 1804. The road passes through 
the county from the southeast to the northwest, having about 
twenty-two and one-half miles of main track according to 
the last statement filed with the auditor of the county b}' the 
general superintendent. The company also has about eight 
miles of side-track, and, at the present time is in a nourish- 
ing condition, doing an enormous amount of business in the 
county. 

The first agent of the company in the county was Henry 
Pyle, Esq., who kept his office in a freight car that had been 
removed from the track and placed at the side of the track 
about where the present freight depot in Anderson now 
stands. This depot was also used for the accommodation of 
passengers up to b^'.)4, when the present passenger depot, just 
east of Fletcher street, between Ninth and Tenth, streets, was 
erected. 

While other enterprises have made rapid strides, and the 
hand of progress can be seen on every turn, the railroads have 
not been asleep in the last forty years. There is as wide a differ- 
ence between the railroad equipments and the mode of railroad 
management, as there is between the fine coach drawn on the 
streets today and the old wooden axle carriage of that dav. 
The comparison of one is only a comparison of the other. 
To illustrate: The Pan Handle railroad was constructed 
from Richmond to flagerstown in 1850-51, extended to New- 
castle in 1852, and reached Anderson in 1855. The equip- 
ments of the road at that time would be a curiosity to the pres- 
ent generation. The first engine that ran on the road was called 
the " Swinett."" It was a very small affair, not much larger 
than one of the large traction engines in use now for the pur- 
pose of running threshing machines. It had no pilot, or "cow- 
catcher" in front, like the engines of to-day. No coal was 
used in those days. The smoke stack on the Swinett wa> :i 
large affair, spreading out at the top, \vith a large sieve co\cr- 
ing it to arrest the escape of sparks and ashes. 

The "'Swinett" coming down the road made much the 
same appearance of a country boy at a county fair with his 
pa's plug hat on. At night when she was steamed and her 
lire-box stufl'cd full of drv wood, as she sailed along through 
the darkness, she left a string of fire coals streaming over her 
back like the tail of a comet, often setting fire to strawstacks, 
barns and fences, and clearing everything in her way. She 



78 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

had painted on the side of her '• tender" the picture of a man 
with a pig under his arm, the tail in his mouth and he pick- 
ing on the pig like a banjo. Thus it took its name " ,Swi- 
nett." 

The " Swinett " had a twin sister that came on the road 
about the same time, named the "Julia Dean." She was 
rather smaller, but much handsomer, from the fact that her 
smoke stack was painted red. As she came sailing along she 
looked like a sugar trough with a stovepipe stuck up in the 
center of it. She, like the " Swinett," had no pilot in front. 
If either of these engines ever struck a cow it was simply a 
question of wiiich went into the ditch, the cow or the engine. 

The people of those days called a locomotive a " bulljine." 
It was a great treat for the youngsters to go to town on Sat- 
urday and see the " liulljine"" come in. After these rude, ill- 
shaped engines had served their day and the road had reached 
further into the fields of prosperity, nev\- and modern engines 
were placed in service. While they were considered in their 
day the finest in the land, they would suffer in comparison 
with the monsters of today. 

Every town on the line of the road of anj- importance was 
anxious to have an engine named for it. The officials, of 
course, in order to please their patrons, named an engine after 
Ihe county seats through which the road passed. There were 
the "New Castle," the " Logansport," the "Anderson" and 
the "Chicago," all handsome pieces of machinery. Then 
there was the " S. Fosdick," the largest engine of its day, 
named in honor of a railway official. But of all the locomo- 
tives that ever skipped along the rails of the Pan Handle rail- 
road, from the time the road was first begun up to date, the 
" Old Hoosier" took the "cake." She was the favorite of all 
the engineers who traveled the road. Mark Smith was the 
engineer who handled hor throttle. He was as much a favor- 
ite as was his engine. Every woman, man and child on the 
road knew Mark Smith, and loved him. The "Hoosier" had 
a whistle that outwhistled all others. People used to say that 
the whistle of the " Hoosier" when it was thrown wide open 
would shake the beech-nuts of}' the trees along the road. 

John Smock was the first engineer to run an engine on the 
road. He came to the road with the Swinett and stayed with 
it as long as the engine was in use and for sometime afterward. 
Smock was a terrible swearer. It is said that he could curse 
the old Swinett until it would begin to move, without fire, 



JIISTOUY OK MADISON COUN'TV, INDIANA. 79 

water or steain. It was his delijjlit to see a team of horses 
skip out over a corntield alonij the road when scared at the 
cars. He often blew tiie wiiistle when there was no earthly 
need of it, just to scare somebody's Iiorses and see them run. 

Among the early engineers on the road was a man named 
Skinner. lie for many years ran the " Old Chicago.'' She 
was a monster for that day, built for a passenger run. Extra 
large drive wheels, with the gearing or side rods inside of the 
tlrivers. Skinner was an awful man to swear. He made the 
air blue when anything went wrong. A man by the name of 
(jrimes was also an early engineer. 

Tom Clark was the first conductor on the road. He was 
a whole team bv himself. He knew everybody on the road, 
and everybody knew him. He swore, chewed tobacco, smoked 
and drank good liquor, and had a good time generally. He 
retired many years ago, and lived on a farm near Riciimond, 
where, it is said, he died some years ago. There was only 
one train each way a day from Anderson to Richmond. It 
was a mixed train of freight and passenger cars. Tom Clark 
was the only conductor, and ran the whole business. After- 
ward separate trains were made up exclusively of passenger 
coaches, and more conductors were needed. 

Then came John C. Huddleston, Charley Lincoln and Eli- 
jah Holland, of Newcastle. " Lige " wore a blue cloth 
" spike-tailed " coat with brass buttons, with a beautiful 
growth of red whiskers to match. Then there were Thomp- 
son, Plimpton, Muchmore, Billie Patterson, Bogart and others 
whose names are now forgotten. Bogart was a little New 
York dandv ; looked like he had just come out of a band- 
box. He was unused to Iloosier customs. The boys along 
the road used to have lots of fun at his expense. They " kid- 
ded " him in many ways. 

Thompson died of hemorrhage of the lungs while in the 
service of the road. 

Plimpton was an eastern dude, brought out here by some 
of the stock-holders and placed on the road. He was univers- 
ally dislikeil by all of the patrons of the road as well as by the 
crews who ran the trains. 

John C. Huddleston is still living a retired life in New 
Castle, and is one of the largest land owners in Henry county. 
He has acres and acres of Blue river bottom land that one 
can see as they near New Castle on the Pan Handle train. It 
looks like the Garden of Eden. He had hi^ foot cut oft' at 



80 HISTOHV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Knightstown in 1800 by the cars running o^■er it. It is s.iid 
he was there on some political business and did not want it 
known, but the accident brought it out. 

Billy Patterson was the favorite conductor of his day. 
Everybody was for Billy Patterson from one end of tiie line to 
the other. 

There was no telegraph line on the road then, and a con- 
ductor had to be " up to snuff"' to run a train. It was no 
boy's plaj' in those days to be a conductor. 

The engine " Anderson "' did service for se\eral years on 
the road, and was a general favorite among railroaders as well 
as the public. She finally ended her existence by suicide about 
the year 1860, exploding her boiler while standing on the 
track in the town after which she was named, while her en- 
gineer was eating a lunch in a small restaurant or lunch room 
kept by " Buff " Dehority, situated near where Wellingtons 
flouring mills now stand opposite the Pan Handle depot. She 
was blown into fragments. The boiler was completely demol- 
ished and thrown in all directions. H. J. Daniels, ex-post- 
master of Anderson, kept a grain house near there, and was a 
witness to the explosion. Xo one was hurt, but everybody 
for a great distance was badly scared and shakeri up. 

A tragedy of enormous proportions came near being en- 
acted while the road was being constructed. Theie was a 
deep cut to be made just east of Hagarstown through the 
farm of Hugh Allen. The contractors had their stables 
and boarding houses erected on the farm, spending all 
of one summer and part of one winter tiicre. There was 
a man bv the name of William Babbitt, who now lives in 
Da)-ton, Ohio, who was the " boss" on the work. All of iiis 
men ^vere Irish who had not been long in America, brougiit 
here by the many public works going on at that time. I'ab- 
bitt was a good, kind-hearted man, dearly beloved by all his 
men. Any one of them would have laid down his life for 
him. From some cause Babbitt was removed from the work, 
and a man by the name of Sam Finnej^ took his place. This 
did not suit the men. Finney was a grufl', rough-spoken man, 
tyrannical in his manners, and was no time in incurring the 
dislike of the men. Matters grew steadily worse until open 
rebellion came near being the outcome. Something occurred 
that so enraged the men that a secret plot was laid to kill Fin- 
ney. It is said that at ni<rht after work had been abandoned 



HISTORY OF- .MADISOX COUXTV, INDIANA. 81 

a grave was dug in the bottom of the " pit " and plans were 
laid wiiereliy Finnev, when he came to work in the mornini)', 
was to be killed and his bod)- buried in tlie pit. 

There was a man on tiie work bv tlie name of McDonald, 
a Scotch-Irishman, who knew of the scheme. He, at the risk 
of his own life, slipped in the nij^ht over to the house of Hugh 
Allen, where Finney boarded, and told liini of the awful fate 
that awaited him if he went to work in the morning. Finney 
was brave as a lion, and was not to be scared. He went next 
morning, armed to the hilt, and met the men, telling them of 
the conspiracy, and that he knew of their designs many days 
before, and defying them, he blufTed them out. He W'as 
removed from the job and someone else put in his place, and 
all went on in peace. There are, perhaps, some of the Irish 
people yet living in Matlison county who remember this 
occurrence, as several of them helped to build the okl Pan 
Handle road. McDonald, who gave the affair away, would, 
no doubt, have suffered the penaltv fi.xed for Finney had he 
been known to have divulged it. What became of Finney , 
the writer does not know, but for t!ie remaining years of 
his existence, from that memorable night, he owes to McDon- 
ald, the Scotch-Irishman. 

Col. Ninevah Berry was one of the first mail agents on 
the road. He was elected treasurer of Madison county while 
running on the road, and John C. Huddleston, while con- 
ductor on the same train, was elected treasurer of Henry 
county. James Blanchard was the first superintendent of the 
road, and a man of the name of Tinney, who had one '• squint " 
eye, was the first road-master. All of the older people re- 
member Tinnev. He was a good business man and an im- 
ceasing worker. Tinney was a nervous fellow and could not 
endure tobacco smoke. One time he was coming up the 
road on a local freight, riding in a caboose. Tom Clark, the 
conductor, luid a boy, who was a brakeman. and he was a 
'■devil." He was smoking a "barn yard regalia," making the 
air blue with smoke. Tinney drove him out of the car with 
his cigar, so he crawled up on top, shutting the door and 
fastening it outside He took a board, placed it over the 
stove pipe and sat down on it, so the smoke from the stove 
could not escape. He smoked Tinney until he got to the ne.xt 
station, when he got down, asking him how he liked that kind 
of smoke. 

John C. Huddleson ran the first regular passenger train 
"e 



82 IlISTOKV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

into Anderson over this road. Thomas Clark was the first 
conductor, but ran a " mixed" train. Huddleson is now over 
80 years old. 

THE CINCINNATI, WABASH & MICHIGAN R. K. (MICHIGAN DI- 
VISION OF THE mo four). 

In 1869 a proposition was made to the people residinif in 
Anderson, Monroe and \"an Buren townships, looking to the 
construction of a line of road from White Pigeon, Michigan, to 
the city of Anderson. The company as originally organized %vas 
known as the Grand Rapids, Wabash & Cincinnati Railroad. 
About the same time a proposition was made for the construc- 
tion of a road through the county known as the Lafavette, 
Muncie & Bloomington Railroad, and at a special session of 
the Board of Commissioners held on the 12th of October, 18(59, 
we find that a petition was presented to the Hoard asking 
" that an election be held on Mondaj', November 15, 18(59, for 
the purpose of taking a vote upon the question of appropriat- 
ing !i>147,000, by Madison county, to aid in the construction 
of the roads above named." The election was ordered and 
resulted in a majority in favor of the proposition. A tax levy 
was made in accordance with the result of the vote but a num- 
ber of persons brougiit suit to enjoin the collection of the tax 
and after a few years of litigation the supreme court decided 
against the company and the tax that had been paid to the 
count}' treasurer was refunded to the tax-payers. 

Nothing furllier was done towards building the C. W. & 
M. road until 1874 when another petition was presented to 
the Commissioners at the March term of that year asking that 
an election be held in Anderson township on the 2nd of May 
for the purpose of taking a vote upon the question of donat- 
ing 128,000 to aid in the construction of the road. At the 
same time similar petitions were presented from Monroe, Van 
Buren and Boone townships, the subsidies to be voted upon in 
these townships being respectively $24,000 in Monroe, .i!8,000 
in Van Buren and $7,500 in Boone. The election was held in 
accordance with the order of the commissioners and resulted 
in favor of granting the appropriations in ^Vnderson, Monroe 
and Boone townships. The proposition was defeated in Van 
liuren township by a vote of 90 for, to 12(j against. There 
were complaints of illegal votes being returned in favor of the 
appropriation in Boone township and they were not considered 



HISTORY OF ^lADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 83 

in the count thereby defeating the proposition. Another elec- 
tion was held on December 15, 1874, in Van Buren, but the 
proposition was again defeated. Aid was subsequently voted 
in this township, however, and the work of extending the 
road from Wabash south was begun. The road was com- 
pleted to Anderson in 1876, intersecting the P. C. C. & St. L. 
about two miles north of the city of Anderson. An arrange- 
ment was affected with the P. C. C. & vSt. L. road by which the 
C. W. i-^ M. used its track into Anderson, until the latter 
could construct a bridge across White river and extend its 
track into the city. This arrangement lasted for several 
months, or until the C. \V. & M. bridge was completed and a 
depot had been erected on the east side of the road between 
Fifth and Sixth streets. This depot was subsequent!}' burned, 
but as the road was leased at the time b}' the Big Four, was 
not rebuilt, the passengers and freight being handled at the 
depots of the latter company. 

The first president of the C. W. cS: M. road was Mr. A. 
T. Gardner, of Michigan, a gentleman of the highest probity 
and moral worth. He had been very active in his efforts to 
complete the road to Anderson, and he had no sooner seen 
the work accomplished, which was early in May, 1876, than 
he was taken suddenly ill of fexer and died at the .Stilwell 
House (now Doxey) after a very brief illness. His remains 
were taken to his Michigan home for interment on the first 
passenger train that was run over the road between Anderson 
and Wabash, and were accompanied as far as the latter city 
by one hundred of Anderson's business men and prominent 
citizens. 

THE SOUTHERN EXTENSION. 

It was the design of the original company operating the 
C. W. & M. to extend the road as far south as the Ohio 
river, and into the city of Louisville, Ky., but nothing was 
done until 1890, when work was begun on the extension. The 
work was pushed with all possible vigor, and in May, 1891, 
it was announced by the company that the road was open for 
traffic from its northern terminus, Benton Harbor, Mich., to 
Louisville. Ky. 

The C. W. &. M. division has thirty-one and one-half 
miles of main track in the count}'. It does a large business 
both in handling freight and passengers, and is said to be one 
of the most prosperous lines of the Big Four system. 



84 HISTORY OK MADISOX COLXTY, INDIANA. 

CHICAGO & SOUTHEASTEISN (ANDERSON, LERAXON >t ST. 

LOUIS R. R.). 

The agitation of the construction of this road was begun 
in 1870, but owing to various circumstances the work of 
building the road was not begun until 1875. At the Septem- 
ber term, 1871, of the Board of Commissioners, Colonel T. 
N. Stilwell, the first president of the road, and its most active 
promoter, presented a petition numerously signed bv promin- 
ent citizens and tax-payers, asking the Board to order an e'ec- 
tion for Anderson township, the same to be held on the 21st 
day of October, 1871, for the purpose of taking a vote upon 
the subject of appropriating money " to aid in the construction 
of the Anderson, Lebanon & St. Louis railroad.'" At the same 
time a petition was presented to the board by a number of 
representative citizens and taxpayers of Stony Creek town- 
ship, asking that an election be held on the same date in that 
township, for the purpose of voting a tax of 20 per cent, 
on the ta.xable property of the township, to aid in luiildiiig 
the road. The Board ordered an election held in each town- 
ship, which resulted in favor of granting aid to the road. 
The construction of the road was begun at Anderson, but 
on the refusal of many to pay the tax voted, the inability of 
the company to raise other funds necessary to the accomplish- 
ment of the work, together with other obstacles that were 
continually arising, very slow progress \vas made in carrving 
out the designs of the original promoters of the road. The 
management of the road changed hanJs several times, and 
was finally completed to Brazil, Ind., in 18U8, by Harry Craw- 
ford, sr., of Chicago, who had act[uired a controlling interest 
in the stock. 

In 1894 an etTort was made to extend the road to Muncie 
from Anderson, but after tiie right of way had been secured 
and a large portion of the road graded, work was abandoned 
for want of funtls and has not been resumed up to the pre>ent 
time. The road has six and one-half miles of main track and 
a mile of sid^-track in the county. 

So far as the benefits derived from the road by the locali- 
ties through which it passes in Madison count}- are concerned, 
they have fallen greatly below the public's expectation. The 
road thus far has been a disappointment and from the present 
outlook the hopes entertained for it by those most interested, 
will never be realized, although those who are controlling its 



I 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 85 

affairs confidently assert that it will yet become one of the 
most important roads in the State. 

LAKE ERIE AND WESTERN' RAILROAD. 

This road runs through Pipe Creek and Monroe town- 
ships. It was constructed in 1875-6, and was known origi- 
nally as the Lafayette, Muncie & Bloomington road. It has 
fifteen and one-half miles of main track in the county and is 
one of the most important lines of the sj-stem to which it 
belongs. 

THE ANDERSON liELT R.MLROAD. 

This is a private corporation and was constructed in 1892 
under the auspices of a number of manufacturers and others 
interested in providing better shipping facilities for the nu- 
merous manufacturing establishments at Anderson. The pur- 
pose of the company was to build a road that would girdle the 
city, but up to the present time only about three miles of track 
have been laid. The road begins at a point south-east of the 
intersection of the Big Four and Pan Handle lines and runs 
round the cit}-, its present terminus being west of the city near 
the Cathedral glass works. The president of the company is 
Mr. C. P. Garvey, who is also president of the American 
Wire Nail Co., at Anderson ; W. T. Durbin is treasurer, and 
\\'. L. Finch, secretary. 

It will be seen from the foregoing that Madison county is 
amply provided with shipping facilities. There are but four 
townships in the county the territory of which is not touched 
or traversed by a line of railroad. These roads have con- 
tributed their share in the wonderful development of the 
county. They have demonstrated to manufacturers and busi- 
ness men generally, seeking a location, that Madison county 
is not isolated from the world. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Turnpikes or Free Gravel Roads in Madison Cointv. 

There are but few, it" any, counties in Indiana that are 
provided with more or better public highways than jMadison 
count}-. Din-ing the early history of the county but little at- 
tention was paid to this branch of public improvements for the 
reason, probably, that the sparse population rendered it im- 
possible. With the increase in population, however, and there- 
fore increased travel, more attention was given to the roads of 
the county. The legislature enacted laws encouraging as 
well as requiring the improvement of all public highwavs in 
the State. Turnpike laws were passed and companies were 
organized under them for the jnirpose of constructing roads 
that would enable the traveling public generally to go from 
point to point throughout the State with greater facility and 
comfort. 

Up to 1858 all the roads in Madison county were what 
were commonly designated as " dirt roads, "" and farmers ex- 
perienced great difficulty anil inconvenience during certain 
seasons of the year in hauling their surplus produce to market. 
The roads very often, in the spring and winter, were almost, 
if not wholly, impassable and their improvement was, there- 
fore, not only urged, but demanded, by the farming in- 
terest. 

The first person to interest himself in better roads for the 
county, under the turnpike laws, was Dr. John Hunt. He 
early saw the importance of a good road from Anderson to 
Alexandria, and in 1S58 was instrumental in organizing a com- 
pany and constructing what was known for nearly a half cen- 
tury as the Anderson and Alexandria pike. The road was 
built to within two miles of Alexandria, when, for some cause 
or other, the work was stopped and never resumeil by the com- 
pany. 

The first board of directors of this pike was composed of 
Frederick Black, W. A. Hunt, (ieorge Xichol and Curran 
Beall. The first officers were William Crim, president ; Neal 
C. McCullough, treasurer, and Joseph Fulton, secretarv. 



HISTORV OI- MAHISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 87 

The officers of the coiiipanv were never chanyed until the 
deatii of Mr. McCullough, whicli occurred in Feisruary, 1888, 
when his son C K. McCulloiigli was elected treasurer. 

Not lon<i; after the completion of this pike anotlier com- 
pany was organized in Fall Creek township for the purpose 
of constructing a road from Pendleton east to Markleville, in 
Adams township, and thence to tiie Henry county line. This 
ro.id was known as the Pendleton and New Castle pike. Al- 
though the work of building it was begun in 1857, it was not 
completed until 18fi7. The entire length of the line was nine 
miles, and the cost of its construction •$1,50!) per mile. This 
road while operated as a pike was conceded to be one of the best 
in the county. The first officers of the company were Neal 
Hard}', president, L. W. Thomas, treasurer, and J. T. Wall, 
secretary. 

The next pike built in the county was known as the Pen- 
dleton and Eden turnpike. It was constructed in 18(52 and 
was eight miles long. About this time a number of turnpike 
companies were organized resulting in the building of the fol- 
lowing pikes ; Pendleton and Fishersburg pike ; Lick Creek 
pike, running south from a point three miles east of Pendle- 
ton to the Hancock county line; Madison and Hancock pike; 
Anderson and Perkinsville pike; Anderson and New Colum- 
bus (short line) pike; Pendleton and Fall Creek pike; An- 
derson and Fishersburg pike; Anderson and Columbus (east 
line) pike; Anderson and Lafayette pike; Killbuck pike; 
Pendleton and Noblesville pike; Anderson and Hamilton 
pike. This was the last toll-road built in the county, having 
been constructed in 1872. 

These roads were all well managed and some of them 
paid fair dividends on the capital invested. Taken as a whole, 
the pikes of Madison county were as good as the best in the 
State, and it is apparent now that unless better care is taken 
of them in the future than has been bestowed upon them since 
they were purchased by the county, the people made a mis- 
take in voting to buy them. The law authorizing the pur- 
chase of toll roads was passed by the legislature in 188(3, and 
before the year 188U had expired Madison county's splendid 
system of pikes was no more. Elections had been held, and, 
as the people voted to buy them, the Board of Commissioners 
acted accordingly. The pikes were bought of the various 
companies owning them, and the county now has about four 
hundred miles of free gravel road. 



88 IIISTOIiV OF MADISOX COl'XTV, INDIANA. 

The benefits resulting from good roads are not more ap- 
parent anywhere than in Madison county. There is not a 
township in the county that is not provided with good gravel 
roads, and not a section of land but is easily accessible. Along 
these roads may be seen mile after mile of cultivated land, 
uuequaled for fertility, save in a few portions of the state, 
and homes that compare in beauty and comfort with the more 
pretentious residences of cities. The log-cabins have disap- 
peared, along \vith the men who built them. The deep, dark 
woods are '^gone, and what were once the " unbroken soli- 
tudes " now respond with abundance to the toil of the thrifty 
husbandman. Tru!)-, " how grandly are the old things pass- 
ing awa^'." 

IHON BRIDGES. 

The first bridge built in Madison county- was constructed 
across White river at a point just east of H. H. Conrad's car- 
riage factory on North Main street, Anderson. The bridge was 
built entirely of heav}' hewed timber, in the year 1844, by 
order of the Board of County Commissioners. Henry and Hugh 
Rogers, carpenters, residing at Pendleton, \vere awarded the 
contract. The timbers for this bridge were furnished by John 
DeWitt, who at that time owned a portion of what is known 
as the Myers farm, east of the city. It was a very clumsy 
structure, but answered the purpose for which it was built 
until the winter of 1847, when it was swept away by an un- 
precedented rise of the river. 

It is said, by a few old-timers still living in Anderson, 
that the freshet of that year was the greatest that was ever 
known before or since in the county. The river and its trib- 
utaries were swollen to vast proportions, overflowing their 
banks, all the low-lands along their borders, and at several 
points to a great distance back over the level country. 

The next bridge of any importance was constructed 
across Fall creek at Pendleton. This was also a wooden 
structure but in the course of time, like all the rest of the 
bridges across the larger streams of the county, gave place to 
one made of iron. The countv now has thirty-seven iron 
bridges, seven of the largest of which are constructed across 
White river. The bridges are the best that are manufactured, 
and were erected at a cost of many thousands of dollars. 



CHAPTER XV. 

The Pumlic Schools — General IIistouy ov Their Prog- 
ress IN the County — The First School House, 
Etc., Etc. 

While Madison county has kept fully up with the spirit 
of the age in the development of her natural resources, it is a 
source of pride to e\ery citizen in the county that her educa- 
tional interests have not languished in the general progress 
that has been made. 

To the genius and ability of Milton B. Hopkins, who was 
elected superintendent of public instruction in LS72, the peo- 
ple of Indiana are indebted more, perhaps, than to any other 
man, living or dead, for its splendid school system. He 
systematized the school laws and introduced modern methods, 
not only in the organization of schools, but in teaching, and 
today, through his far seeing judgment and devotion to the 
educational interests of the State, the public school system 
of Indiana is second to none in the Union. 

It was through his instrumentality that the oHice of coun- 
ty school superintendent was established, and while there are 
many good friends of the cause of education who do not look 
upon the office with favor, it will be generally conceded that 
much of the progress and improvement in the schools of Indi- 
ana are due to the efficient labors of the county superintendents. 

Up to the year 1830 there \vas but little need of school 
houses in the country, for the reason that the sparse popula- 
tion would neither jus'if)' their erection nor the employment 
of teachers. It was some time during the above year that the 
first school house in Madison county was erected. It was 
situated two miles south of Pendleton on what was then, and 
for many years afterward, known as the " Griffith Davis 
farm.'' It was constructed in the primitive style of the 
country and times ; of unhewen logs, clap-board roof, punch- 
eon floor, large fire-place in one end, stick and mud-mortar 
chimney, heavy door hung on wooden hinges and punch- 
eons for seats. The windows were of oiled paper which 



90 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

rendered it difficult for the pupils to see, particularly on 
days when the sun refused to shed his friendly light. There 
\vere no desks, black-boards, or any of the improyed school 
apparatus of today. 

The boys and girls of 1830 — of the log-cabin era in Madi- 
son county — acquired what little education they possessed 
under yery trying circumstances. They encountered difficul- 
ties that would appear insuperable to the boys and girls of to- 
day. The curriculum consisted of the three R's, " readin', 
'ritin' and 'rithmetic,' and a slight knowledjie of these 
branches was all they were enabled to acquire. They were 
compelled to assist in clearing the farm and perform other 
labors incident to the settlement of a new country, and conse- 
quently could deyote but a few weeks during the winter 
months to the study of books. 

We haye tried to secure the name of the pedagogue who 
taught the first school at the Griffith Davis school house from 
oblivion, but our efforts have been in vain. It was a subscrip- 
tion school, and even tlie names of the necessarily few pupils 
who attended cannot be ascertaiued. There was no public 
school system in those days, and no school enumeration was 
taken. The early teachers in the county, as is too often the 
case at the present time, taught school as a makeshift and not 
from any desire or ainbition to excel in the profession of teach- 
ing. A great majority of thena were sadly deficient in scho- 
lastic attainments, having enjoyed but few educational privi- 
leges themselves, but they taught to the best of their abilit}-. 
and many of the representative business and professional men 
of the count)' in later years laid the foundation of their educa- 
tion under their .tutorage. The compensation tliey received 
for their services as teachers was in keeping with the condi- 
tion of the communities in which they taught — poor indeed. 
A salary of IJilO a ■' term " among the pioneer teachers was 
considered quite munificent, and many of them did not receive 
even so large an amount as that for their services. With the 
stream of immigration constantly pouring into the State and 
county, however, interest in educational matters was stimu- 
lated, and the Legislature passed laws for the elevation of the 
schools and the encouragement of professional teachers. One 
of the provisions of the school law required the county com- 
missioners to appoint a county school examiner, whose duties 
were siinilar to those of the present county school superintend- 
ent, though not by any means so onerous. The examination 



HISTOHY OK MAniSON COUNTY, INDIANA. 91 

of applicants for teachers' license was generally oral and pri- 
vate, and the teacher was paid according to the grade of his 
license. The applicant who hal taught school, all things else 
being equal, received a certificate or license for a longer period 
of time than the person who had no experience in school man- 
agement. The standard of scholarship among a majority of 
the teachers was not so high as it is to-day, but, notwithstand- 
ing, there were some very excellent teachers, who not only 
possessed a thorough knowledge of the branches they were 
required to teach, hut were conscientious and painstaking 
withal in their efforts to advance their pupils. Considering 
their facilities and surroundings they were quite as successful, 
to say the least, as many of the professional teachers of the 
present day. 

SCHOOL EXAMINERS .\ND SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS. 

With the establishment of the free school system in Indi- 
ana came the appointment of county school examiners, as has 
been stated. The first examiner appointed in Madison county 
was the late Oliver P. Stone, one of the early professional 
teachers of the county. Mr. Stone was a native of New 
York and came to Madison county in 1840, locating at Ander- 
.son. He held the oflice for a number of jears, when he was 
succeeded by the Hon. Howell D. Thompson, in 1871, who 
served acceptablj' for three years. It was during Mr. Thomp- 
son'.s incumbancy that the present system of teachers' exam- 
inations was introduced by the State Board of Education. 
Before the term for which Mr. Thompson was elected by the 
Board of Commissioners had expired, the school law was 
changed by the legislature in many respects, among which 
changes was the present law requiring the township trustees 
to elect e.Kaminers, or. as designated by tiie now law, County 
School Superintendents. 

Joseph Franklin was the first superintendent elected under 
the new law. At that time — 1873 — partisan feeling ran high 
and Mr. Franklin, being a Republican, it was not deemed 
advisable by the local Democratic leaders tliat he should be 
elected, a majority of the trustees being Democratic. Air. 
Franklin was, and is, an elder in the Christian church, and it 
so happened that several of the trustees entertained verv strong 
predilections for that church as well as great personal regard 
for the elder, and when the votes of the fourteen township 
trustees were counted, it was discovered that he was elected 



92 IIIbTORV OI' MADISOX COIXTY. INDIANA. 

by one majority. Mr. Franklin made an excellent superin- 
tendent and was succeeded by R. I. Hamilton. Since Air. 
Hamilton's time the following gentlemen, in the order named, 
have held the office : W. M. Croan, Dale J. Crittenberger, 
Willis vS. Ellis, Vinton R. Busb}-, and Manson I'. Johnson, 
the last named being the present incumbent. 

INTERESIING STATISTICAL MATTERS. 

It is to be regretted that the tirst school enumeration 
taken in the county cannot be given in this work, but the re- 
port, along with manv others, has been lost, or misplaced, and 
it is impossible to do so. It would be interesting to note the 
wonderful growth of the population of the county as indicated 
by the report compared with the report made by the present 
superintendent in February of this year. The school enumer- 
ation for 1869 shows that there were 8,028 persons of lawful 
school age in the county. In 1876 the enumeration showed a 
total school population of 9,122. The reports of the early ex- 
aminers were not so complete in details as those made by the 
superintendents of late years. For instance, the last report 
made by the present superintendent shows that the total enu- 
meration of pupils eligible to instruction in the public schools 
is 17,8(K), or an increase of 8,784 over the enumeration of 
twenty years ago. Of this number, less than 11,000 attended 
the public schools in 1895-6. The number of teachers re- 
quired in the public schools in the county at the present time, 
is 294 and their salaries aggregate the sum of .tl25,00(>. Out 
of 200 applicants for graduation in the township schools, sev- 
enty-nine were granted diplomas. During the year 1895, 
!ii5(),J>0O were expended on new buildings and improvements. 

E.xcepting that portion of the report with reference to the 
attendance of pupils in the public schools, the showing is a 
grand one, and the friends of the public school system can find 
in it much for congratulation. The schools of the county 
will receive further mention in the \arious township histories. 



CHAPTER XVr. 

The Newspapers of Madison Couxtv from the Eaki.y 
'80s TO THE Present Time — Trials oi' ihe ■■ Rooral 
Press." 

No bi-anch of human endeavor, perliaps, lias kept more 
fully up with the times in Matlison county than " tlie art 
preservative." The \icissitudes of tlie country press became 
proverbial long ago and no county in Indiana, with one ])o.s- 
sible exception, can boast of more " dear departed" newspa- 
per enterprises in the past, or enterprising newspapers at the 
present time than the good county of Madison. 

The early history ot the press in this countv is, from 
causes, shrouded somewhat in uncertainty and doubt, especially 
that portion of it relating to dates and names. The recollec- 
tion of the " oldest inhabitant," which is uncertain about a 
great many things that happened in the county during the 
pioneer period, appears to be greatly at fault when it comes 
to remembering anything of particular importance concerning 
the early newspapers. It is reasonably certain that the first 
paper published in the county was the Federal I'nioii which 
made its appearance at Anderson in the year 1884. T. 1. 
Langdon was the publisher and Charles D. Henderson 
assisted him in the editorial work. This paper did not sur- 
\\\-ii the rocks and shoals of journalism but a short time. The 
next paper was the Western TeU'i^rapJt, Charles D. Hender- 
son, editor, reporter and " general manager." This paper 
made its appearance soon alter the demise of the Federal 
i'liioii and was probably the same paper excepting the name. 
It appears that Mr. Henderson did not have to depend entirely 
upon his subscribers for succes--, as the commissioners' record 
for the March term, lS8o, shows that allowances were made 
by the board to Mr. Henderson for legal notices published in 
the 7\-lei;rapli. The legal priming at that time was not what 
is vulgarly termed a '■ snap " by the present race of editors and 
newspaper proprietors. There was no delinquent tax-list 
requiring a page or two of a Tcolumn folio paper for several 



94 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

publications annually ; no legal blanks by the thousands or 
other papers without limit to be printed in those days, and 
the publisher's " pickings " from this source were consequently 
meagre. The Telegraph buffetted the " slings and arrows of 
outrageous fortune" until 18HS or 1839 probably, when, like 
the Federal I ' iiio)i, it gave up the ghost. 

The next paper in the order of succession ^vas the Athe- 
>/e/tiii, which made its appearance in 1840. The editor and 
publisher was Dr. Thomas Sims. The paper was highly liter- 
ary and devoted to the sciences, especially the science of phren- 
ology. The editor and publisher is said to iiave been a gen- 
tleman of rare culture and a gifted writer. His paper was not 
what the general public wanted or could appreciate in that 
day and it succumbed for lack of patronage after two years of 
varied fortune. 

Shortly after the Atliciiciiiii ceased to be published, Joseph 
G. Jones established the ^^liig Eagle and made a vigorous 
fight for the Whig principles and Henry Clay in the cam- 
paign of 1844. The paper, however, ceased publication in 
1846, and was immediately followed by the Madison Coiiiitv 
yo/iriial, which also advocated Whig principles. The name 
of the publisher of this paper was Gardner Goldsmith, but it 
is thought that the late Judge John Davis was interested in 
the enterprise, to the extent at least of supplying it with men- 
tal pabulum each week. The paper had a brief existence. 

In 184S the Howell brothers, John. Q_. and William L., 
moved their printing otHce to Anderson from Marion, this 
state, where they had been publishing a paper, and began the 
publication of a journal called the IViie Democrat , in the in- 
terest of the Democratic party, which at that time and for 
forty-five years afterwards was in the ascendency in the coun- 
ty. The Howells, according to Peter H. Lemon, who was 
employed to furnish the ■■ brains "' for the Democrat , "were 
practical printers, but could not edit.'" The next year, 1849, 
Dr. Townsend Ryan and Mr. Lemon purchased the paper and 
changed the name from the True to the Weekly Democrat. 
The paper had its ups and downs as all country newspapers 
had in that early day, and in 1850, in the language of Mr. 
Lemon, " died of a broken heart." 

The Anderson Gazette followed the Democrat. Dr. 
James W. Mendenhall, a young man of fair literary attain- 
ments, was the editor, and conducted the paper from a neu- 
tral standpoint so far as politics were concerned. It was sub- 



IllSrOliV OK .MADISON- COl'NTV, INDrANA. 9i) 

seqaeiitlv purchasetl by J. Fenwick Henry, \ylio conyerted it 
into a partisan Democratic organ. Pie \yas assisted in the edi- 
torial work b)' Col. T. N. Stilwell, who was at that time an 
ardent Democrat, and as such, a few years later, was elected 
a member of the lower house of the state legislature. The 
paper was short lived. 

It was about this time that W. II. II. Lewis began the 
publication of a paper called the Madison Coiiulv Rcpiiblim]! . 
The paper advocated Whisr or Republican principles, and after 
a brief bat g:dlant struggle went the way of its predecessors. 
This paper was subsequently known as the Central /iniiai/iaii 
and was edited by John Patterson. 

In 1855 the fh'niocratic Standard made its appearance 
with Thomas \V. Cook as editor and Ira H. Cook as associate 
e.litor. Thomas Cook was a man of many peculiarities or 
what would be termed in this day and age, "cranky ways." 
^•Mter conducting the paper through the trials and difficulties 
of the first year or so of its existence, O. C. ^\^illets came into 
possession of the plant l)v pin-chase or otherwise and con- 
trolled its destiny for awhile. It was afterward edited and 
published by F. M. Randall for a nuniber of years. ' W. E. 
Cook, assisted by A. S. McCallister, succeeded him in its 
management. 

During the time these latter gentlemen had control of it, 
a little paper made its appearance, the mission of which was 
to "show up " the moral obliquities of a certain class of peo- 
ple -who posed as saints, but who were regarded by the pub- 
lisiiers as no better than other imrepentant sinners. The 
pa])er was called the " Firc-Fh\" and whenever it made its 
appearance, which was always at night, when " good peo- 
ple " are supposed to be in bed, it was riot long before the 
gossips of the town were enjoying the salacious tid-bits con- 
tained in its columns. It was spicy to a degree and its con- 
tents were always relished by everybody that did not receive a 
" skiiining." There was no fixed date upon which it made its 
appearaiice and after several publications its sensational career 
ended, to the great relief, no doidit, of certain citizens who 
\vere given to shady ways and imnioral practices. It was 
thought by many that \V. E. or "Billy" Cook, whose witty 
sayings, funny escapades and many genial tjualities are still 
remembered by the older citizens of Anderson, was responsi- 
ble for its publication. In fact, he never very seriously denied 
the charge. 



96 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUXTV, INDIANA. 

It was in 1868 that the Loval American made its appear- 
ance as the organ of the RcpubHcan party. H. J. Brown 
was the editor and pnbhslier until 1S65, when he was ap- 
pointed postmaster at Anderson. The paper was published 
for a while by John C. Hanson, but soon ceased publication 
after Mr. Brown retired from its mangement. In the mean- 
time the Standard was purchased by Mr. Fleming T. Luse 
in 1866. Mr. Luse was a Democrat, but too independent to 
suit the leaders of his party in the county, and some time 
(1867) after purchasing the paper certain democratic politi- 
cians and business men organized a stock company and 
founded the Anderson Plain Dealer, which soon became 
recognized as the organ of the Democratic party in the 
county. The editorial department was in charge of Edwin 
P. Schlater and ■' Billy "" Cook. In 1S68. the stockholders 
sold out their interests in the paper to Messrs. Thompson & 
Myers, who controlled it until the succeeding year, when it 
passed into the hands of (i. D. Farrar, who managed it for a 
year and a half, when Hon. William C. Fleming became pro- 
prietor. Upon assuming control of the paper Mr. Fleming 
changed its name to that of the Anderson Democrat . The 
business of editing and publishing a paper was not congenial 
to Mr. Fleming's taste, however, and in the course of a few 
months he disposed of the propertj' to Charles Zahm, who in 
the following year ( 1873) sold the entire plant to M. V. Tod- 
isman. Mr. Todisman had in the meantime purchased the 
Standard of Mr. Luse, and now united the subscription lists 
of both papers and continued as sole editor and proprietor of 
the Democrat until early in 1S77, when he disposed of a one- 
half interest in the office to W. M. Croan. This partnership 
lasted until November of that vear, when Mr. Todisman dis- 
posed of his interest to William R. Brownlee. This firm 
added many modern improvements to the mechanical depart- 
ment of the paper, which together with well-selected news 
matter contributed from various sources each week soon won 
for it greater patronage and popularity than it had ever before 
enjoyed. The Democrat was the first paper in the county 
printed by steam, that agency being introduced by the pro- 
prietors as a motive power in Januur\', 1879. In 1884 H. J. 
Bronnenberg bought the plant. R. C. and Sumner Glasco 
became interested in the paper, and it was published by them 
until the spring of 1886, when W. C. Fleming again took 
charge of it. A few months after Mr. Fleming took charge 



TIISTORV OF MAIHSON COUNTY, INDIANA. 97 

of the editorial atul business management, Mr. Bronnenberg, 
who owned the paper, sold an interest to Captain Ililligoss. 
The latter gentleman had control of the paper until sometime 
in 1887, when it was purchased by W. R. Myers. Shortly 
after taking possession of the Democrat, Mr. Myers sold Dale 
y. Crittenberger a third interest, and subsequently another 
third interest was disposed of to James J. Netterville. Messrs. 
Crittenberger & Netterville afterwards bought out Mr. Myers' 
interest. Mr. Crittenberger had entire control of the edito- 
rial department and business management, and the paper pros- 
pered as it ne\er did before in its history. In March, 188?, 
the Daily Democrat was launched upon the sea of journalism 
by Messrs. Crittenberger & Netterville, and both papers were 
published by them regularly every day and week until April, 
1898. when they disposed of the plant to a stock company 
composed of J. P. Campbell, W. C. and H. R. Rone. The 
latter disposed of his stock to Manson V . Johnson in the 
spring of 1895, and that gentleman has since been the nomi- 
nal editoi; of both the Daily and Weekly Democrat. Both 
editions have a large circulation which will doubtless increase 
with the growth of population in the county. The plant as 
a whole, is the most complete in the county, its facilities for 
doing superior work in its job department being unexcelled, 
perhaps, in central Indiana. 

The Anderson Herald was founded by John O. Hardesty 
in 1868 and is the oldest Republican paper in the county. Dur- 
ing Mr. Hardesty's connection \\ith the paper it was known 
as the " Red Hot " Herald for the reason that the editor in 
each issue fired more or less " red hot" shot into the Demo- 
cratic party and its leaders, that part}' being at that time 
largely in the majority in the county. Mr. Hardesty was the 
sole proprietor until November, 1872, when Stephen Metcalf 
purchased a half interest in the paper. In August, 1878, he 
purchased the remaining half interest and Mr. Hardesty retired 
from the paper. The Herald vvas originally an eight-column 
paper but after Mr. Metcalf became sole proprietor he pur- 
chased a new press and enlarged the paper to a nine-column 
folio. Other valuable improvements were made to the otlice 
and for a number of years it was considered the most valuable 
property of its kind in this part of the state. In the spring of 
of 1876 Mr. Metcalf disposed of a half interest to W. M. 
Kinnard, and in May, 1878, Caleb H. Kinnard took charge of 
the paper and published it until 1881, when Mr. Metcalf and 



98 HISTORY OK .MADISON COUXTY, INDIANA. 

George McKeown took charge of it. In 1885 the proprie- 
tors were Mr. Metcalf and Charles H. Ewing, Mr. McKeown 
ha\ ing retired. In April, 1883, the paper passed into the 
hands of A. A. Small, and in tiie fall of the same jear he sold 
out to H. G. Doggett. It was but a short time until the latter 
sold the office to the Chase brothers, and they in turn sold it to 
J. H. Lewis, who subsequently disposed of it to J. Q. Donnel. 
Mr. Donnel was a scholarly writer but was given to criticis- 
ing his party and its leaders so freely that the prominent 
Republicans in the county become dissatisfied with his manage- 
ment of the pa])er and in 1^95 he found it to his interest to 
dispose ot it to \\'. B. Canipliell, who is now sole proprietor. 
Several attempts were made to start a daily edition of the 
JlcralJ. but without success until April. 1S87, when the ]iub- 
lication ot the present daily was begun. The daily was 
originally an evening paper, however, but was changed to a 
morning edition shortly after Mr. nonnel purchased the plant. 
The paper has a large circulation and for a paity organ is 
inore indt^pendent than the average of such papers. 

In 18Sl) George \\'inter st.'irted a weekly paper known as 
the Anderson Rcvicv:. Mr. Winter was a ]5raclical jirinter 
and one of the best in the country, but had no idea of manage- 
ment. The paper struguled along until Ib>!si5, when George 
Ross and Thomas P. Harris bought a controlling interest and 
conducted it in the interest of the Democratic party. Shortly 
after Ross and Harris assumed the management of the paper, 
Hon. W. S. Diven purchased an inteiest,and had charge of 
the editorial department until 18s4, when it was consolidated 
with the Anderson Democrat , the paper being issued for a 
time under the name of the Revi c\c- Pe nioc rat . 

Mr. Winter subsecjuently embarked in a number of news- 
paper ventures, publishing at one time a daily called the 
Hvening Star, at another the Daily Rcrie-c, and for several 
months in 1887 a weekly called the Saturday AVtcW. This 
paper was also absorbed by the Anderson Democrat , and Win- 
ter went to Washington, D. C, where he had received an 
appointment in the Government printing office. But few 
men were better acquainted with the art of printing, and if he 
iiad possessed ability in other respect.s commensurate with his 
opportunities he would have been eminently successful, no 
doubt, in the arena of provincial journalism. He died of con- 
sumption at Washington in 188'.l. 

In 1SS5 Messrs. Dory Biddle, Tames Knight and Charles 



HISTORY Ol" MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 99 

R. Cravens organized the IJulletin Printing Company, and 
issued the first number of the Dailv Evening Bulletin on 
March 28d of that year. The paper started out on an inde- 
pendent basis and has been " hewing to the line "' ever since 
regardless of the consequences. The Ihillctin was a success 
from the first issue and for many years occupied the daily field 
iilone in the county. Special mention of tiiis paper is made 
elsewhere. 

The Pendleton Register was the first paper published at 
Pendleton. It was established in 1870 by T. B. Deem. Tlie 
office was purchased b}- C. B. Caddy in 1878 and the name of 
the paper was changed to the Peiielleton Republican , under 
which it is now issued by the editor and proprietor, D. W. 
Barnett. Mr. Caddv having liisposed of iiis interest in tiie 
property. 

In April, KS9(j, Kobert E. Maranxille issued 1 lie first num- 
ber of the Pendleton Record. The paper is devoted princi- 
pally to the interests of farmers and stock raisers. 

In the early spring of 1877 the first newspaper published 
in the north part of the county made its appearance at Elwood 
under the name of the Elwood Reviexv, George Winter, editor 
And proprietor. The paper had a brief existence, and in 1880 
Roy Hannah, Allen Wilson and S. T. Legg formed a stock 
companv and established the Elwood Free Press. Roy Han- 
nah was installed as editor and manager. The paper was 
published for several 3'ears and changed ownership a number 
of times, Jesse Mellett being one of the proprietors. W. E. 
Plackard and Minor Nuzum also owned and published the 
paper at one time. In the meantime L. H. Emmons started 
a paper named the Pevie-c. This paper was purchased by A. 
W. Ross in 1888 and published until January. 18S9, when A. 
J. Behymer bought Isoth papers and consolidated them under 
the name of the Elwood Pree Press. The paper subsequently 
changed ownership, M. H. Geyer & Son purchasing the prop- 
erty. They also sold to Jesse Mellett, who in 189S began the 
publication of the Dailv Free Press. The property is now 
owned and managed by W. F. N'anarsdel. The Free Press 
is a bright, newsy paper, and enjoys its share of public 
patronage. 

The bright future of Elwood attracted other enterprising 
newspaper men to the place, and on the 19th of March, 1891, 
a new dailv, the Elwood Leader, was established by W. J. 
Spruce. On the IJth of the following November the Elwood 



100 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

IDailv Call was established bv E. E. Forn--hell. The Leader 
and Call w&re consolidated Febriiarj- 1, 1894, and has since 
been published as a Republican paper under the name of the 
Call- Leader. Messrs. Fornshell and Bruce are practical news- 
paper men and have succeeded in making their paper one of 
the best and most influential in the county. 

In 1892 the Alexandria Record was established at Alex- 
andria by Moore & Myers for the ostensible purpose of " boom- 
ing " that thriving little city. They afterward disposed of the 
property to T. J. Arnold, who in the course of time sold to 
Tomlinson & Wallingford. In 1898 Harry E. Manor bought 
the paper and converted it into a Republican journal. ^V'eekly 
and daily editions are issued, and the paper is in a prosperous 
condition. 

The Alexandria 7'ress. weekl}' and semi-weeklv, was es- 
tablished at Alexandria September 25, 1893, by C. F. and C. 
H. Meyer. The Rress is Democratic in politics, but enjoys 
the confidence of its patrons of all parties. It is issued on 
Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. It is in a 
prosperous condition, and is gradually extending its sphere 
of influence. 

On November 22. 1895, George B. Mickler established 
the Gas Belt Ne-xs at Alexandria. The paper is non-political 
and devoted solely to promoting the welfare and prosperity of 
Alexandria and vicinity. This it does ably and faithfullv, and 
deserves well not only of the citizens of Alexandria but of the 
north part of the county. The paper makes its appearance 
each week on Fridaj'. 

(The Summitville Wave is mentioned in the general his- 
tory of Van Buren township.) 

The Frankton Leader was established in 1890 by E. A. 
Kemp, who is the editor and proprietor. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



Our MiLiTAHv History — The Part Taken by Madison 
County in Two Wars — The Soldiers of 1846-8 and 
1860-5, With Something ok Their Campaigns. 

The history of the heroes of jVIauison county, as well as of 
the State and Nation, who participated in the Mexican war 
and in the greater war of the rebellion, has been written time 
and again and will endure as long as time shall last. Nothing 
that the authors of this work could say would add to the 
lustre of their names or achievements. Both have been pre- 
served in the archives of the Republic and will be perpetu- 
ated forever by the American people, in song and story, in 
stone and bronze. It is not the purpose, therefore, of the 
authors to give a detailed history of the services of Madison 
county's soldiery, but a general account, together with sucli 
local matters relating to the subject as are considered of sufti- 
cient importance to remember in a work of this character. 

Previous to 1847, the county had no military history, but 
upon the breaking out of the Mexican war a number of patri- 
otic citizens who had heard the thrilling story of Crockett and 
the Alamo, availed themselves of the first opportunity to ofl'er 
their services to the government. This opportunity occurred 
early in Mav, 1847, after the second call for volunteers had 
been made by President James K. Polk. Captain John M. 
\Vallace, of Marion, Grant county, organized a company at 
that place, which was composed of residents of both (irant 
and Madison counties. There may have been, and probably 
were, volunteers from this county under the first call of the 
President, but there is no means at this time of ascertaining 
either their names or number. 

The companj' organized by Captain Wallace marched from 
Marion to Anderson and tlience to Indianapolis. From there 
the company went by rail (at that time the only railroad in 
the State) to Madison, where it embarked on a steamer for 
Jeffersonville, at which place it went into camp, and on the 
31st of May, was mustered into the service of the United 



102 HISTOIIY OK MADISOX COfXTV, INDIANA. 

States as Company A, and assi<ined to tlie Fourth Regiment, 
Indiana \'olunteer Infantry, commanded by Colonel Willis A. 
Gorman. 

The regiment left JefTersonville for New Orleans tiy 
steamer the following month and \vent from there to Brazo.'i 
Santiago, near the mouth of the Rio Grande. After marching 
to a point 160 miles up that river and remaining se\eral 
weeks, it returned to Brazos, and on tlie 19th of September, 
sailed with the brigade to which it was attached, for Vera 
Cruz. The Fourth belonged to General Lanes brigade and 
participated in some of the severest skirmishes of the war. In 
December, 1847, it joined the inain army under General Scott, 
in the citv of Mexico, where it remained until peace was de- 
clared, leaving there for Vera Cruz on the 1st of June, 1848, 
and arriving at Madison, Indiana, on the :?()th of Julv, where 
it was mustered out of the service. Of the men who volun- 
teered from Madison county in this war, the following list i.s 
given : 

Xineveh Berry, commissary ; Joseph Hunt, corporal ; 
Reuben Stephenson, Levi Brewer, Jacob Booser, William Col- 
lis, John Hicks, Solomon Harpold, Alexander firecniee, James 
Moore, Samuel Moore, Isaac Rheubart, David \'anasdell, Ben- 
jamin Moore, Jacob Spucher, Thomas Dillon and John Ded- 
man, the last two dying in Mexico of disease. Le\ i Brewer, 
who is still living, is mentioned elsewhere in these pages. 

THE CIVIL WAI!, OK W.\K OK rilK RKBEI.I. ION . 

Fort Sumter was fired on bv the Cf)nfederates on the 
12th day of ^Vpril, 1861, and on the KUh of the same month 
(jovernor O. P. Morton issued a call to the people of Indi- 
ana for volunteers to till the cjuota of the State under the 
call of the President for 75,000 troops. The call of the gov- 
ernor was received with patriotic outbursts of enthusiasm 
throughout the state anil the day following a public meeting 
was held in the court house at Anderson for the purpose of 
enlisting volunteers for the war. Patriotic speeches were 
made by Dr. Townsend Rvan, who was afterwards appointed 
to a colonelcj- in the army, T. N. .Stilwell, who also received 
a commission as colonel of a regiment afterwards. Ralph N. 
Clark and others. The war spirit was rampant and a com- 
pany of 100 stalwart men was soon organized. The meri 
were all young and a large inajoritv of them above the average 
size. The idea prevailed at the time that only men of large mus- 



IIISIOIO' OF MADISOX COLXTV, INDIANA. 1U'{ 

cular development could enilure the pri\;itions and hardships 
incident to war. Thi.s idea was soon dispelled, however, as it 
was discovered that small men or men of medium size made 
equally as good, if not bettir soldiers, than the men of larger 
mould. It is recalled by the writer that a company from 
Logansport passed through Anderson in April, 18(il, not one 
of whom was less than six feet in height, and large in pro- 
portion. 

The e\euing after the public meeting the volunteers as- 
sembled at the ]SIethodist churL'h and organized by electing 
Hiram T. Vandevender, captain, and a full complement of 
ofKcers. The company left immediately for Indianapolis, an(.l 
went into camp at a place east of the city, called Camp Mc- 
Clellan. On the 22d of ^Vpril it was mustered into the three- 
months service, and assigned to the Eighth Indiana \'olunteer 
infantry, as Company "G." The regiment remained in camp 
until June, when it was ordered to Clarksburg, Va. From 
there, the regiment went to Buckhannon, Va., and on the 11th 
of Jul)' participated in the battle of Rich Mountain. Com- 
paii)- G lost but one man — Joseph Beck, of Chesterfield. This 
was the onl}' engagement the Company participated in during 
its tliree-months service. After remaining in camp at Bev- 
erly until the 24th of July, the regiment was ordered back to 
Indianapolis, where it was mustered out of the service August 
Gth, 1801, and the men returned to their homes. 

The regiment was reorganized, and many of the men who 
composed it during the three-months service, re-enlisted for 
''three years, or during the war." This much of the history 
of Company G is given for the reason that it was the first 
company to leave Madison county. The muster rolls in the 
war department at Washington show that 139 ofKcers and 
men from Madison county belonged to the Eighth Indiana. 

Captain ^'andevender was mortall)' wounded in front of 
Vicksbuig, and died .May l'8, 1863. He was a chivalrous sol- 
dier, and was greatl}- respected by his men. His remains now 
repose beneath a marble tablet in the Anderson cemetery. 

From the dav the first company left Anderson to take 
part in the defense of the government there was almost a con- 
tinuous stream of volunteers flowing out of Madison county 
into the army. Every vocation in life represented within 
her borders contributed men to the ranks of the grand army 
that was fighting for the preservation of the l^nion. They 
marched away to the inspiring music of the fife and drum 



104 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

from field and forge, hamlet and town, many of them to die 
upon the field, in the hospital and in prison without hope or 
desire of a greater reward than the high renown of the 
patriot who gives up his life in defense of his country. Many 
of them had not reached their majoritj-, more were of middle 
age, while not a few had passed the meridian of life. But all 
^vere patriots ; their county and State were proud of them, 
and generations yet unborn will commemorate their deeds and 
honor their memory. 

As nearly as can be ascertained Madison county furnished 
l,50f> volunteers during the war, for which she received credit. 
A few citizens of the county enlisted in companies organized 
in other counties and states, and they are credited to the local- 
ities where they enlisted. The county was represented in 
the following regimental organizations : The Eighth (one 
company). Ninth, Eleventh, Twelfth (one company). Six- 
teenth (one company). Seventeenth (this regiment bore on 
its muster rolls the names of 140 citizens of Madison county), 
Nineteenth (one company). Twentieth, Thirty-fourth (two 
companies). Thirty-ninth, or Eighth Cavalrj-, Forty-seventh 
(one company), Fifty-second, Fifty-eighth, Fifty-ninth, Six- 
ty-ninth, Seventy-fifth (one company). Eighty-fourth, Eighty- 
ninth (one company). Ninetieth, or Fifth Calvai'y, Ninety- 
ninth, and One Hundred and First (one company). One Hun- 
dred and Thirtieth (one company) Indiana regiments. These 
organizations all belonged to the three-years service. The 
county was also represented in the following organizations : 
One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Indiana ( 100-days service). One 
Hundred and Thirty-sixth (100-days service). One Hundred 
and Fortieth (one-year service), One Hundred and Forty- 
second (one-vear service), One Hundred and Fortj'-seventh 
(one-year service) , One Hundred and Forty-ninth (one-year 
service), One Hundred and Fity-third (one-year service), One 
Hundred and Fifty-tourth (one-year service). One Hundred 
and Fifty-fifth (one-year service). Twenty-eighth regiment 
(United States colored troops). The muster rolls of the Sec- 
ond Indiana Battery — Light Artillerj- — and Eighteenth Bat- 
tery — Light Artillery — show that Madison county was largely 
represented in those organizations. 

MINUTE MEN. 

The raid of Gen. John H. Morgan, of the Confederate 
army, into Indiana, in July, 1863, with a small force, was the 



HISTOUY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 105 

occasion of a call for troops by Gov. Morton, and within forty- 
eight hours after the call was made, 65,000 men tendered their 
services to the governor. Madison county promptly responded 
along with her sister counties in the State, and four companies 
were raised to assist in repelling the invaders. One of these 
companies was assigned to the One Hundred and Fourth regi- 
ment and the other three to the One Hundred and Tenth regi- 
ment. As Morgan did not remain in the State any longer 
than his force could ride from the point where they entered 
to the Ohio line, the services of the minute men from this 
county were not needed and the\' were accordingly mustered 
out — the three companies belonging to the One Hundred and 
Tenth regiment, at Indianapolis, on th*e 15th of July, or three 
davs after thej' had been mustered into service, and the com- 
pany belonging to the One Hundred and Fourth regiment, at 
Greensburg, on the 18th of July. 

At the time of this raid great excitement prevailed 
throughout Indiana, and especially in the central portion of 
of the State, as it was feared that the State capital was the ob- 
jective point of the incursion. The excitement at Indianapolis 
for several days was intense and all kinds of war-like rumors 
could be heard on every hand. The streets were thronged 
with excited and fear-stricken people for two days and nights, 
and it was freely asserted by a few old soldiers, who happened 
to be in the city at the time, on furlough, that Morgan could 
have easily captured the city with fifty of his men, so great 
was the demoralization of the raw troops and people generally. 

To write a history of the campaigns of the various organ- 
izations with which the volunteers of Madison county were 
identified, would not only be a labor of supererogation, but 
would exceed the limits designed by the authors for this work. 
The story has been told better than we are able to tell it. It 
is our province to state, howe\er, that tiie soldiers of Madison 
county participated in nearly every great battle of the war. 
They ^vere at the Wilderness, Antietum, Cold Harbor, Chick- 
amauga. Look Out Mountain, Ressacca, Vicksburg, Gettys- 
burg and with Sherman on his " inarch to the sea." Many of 
them never returned and are sleeping in unknown graves. Of 
this number is Major Isaac M. May, of the Nineteenth Indi- 
ana, who was killed at Gainesville, Va., on the 2Sth of August, 
18(3:2. Every effort was made by his widow and friends to 
recover his remains, but in vain. He fell early in the engage- 
ment, and w-as buried by Seth Peden of his home company, 



lOG IlI.slOKV OF .MAUI^OX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and a soldier belonging to a Wisconsin regiment. Both these 
men were killed soon after, and with them died all knowledge 
a.s to the spot where the Major's remains were buried. 

This gallant officer had all the instincts of a great soldier, 
lie was a strict disciplinarian and gave much time to the study 
of military tactics, a thorough knowledge of which he re- 
garded as absolutely essential to tiie proper discharge of his 
duties as an officer. He had great respect for his men and 
and the)' in return loved and honored him, not only as a brave 
and faithful officer, but as a friend. His untimely death was 
sincerely mourned wherever he was known, and particularly 
at Anderson, where he had alwaj's been held in the highest 
respect as a citizen. \Vhen tlie Grand Army Post was organ- 
ized at Anderson there was but one expression with ref- 
erence to a name for the organization and that was Major 
May. This Post is one of the largest and most important in 
the State, and is appropriately mentioned elsewhere in this 
history. 

Major Samuel Henry was another gallant soldier of Mail- 
son county, whose untimely death was the cause of much sin- 
cere regret and sorrow. Me had risen to the rank of Major 
from that of First Lieutenant of Company B, Eighty ninth 
Indiana \'olunteer Infantry, and the possibilities of the futme 
appeared bright to him and his friends, when he, along with 
two other officers of the regiment, was shot to death by guer- 
rillas on the 1st of November, 18154, near a small village called 
Grunton in the State of Missouri. The men had become sep- 
arated from their command, wliich was marching to Lexing- 
ton, Mo., and had just left a house where they bad been sup- 
plied with dinner, when they were confronted by three men 
dressed in the Federal uniform, and ordered to hold up their 
hands. The officers were unarmed excepting ]Major Ilenrv, 
who perhaps had on his sword and one pistol. After search- 
ing the men for fire arms, they were ordered to mount their 
horses. They were then taken back a short distance into a 
woods where they were murdered and robbed. Their remains 
were found by people living in the vicinity and taken to Lex- 
ington where they were identified b)' officers of the army. 
Colonel Wolf, commanding the Third brigade, ordered the 
bodies decently interred in metallic caskets, knowing that 
friends would want them removed. The remains of Major 
Henry were soon after taken up and brought back to his native 
village, Pendleton, and laid to rest in the cemetery at that 



HISTORY or MADISON COITN'TY, INDIANA. ]()T 

place. Major Henry was a brother ol Hon. Cliarles L. IlL-nrj-. 
of Anderson, who at tliis time represents the capital district 
of the State in Congress. The G. A. R. Post at Pendleton 
was named in honor of Major Henry. 

ANDEIiSOX .\S A 1! K XDEZ VOns I OK IROOI'S. 

While a inreat majority of the volunteers of Indiana were 
organized into regiments at Indianapolis, a number of regi- 
ments were organized at other points in the State. It was con- 
sidered advisable, for various reasons, to establish a camp at 
Anderson, and in the summer of \>^Cj\ certain companies, 
raised in the northern part of tiie State, were ordered hither. 
A camp was established (HI the hill northeast of the bridge 
which now spans \Vhite river where north Madison avenue 
terminates, and the Thirty-fourth Indiana regiment was or- 
ganized there on the I(5th of September. The camp was called 
"Camp Stihvell '' in honor of Thomas N. Stilwell. who was 
Qiiartermaster of the regiment until March, 18(3:2, wlu n he 
resigned. 

A majoritv of the companies of this regiment had a full 
quota of men and when it left camp on the ]()th of October, 
1861, for the front it was as large a regiment as ever left the 
State, 

Madison county fm-nisheil two companies for this regi- 
ment and 280 men in all during its time of service. The late 
Colonel Ryan, of Anderson, commanded the regiment at one 
time. The Thirty-fourth participated in the last battle of the 
war, \\ liicli was fought at Palmetto Ranche, Te.\as, on the 
]i?th of May, ]S6o. and was one of the last regiments mustered 
out of the service. 

I'.VTRIOTIC F.FFOKTS OF M.VDISON COLNrV cniZKNs. 

While the soldiers of Madison county were at the tront 
fighting for the preservation of the government the people at 
home did not forget them. Sanitary and other supplies were 
sent to the camp and hospital without stint. Whenever the 
people at home were appealed to for assistance lor the soldiers 
they always responded promptly. 

Of the official action taken by the county through its 
]5oard of Commissioners duiing the war. the following is a 
summary : 

The first otficial action taken by the county ofhcials was 
in connection with Camp Stilwell. At the September term, 



108 IIISTORV OF .\I.\DISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

18G1, of the Board of Commissioners it was " Ordered that $200 
be appropriated for the purchase of Uimber to fit up a camp 
for the accommodation of a regiment being organized at An- 
derson." And at the same term $800 was appropriated for 
the assistance of soldiers" wives and children, the Trustee of 
each township being instructed to render assistance wherever 
needed. At the August term, 1802, it was ordered that an 
allowance of $1 each week be made to each soldier's wife or 
widowed mother and 50 cents to each child under ten years of 
age, the Trustees being directed to make the disbursements. 

At the following September term a tax levy of 10 cents 
on eLich $10(1 valuation of the taxable propertv in the county 
was made in order to pro\ide a fund for the relief of soldiers' 
families. These orders continued in force until the close of 
the war. 

The Board held a special session in November, 1^68, at 
which it was ordered " that each volunteer credited to Madi- 
son county be paid $50 bounty when he produces the cer- 
tificate of the mustering officer to the county Auditor, and 
$50 at the expiration of his term of service." A tax levy of 25 
cents on each $100 valuation of property was made to raise 
the money necessary to carry out the order. 

The record of the Commissioners' court for the June term, 
18(54, shows that the county treasurer had received $10,812.97 
taxes for military purposes and had paid out for the same, 
$10,700. 

The call of the President for 800,000 men in 18(j4 rendered 
it necessary, in order to fill the quota of Madison county, to 
issue bonds to the amount of $200,000. The Commissioners 
ordered a bounty of $400 to be paid to each volunteer or 
drafted man and the county's quota untler the call was soon 
filled. 

The amount of money paid by the county for lioun- 
ties to soldiers was $344,8V)8 and for aid to the families of 
soldiers, $10,042, making a total of $354,940. The amount 
of money contributed by individual citizens of the county for 
sanitary supplies and other necessaries cannot, of course, be 
ascertained, but would doubtless bring the grand total up to 
an amount as large again as that paid out of the county 
treasury. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



The Madison County Medical and Historical Socie- 
ties. 

Aside from the religious and benevolent societies the Mad- 
ison County Medical Society is the oldest organization in the 
count}-. 

This society was organized at Anderson on the 1.5tli of 
November, 1862, b}- the adoption of a constitution and by- 
laws and the election of the following officers : President, 
W. A. Hunt; vice-president, B. F. Spann ; secretary, E. H. 
Menefee ; treasurer, B. \V. Bair : censors, X. L. Wickershani, 
P. Patterson, J. F. Brandon. The tirst or charter members of 
the society were: William Suman, D. M. Carter. \V . H. 
Ebert, J. A. Williams, P. Patterson, T. Ryan, J. A. Ivoy, 
Joseph Stephenson, C. N. Brannen, Henry W\man, Joseph 
Pugh, Sr., William Cook, Braxton Baker, S. B. Harriman, 
W. S. Morgan, J. G. Mitchell. Valentine Dunham. G. W. 
Perry, G. F. Chittenden, J. Harter and the officers aboxe 
mentioned. 

The society Hourished for a number of years, but a grad- 
ual decadence of interest began about IStUj, and at a meeting 
held in April, 1807, it was mutually agreed among the mem- 
bership to discontinue the meetings of the association indefi- 
nitely. No further meetings were held until August, 1875, 
when Dr. W. A. Hunt published a call for a meeting of the 
society at the office of Dr. C. S. Burr at Anderson. The ob- 
ject of this meeting was for the purpose of uniting the medical 
societies of Alexandria. Pendleton. Anderson and the medical 
profession generally throughout the county into one associa- 
tion and make it an auxiliary to the State Metlical Society. 
This was done, and the following officers of the association 
were selected : J. W. Perry, president ; William A. Hunt, 
vice-president: J. Stewart, secretary-; C. S. Burr, treasurer; 
W. H. Lewis, B. F. Spann, J. T. Sullivan, censors. In 1875 
there were twenty-five members of the society, nearly everv 
town in the county being represented. At the present time 



110 FrisrORV OF MAIIISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

tlie membership numbers thirty-nine, as follows : L. E. Alex- 
ander, Pendleton: George F. Chittenden, Anderson; E. VV. 
Chittenden, -Anderson : S. W. Edwins, Elwood : J. M. Fisher, 
Lapel; W. M. Garretson, Perkinsville : J. H. Ilarter, Ander- 
son; \V. P. Harter, Anderson; J. W. Hunt, Anderson; M. 
V. Hunt, Anderson; II. E. Jones, Anderson; J. Stewart, 
Anderson; William Suman, .Vnderson ; I. N. \'an Matre, 
Florida; N. L. Wickersham, Anderson; Charles F. ^\'illiams, 
Summitville; \\". J. Fairfield, Anderson; J. H. Fattic, Ander- 
son ; F. J. Hodges, -\nderson ; W. W. Kneale, Anderson; 
L. O. Armtield. Elwood; P. L. Fritz, Alexandria; J.J.Ciib- 
son, Alexandria; J. E. Hall, Alexandria; VV. X. Heath. An- 
derson; F. P. Nosse, Alexandria; B. II. Perce, Anderson; 
A. E. Otto, Alexandria: (j. V. Newcomer, T^Iwood; E. M. 
Strauss, Alexandria: D. Sigler, Elwood ; (). W. Brownback, 
Pendleton; J. M. Fittler, jMexandria; I. Miles, Anderson; 
Madge Patton, Alexandria; P'tta Charles, Summitville ; C. 
N. Branch, ^Vnderson; A. W. Tobias, Elwood: John W. 
Cook, Pendleton. 

The present otficers o( the society are: John \V. Cook, 
president; F.J. Hodges, vice-president : Ed. W. Chittenden, 
secretary, and Joseph E. Hall, treasurer. The society meets 
regularly on the first Tuesday of the following months : Jan- 
uary. -Vpril, July and October. The meetings are held alter- 
nately at Anderson, Elwood, Alexandria and Pendleton. The 
society belongs to the Delaware District Society, which is 
composed of the medical societies of Delaware, jSIadison, 
Blackford, Grant. Randolph and Henry comities. 

M.XDISOX COUNIV II IS lORIC.-VL SOCIETY. 

Early in December. 1884. Dr. William A. Hunt invited a 
number of gentlemen of well-known taste for archieological 
matters to meet at his office in .Vnderson for the purpose of 
organizing a county historical society. The meeting was held 
and an organization effected with the following persons as of- 
ficers : Dr. William -V.Hunt, president; Stephen Metcalf, 
1st \ice-president ; Samuel Hardin, 2d vice-president; Frank 
A'. Walker, secretary, and Fleming T. Luse, treasurer. 

On the L'Oth of December, 1884, articles of association 
were filed in the Recordei's office, one of which sets forth that 
" The object of this society shall be to discover, procure and 
preserve, whatever may relate to general history ; especially to 
the archieological. natural, ci\il. literary and ecclesiastical 



iiisriMiv ni MA^I^()^• coint'i'. indiaxa. Ill 

history of the vState of Iiulian;i. ami inorc particuhirl y of tlie 
county of Madison in said State. '" 

The names of tliose sijjjneil to the articles are : \V. A. 
Hunt, Stephen Metcalf. Samuel Hardin, F. T. Luse, F. A. 
Walker, Charles B. Gerard, 15. F. Spann, W. R. Pierse, 
William Roach, B. H. Campbell, Dale J. Crittenberger. Dory 
Biddle, R. I. Hamilton. O. S. Kelso, M. A. Chipman, M. A. 
Bos worth. 

The Board of Commissioners reserved a room in the court 
house for the use of the society, and the work of collecting his- 
torical relics and curiosities was begun. Much interest was 
taken in the matter for awhile, and many rare arch;rological 
specimens, interesting relics ami curiosities were donated to 
the society by citizeus of the county. 

One of the interesting features of the nmseum was a col- 
lection of beautiful sea shells, gr.iss mats, bark blankets, and 
other rare anil unique curiosities gathered in the South Sea 
Islands by Lieut. Whitmuel I*. Ray. of the U. S. navy , and 
presented by him to the society. Lieut. Ray was a native of 
]\Lidison county, having been born in Anderson, where he 
passed his boyhood imtil he was appointed to a cadetship in 
the navy by Col. T. N. Stilwell, who, at the time, was a rep- 
resentative in Congress. The appointment of Ray, who was 
a poor boy without influence, was in marked contrast with the 
appointments made by congressmen, as a rule, and stamped Col. 
Stilwell as a friend to the boys who, without riches or friends, 
were ambitious to cut their names on the world. The writer 
regrets, as a schoolmate and boyhood companion of Lieut. 
Ray, to record the fact that, in a fit of despondency at San 
l^rancisco, June 9, 1S9S5, he committed suicide by cutting his 
throat with a razor. He was burieti with military honors in 
the cemetery at that city. L'eut. Ray was a courtly gentle- 
man, of convivial inclinations and generous impulses, and the 
unnatural manner of his taking ofl' was not only a surprise, but 
a shock to his friends. 

Other contributions were made by Mr. Samuel Hartlin 
and Mr. Fleming T. Luse which augmented the attractions of 
the society's museum very materially. These gentlemen were 
particularly active in collecting curiosities and classifying them 
for the benefit of the public. There was no lack of interest on 
the part of the citizens of the county, and a great many peo- 
ple visited the society's room to see the curiosities as long as 
t!ie collection was permitted to remain in the court house. In 



112 HISTORY OF MADlSOiN COUNTY , INDIAN A . 

the course of time, however, it became necessary to use the 
room donated to the society bv the Board of Commissioners, for 
county purposes, and this, together with the depredations 
made on the collection by petty thieves, induced certain mem- 
bers of the society to consent to its removal to the Anderson 
High School building in the fall of 1895, where it has since re- 
mained in charge of the superintendent of the city schools. 
As stated elsewhere in these pages the Hunt donation of rare 
geological and archa'ological specimens constitutes an import- 
ant and interesting part of the collection. 



I 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Tup: SociEr\- of Grangers — Madison County Fire axi> 
Lightning Insurance Association. 



It is convenient liere to mention the "grange movement" 
that aroused so much interest among the farming community 
in 1^78 This order or society during that year was organ- 
ized in every township in Madison county for the ostensilile 
purpose of promoting the welfare of farmers and elevating the 
standard of agriculture. Grange lodges were organized in 
such numbers and with such large memberships that it looked 
like the farmers of the county had gone "grange wild." 
Originally none but farmers or persons closely allied to the 
farming interest were eligilile to membership, and if this rule, 
or law, of the order had been adhered to more closely the prin- 
ciples upon which it was founded would have flourished, per- 
haps, and the results would have been beneficial. But men 
were received as members who cared nothing for the principles 
of the order, and it soon developed that its purposes had been 
subverted and that it was being used as a political machine 
notwithstanding the protestations of many of the leaders that 
such was not the case. The political campaign of 1874, how- 
ever, satisfied the conscientious members of the organization 
that it was being used to place certain men in office, and imme- 
diately after the sweeping Democratic victory in the county in 
the fall of that year, the order collapsed and has not been heard 
of since. As an industrial organization it was formidable, 
but when it engaged in politics it met with the fate that has 
befallen all other secret organizations whose principles have 
been prostituted to accomplish political ends. 

MADISON COUNTY FIRE .\ND LUiHTN ING INSURANCE ASSO- 
CIATION. 

Tin's company was organized October 81, 1886, at Ander- 
son, in the interest of farmers. For some time previous to the 
organization of the association, the farmers throughout the 
county had been discussing its feasibility, there being a wide- 



114 IIISTOKY OF MADISOX COIXTV, INDIANA. 

spread sentiment that the rates of insurance paid bv tiieni to 
foreign insurance companies were exorbitant. This, to- 
gether \vith other objections to foreign insurance systems, re- 
sulted in a call for a meeting of farmers at Anderson, at 
which preliminary steps ^vere taken, looking to the organiza- 
tion of a company in the interest of the farming communitv, 
and those owning farm propert\'. e.\clusively. At this meet- 
ing a committee was appointed to draft a constitution and by- 
laws, and on the aboye date about one hundred person-, in- 
cluding both sexes, and from every township in the county, 
met at Anderson, heard the report of the committee and 
adopted it without unnecessary delay. Following the adop- 
tion of the constitution and by-laws, the following officers 
were elected : President, Elijah Williams, Fall Creek town- 
ship ; yice-president, Jonathan ]ones, Anderson township ; sec- 
retary and treasiner, Jesse H. Hall, Monroe to\\nshi[i. 
Board of Directors : William P. Davis, Anderson township; 
John Franklin, Adams township ; A. F. Kaufman, IJoone 
township; John L. Thomas. Fall Creek townsliip; A. M. Mc- 
intosh, Duck Creek township: Burrell Williamson. Greene 
township; William T. Wright, Jackson township; John L. 
Jones, Lafayette township; A. L. Wilson, Monroe township; 
Tremelius Beeson, Pipe Creek township; Samuel E. Hannah, 
Richland townsliip ; Christian Bodenhorn, Stony Creek town- 
ship ; Thomas S. East, Union township ; James Price, Van 
Buren township. 

-Vrticle 1, of the constitution, declares that "The name 
of this association shall be The Farmers' Insurance Company 
of Madison county. State of Indiana.'" 

Article 2, sets forth that, "The object of the association 
shall be to insure the property of its members against loss or 
damage by fire or lightning. The property to be insured shall 
embrace dwelling houses, barns, outbuildings and their con- 
tents ; farm implements, hay, grain, wood, and other farm 
products; live stock, wagons, carriages, harness, household 
goods, wearing apparel, provisions, musical instruments, libra- ■ 
ries and all other farm property." 

B}' the terms of the constitution, "No risk greater than 
two thousand dollars shall be taken by the association until 
the amount of pioperty insured shall exceed the sum of four 
hundred thousand dollars. Xo building shall be insured for- 
more than two-thirds of its value, including all insurance in 
other companies." 



HISTOIiV OF MADISON COUN'TV, INDIANA. 115 

All losses are paid by assessment of the members of the 
association. 

The company at the present time is composed of about 
l,r)(K)of the leading farmers of the county. From llOO.nOO 
insurance, the amount rL-(|uiroi.l by the constitution before a 
loss could be adjusted, the insurance has increased to $:?,()8f),- 
1)04 at the present time, and according to the secretary, Mr. 
John L. Thomas, is still increasing. 

Much interest in the company is taken bv the farmers of 
the county, and its success is a matter of which they can feel 
justly proud. Trusts and companies loaning money in the 
county haye such confidence in the stability of the association 
that they prefer loans secured by members holding its policies. 

The insurance has been very cheap to tlie membership, 
costing on an average but 10 cents on .$100. The association 
lias been in existence ten years and has never had a lawsuit 
which, to say the least, speaks well for its management. 

The present officers are Joseph Saunde?S, president ; B. 
F. Ham, vice president ; John L. Thomas, secretary, and 
John G. Haas, treasurer. Mr. Thomas has been prominently 
connected with the management of the company ever since 
its organization. 



CHAPTER XX. 



Discovery of Natural Gas in Madison County, Togeth- 
er WITH THE Results that Followed — Used for 
Advertising Purposes — Number of Wells and 
Their Cost — Areas of Natural Gas Fields, Etc. 



THE natural gas ERA. 

The story of natural gas is not only interesting, but im- 
portant — it is wonderful. The whirr and hum of machinery, 
the blazing furnace and noisy factory, the stately business 
block and residence, the teeming population within the Indi- 
ana gas territoi;^-, all proclaim the wonders that have been 
wrought since its discovery. The efforts of the genii of old 
have been fairly eclipsed ; the fervid fancies of the dreamer 
pale before the magnificent results that liave been achieved 
since Trenton rock was penetrated, and nature's great fuel 
liberated from its sealed chambers beneath the soil of Madison 
county. Such wonderful development of resources and rapid 
progress in almost every branch of industry has seldom been 
witnessed in this or any other country, and will, no doubt, 
never be witnessed again until the earth yields from its mys- 
terious depths a treasure of equal utility. 

The advent of the new era ^vas unexpected. It came sud- 
denlv, and Madison comity was its chief beneficiary. It 
caused the county, which was almost wholly devoted to agri- 
culture, to advance with dazing rapidity to its present proud 
position as a leading manufacturing district of the United 
States. It swept away the old landmarks and infused new 
life and increased vitality into the drowsv population. Men 
of energy, enterprise and wealth came and located in the 
county in order that they might enjoy the benefits of free fuel. 
Capital bv the million was invested, and men bought and sokl 
within the limits of the county as they never did before. 
Only the old-timers can realize the vast changes that have 
taken place. Only those who shall live here in the far-off 
future will know all tliat has resulted from the discovery of 
natural gas, as the end is not vet ; gas still endures and each 



HISTORY ()!■ M.VniSON COUNTY, INDIANA. ]I7 

inontli is adding to our population and the long list of our 
manufactories. 

It is not the purpose of this chapter to give the history 
of natural gas, or speculate upon its origin. It is sufficient to 
say that this great product of nature has been discovered in 
mun^' coimtries at various depths beneath the earth's surface. 
The " Eternal Fires of Baku, " on the shores of the Caspian 
sea, have been burning for ages on the surface of the earth, 
while natural gas was discovered in the province of Szechuen, 
China, at a depth of 1,500 or ],()00 feet in the earth, and 
utilized by means of bamboo rods or poles, for illuminating 
and heating purposes many centuries ago. Just when it was 
first discovered in the United States, and by whom, will prob- 
ably never be known. Perhaps the first use made of the 
subtle fluid was at Fredonia, N. Y., in 1821, when a '• pocket " 
was struck and utilized for illuminating purposes. In 18(30, 
while .developing the oil fields around Oil City, Penn., gas 
was discovered in sufficient (piantity to be used under boilers 
instead of coal. Subsequent " jirospecting" led to the de- 
velopment of many large wells in Pennsylvania, one of which 
was at Leechburg when gas was first used (1878). for the 
manufacture of iron. From this time on to the present it has 
been jised extensively in the vicinity of Pittsburg for manu- 
facturing and domestic purposes. The gas used in this city 
was piped from the Washington county fields, where a well 
was accidentally discovered in February, 1885, which, in 
natural gas parlance, was denominated " a gusher." The out- 
put of this well averaged six million feet a day. 

In 1884 a gas field was discovered in Ohio, at Findla}-, 
which resulted in a season of prosperit)- for that place, such 
a> had never been witnessed outside the mining fields of 
the west. 

In 1886 the great Indiana gas field was discovered, and 
during the following year (1887) natural gas was discovered 
ill Madison county, on the farm of Samuel Cassell, at Alex- 
andria. Here the first gas well was drilled. The next well 
was drilled at Anderson, an account of which will be found 
ill the history of Anderson township. 

NUMBER OK (iAS WEI.I.S, rilEIK COST, E'rC. 

Almost immediately following the drilling of the first two 
wells, companies were organized, not nnlv by the citizens of 
the towns throughout the county, but by the farmers for the 



118 HISTORY OK MADISON COIXTV, IXniAXA. 

purpose of drilling for gas. Wells were drilled in every 
locality and the gas piped to the dwellings of the members 
composing the company, so that at the present time there are 
but few homes in the county where the fluid is not used for 
heating purposes. For five years after the discovery of gas 
the waste was incredible. Flambeaux were erected in yards, 
on street corners and at other conspicuous points, and in many 
places, where the gas was abundant, as in Madison county, 
left burning day and night. Much of the waste was occasioned 
by a desire on the part of the people living in the gas belt 
towns to " advertise " the fact to the world that the}- had gas 
to " burn."' At Anderson two large arches were erected, one 
at the Pan Handle and the other at the Big Four depot. 
These arches were constructed of perforated pipe and spanned 
the street. The gas was turned on at night and ignited for the 
benefit of persons who were passing through the city on the 
cars. This method of advertising was adopted in most of the 
towns in the Indiana gas field and was continued until the 
boom subsided somewhat and people began to realize that the 
gas could not endure forever, when the arches were torn down. 
Many wells were left burning for weeks before being capped, 
and the amount of gas wasted in this manner was simply 
enormous. It will never be known just how much gas was 
wasted and consumed unnecessarily during the first two years 
following its discovery in Indiana, but it has been estimated 
that the waste alone would have furnished sufticient heat for 
every home and factory now in the gas field for five years. 
The wells are no longer used for exhibition or advertising pur- 
poses and the burning of flambeaux is strictly prohibited liy 
law, but, notwithstanding, the waste of gas still continues to 
a considerable extent in various ways. 

The first gas well drilled in the county cost about $2,00(1, 
but the average cost at the present time is $1,200. Competi- 
tion among gas well drillers for employment has been spirited 
and has resulted in greatly reducing the cost of such work. 
The average depth of gas wells in ISIadison county is ',)H5 
feet. The pressure and capacity of wells var^- according to 
their location in the county, it being generally admitted that 
the pressure is not so strong in the south as it is in the central 
and northern parts of the county. One of the best wells. 
however, in the county, was what was known as the Chester- 
field well, situated six miles east of Anderson, near the Dela- 
ware county line. The output, or flow of gas from this well. 



HISTORY OF ilAnlSOX COl'XTV, INDIANA. 119 

amounted to ten million cubic feel daily. It is owned by the 
Richmond Pipe Line company, which was organized by Major 
C. T. Doxey, of Anderson, for the purpose of supplying 
Richmond, Indiana, with gas. 

When gas was first discovered in the county it was pre- 
dicted by many that it could not be exhausted, while others 
confidently believed that the limit of its duration would not 
exceed ten years. It is now evident that neither of these pre- 
dictions or guesses was right. The ten years will have soon 
passed and while it is conceded that there are indica- 
tions that the gas will not last always, the decline in 
the pressure is not of sutlicicnt consequence as to cause 
alarm. Many wells in fact, that have been constantly in use 
for years remain practically unaffected while wells that have 
shown a diminution in pressure on account of the heavy drain 
made upon them, on being closed for a brief time have recu- 
perated and furnish as much gas as ever. These facts render 
it impossible to predict with any degree of certainty how long 
this yet abundant fuel will endure. That it has endured thus 
long, considering all the circumstances of its enormous con- 
sumption, seems incredible. 

There are now in the county from 1,000 to 1,:?00 (esti- 
mated) gas wells, one-third of which are owned by non-resi- 
dent companies. Thousands of acres of land have been leased 
by these companies and a vast amount of gas is piped outside 
the county annually, principally to Indianapolis and Chicago. 
As the reader of these pages hereafter may be interested in 
knowing the extent of the three gas fields of the United States, 
their areas are given as follows : Ohio, forty-two square 
miles; Penn.sylvania, 100 square miles; Indiana, 5,120 square 
miles. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



IXTERESTING MiSCELLAN'Y CoNNECTEH WiTH THE EaRI.Y 

History ov Madison County — Exi'iiEssEs Contempt 

FOR the wolves. 



Before the countrv became thickh' settled, and \vhen the 
people in Madison county lived in the woods hewing from the 
forests their homes and future habitations, one of the greatest 
menaces to the happiness of the pioneer and his flocks were 
the \volves, which were both numerous and ravenous. They 
roamed at will over the country and committed many depreda- 
tions in the way of killing sheep and yoimg hogs, and were at 
times dreaded by the farmer, when he cluinced to meet one 
alone. So bad did they become that it was a necessity for 
them to be dealt with by those in power whose duty it was to 
protect the peace and dignity of the State, and to preserve the 
happiness of the inhabitants thereof. At the March term 
1844, of the Board of Commissioners the}' made the following 
unique order in relation to his wolfship, and openlv declared 
war against him : 

"Upon petition of many of the good and worth}' citi/.ens 
of !Madison county, be it resolved ; That for the utter con- 
tempt and long iiatred which we have had towards that perni- 
cious animal that prowls around our farms and kills our sheep, 
and being dulv impressed that the good of the countv requires 
that a reward should be given for the eradication of the same, 
we therefore offer a reward of one dollar for every wolf scalp 
that may be killed in this county and properly proven for the 
term of one vear from this date."' 

This resolution it is supposed had the effect to put all the 
trappers and hunters on the war path at once, as at subse- 
quent sessions of the Board many allowances were made for 
scalps produced. It is told by one old timer that an indi\idual 
who then lived in the county thought it easier to raise wolves 
than to spend his time and endanger his life hunting them, so 
he provided himself with a pair of these animals and bred 
them and sold the scalps to the Commissioners. This he car- 



HlsrOUV OF MAOISOX COINT^-, INDIANA. 1 1' 1 

rieJ on for C|uilL- a wliilc until tlie scheme was dtscovcTcd, 
when his business was broken up. 

Willis Odem, who is still remembered bv rnanv of the old- 
timers of Anderson township, did considerable business in the 
way of selling wolf scalps to tax payers while the above order 
was in effect. About the time taxes were due. Willis would 
come to Anderson with a basket on his arm filled with wolf 
scalps which he would dispose of to tax pavers at a discount. 
thereby realizing something for himself as well as the tax- 
payer. During tax-paying time he was a familiar figure about 
the court house until the wolvea in the county iiad disap- 
peared. 

AX OLD riMK CHIMINAL. 

At the September session, 1889, the Commissioners made 
the following orders in relation to the capture of John Flinn 
for the crime of murder, and conveying him to Indianapolis : 

" Ordered that Alfred Makepeace, constable of Anderson 
township, be allowed three dollars and fifty cents for his serv- 
ices in taking John Fliun on charge of murder." 

" Ordered that G. W. Remiker and W. B. Adams be al- 
lowed each the sum of one dollar and fiftv cents for their serv- 
ices in assisting in taking John Flinn." 

" Ordered that Win. Myers be allowed the sum of eight- 
een dollars and thirty-one cents for money paid as stage agent 
for the convej'ance of John Flinn and his guard bv stage to 
Indianapolis." , 

" Ordered that Joseph Howard and John Lewark each 
be allowed the sum of two dollars and eighty-seven cents for 
removing John Flinn to Indianapolis, Indiana." 

'■ Ordered that John Rogers, jailor of Henry county, be 
allowed two hundred dollars foy keeping, boarding, washing 
and making tires in the said jail for John Flinn and other 
prisoners of Madison count v.' 

Madison county at that time did not have a jail sufliciently 
secure in which to incarcerate criminals guilty of inijiortant 
violation.s of the laws. 

The allowance for taking Flinn to Indianapolis was for 
taking him there for safe keeping. 

This occurrence took place so long ago that it has almost 
faded from the recollection of the oldest living inhabitants. 
There is none who can give a correct account of who it was 
that Flinn killed. 

Mathias B. Ilughel is of the opinion that he was arrested 



122 IIISTORV OF MADISON COUNl^', IXDIAXA. 

for the murder of :i man of the name of Perrine, a contractor 
on the canal, employed in the construction of the branch that 
extended west of Anderson. Perrine mysteriously disappeared 
and his body was afterwards found along the river not far 
from where the farm of Joseph Burke is situated, on what is 
now known as the Perkinsxille pike. 

Augustus M. AVdIiams corroborates Mr. Hughel, and says 
that Flinn killed Perrine by drowning him : by jumping on 
him and bearing him down in the water in White river and 
leaving his body, which afterward (loated down to the place 
where it was discovered. 

Mr. Williams says that Perrine was also a contractor on 
the canal, and there was a misunderstanding existing between 
the two men which led to the crime. He also says that Flinn 
was tried at Newcastle on change of venue, for the crime. 
The allotment on the canal on which Flinn was engaged at 
the lime was near what is known as the Wise farm between 
Perkinsville and Hamilton. Dr. John Darr, one of the early 
physicians of Newcastle, was made an allowance for medical 
aid to Flinn. 

TTIE FIRST NUHSERV IN MADISON COI'NTV. 

The lirst nursery in the county was established in Ander- 
son by Benjamin Collins in 1858 on the ground l^ing between 
the Big Four railroad and Thirteenth street, on what is now 
south Jackson street. 

He operated this for several years and sold it to .Silas 
Hughel, his brother-in-law, who has continued in the business 
since on Ohio avenue, and on his farm northeast of the city. 

y. C. Lee purchased the old nursery ground sind laid it 
out as Lee's addition to Anderson, and it is now covered with 
handsome residences. 

RESICNS THF. AIDITOR'S OI-FICE. 

It is an old saving that "" a public officer seldom dies and 
never resigns.'" This, like all rules, has its exceptions. Joseph 
Howard, who was Auditor of Madison comity back in the '4lis 
resigned on the 8d of .September, 1844. 

He had been elected to fill that place by the people and 
liad served his time nearly half out when, owing to a misun- 
derstanding with Jesse Forkner, one of the county commis- 
sioners, about a claim against the county for services, he, in a 
passion, resigned. Howard was a Democrat, and Forkner 



IIIS'IDHV OK MADISON COL'XTV. INDIANA. ll^i] 

was a Whig. There was not the best of feeh'ng existing 
between them and it took but little to bring about the state 
of affairs that led to the result in this instance. 

^Ir. Howard's resignation is copied in the record as fol- 
lows : 

■' To whom these presents mav come, greeting: Know 
ye, that I, Joseph Ilowartl. have tiiis day resigned my office as 
Auditor of Madison county. Given under mv hand this 3d day 
of September, 1844. Joseimi IIowaku."' 

The resignation was promptK' accepted and on the saaie 
day R. N. Williams was appointed his successor, and filled out 
Howard's unexpired term. Mr. Howard did not relinciui^h 
his hold on the people, but was afterward elected county Treas- 
urer, and also served as Sheriff of the county. lie was a prom- 
inent and influential politician, and a prosperous business man 
in Anderson for many years. He was tlie father of T. .\. 
Howard, so well known in this county, and also of Mrs. G. D. 
Searle. now of Chicago. 

Mr. Howard died a few years ago universally esteemed by- 
all who knew him. His widow now lives in Los Angeles, CaK 
^•V daughter also lives in Richmond, Ind., the wife of ex-mayor 
Perry Freeman, of that city. 

KEPT THEIK OFFICES IN A SHOE SHOI'. 

Away back in the days of coon skins and hard cider the 
county of Madison was not the best fixed county in the State 
in regard to public buildings. The offices were kept in private 
buildings away from the court house, and it secnSs that the 
public held such a grip on the temple of justice that it was 
used for nearly every thing besides what it was intended for, 
and the County Commissioners had much trouble in restricting 
the use of it. 

At the September session, 1S44. the board made the fol- 
lowing order : '■ The board of commissioners have rented from 
John Galimore, the house now occupied as a shoe shop, for 
the term of one year, ordered that the clerk and auditor re- 
mo\ e their respective offices to said building, and that the 
court house be ' procured ' by W. H. Allen, sheriff, to be 
cleaned out and put in good repair, and that the sheriff" be re- 
quired to lock the same and keep it closed, excepting upon 
public occasions." 

At that time there was no public hall in Anderson, and 
the court house was used for all kinds of entertainment-^. 



124 IllSTOK-i- OF .MAnlSOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

sliows. school exliibitions aiul as a place of worship, and for 
holding sini^ing schools which were much in voi^tie at that 
period. 

At a previous term of <'ourt held in September. 1S41, the 
Tioard made a similar order as follows : 

'• Resolved by the board that S. 11. Brattain be allowed 
to occupv the northwest room up stairs in the court house for 
one year, upon condition that he will keep the same in repair, 
and he is hereb}' autliorized to prohibit the holdin<rof religious 
meetings or schools of any kind in the court house for the pre- 
sent year, prox'ided, however, that tra\eling preachers may be 
allowed to preach in sail! building." 

TJIK IIRST APrUOPHIATlON FOK AGH It^f LTUK .\ I. IHUPOSES. 

The lirst mone}' appropriated by Madison countv for the 
purpose of encouraging agriculture was ordered by the Board 
of Commissioners on the 7th of March, 1837, as recorded in 
the minutes of said court, as follows : 

" Ordered by the board, that the sum of twenty-five 
dollars of the county funds he, and the same is hereby ap- 
propriated to the agricultural society of said count\'. which 
sum shall be audited by the clerk, and paid by the county 
treasurer to the president of said society." 

ONCE HECOliDER. 

Isaac T. Sharp, who was a brother of Tovvnsend Sharp, 
the father of Joseph and Isaac C Sharp, and Mrs. James 
Wellington, of Anderson, mention of whom is elsewhere 
made, was for a short time recorder of deeds of Madison 
county, by appointment. The order of the County Commis- 
sioners made in the matter appears in their September session, 
18a<S, as follows : 

'• Ordered that Isaac T. Sharp be, and he is hereby ap- 
pointed recoriler of Madison count}-, until the 25th day of 
October next, to supply the vacancy occasioned by the resigna- 
tion of Robert X. Williams."" 

ASSOCIATE JfSTICES. 

Among the many who have served in the capacity of as- 
sociate justice of the Madison circuit court, none were more 
prominent than judges Uriah \'an Pelt and William Prigg. 
They were members of the court in the latter davs of its ex- 
istence, when the coinitv had assumed the proportions of a 
large and cultured population ; when litigation was more of 



iiisToi!v OF ^rAPIso^• coi'ntv, ixdiaxa. 125 

:in important nature than when the country was new and un- 
developL'd, when any one who could muster the requisite 
number of votes to be elected was tiiought to be competent to 
till tiiis position. Tiiese two gentlemen filled llieir phices on 
the bench with dignity, and ^vith lionor to tliemselves and 
their constituency. The Board of Commissioners made the 
following allowance at the September session, 1844. to tliese 
two judges for tlieir services, at the close of the term of C(3urt : 

" Ordered, that L'riah \'an Pelt and William Prigg be each 
alloweii the >-vnn of three dollars and a half per tlay, for eleven 
days' services as associate judges of the circuit court." 

Judge \'an Pelt wis the father of Samuel D. \'an Pelt 
and Capt. Frank Van Pelt, and also of Mrs. Da\id E. Croan, 
all well known in this county. Judge Prigg enjoyed a large 
acciua'utance in the southern part of tlie county, and has yet 
many friends and relatives living in the community. 

The associate justice's office was done away with under 
the Constitution of 1.S52, since wliich time one judge presides 
at the sittings of the court. 

Judges Prigg and Van Pelt were warm personal friends 
during their incumbency in office. Judge Prigg lived quite a 
distance from Anderson, and was always a guest at the Van 
Pelt home during the sittings of the court. 

THE llfSKING BEK. 

In early times, when neighbors were miles apart and hel]i 
was scarce, it was a job of no small importance to take care 
of the crops in the fall of the year after they had been raised. 

In order to prepare the corn for market after it had been 
gathered from the fields the neighbors for several miles around 
would gather at tlie home of a friend and assist him in shuck- 
ing his corn, which he had previously gathered from the stalks 
by pulling the ears off in the husk. These gatherings were 
called '• husking bees.'" 

Those who attended were inviteil by the one who needeil 
the assistance, and to go to one of these ^vithout an invitation 
was a breach of eti(|uette of which no one could afford to Ije 
guilty. 

They were most enjoyable affairs, and the many happ\' 
hours thus spent bv the pioneers can never again be realized. 

The participants generally chose sides under the leader- 
ship of a captain on either side, and the winners made a great 
ado over a victory won in the contest. 



120 



IIISTOnV OF IIADISOX COLXTY, INDIANA. 



The old and young alike took part in the work and en- 
jovcd together the sports of the occasion. 

The first red ear husked by a lady was laid aside until a 
gentleman in the party found one ; then the lady had to un- 
dergo the ordeal of being kissed by the gentleman. This was 
sometimes a pleasant task, especially if the two happened to 
be loyers. On the contrary, if the opposite was the case, it 
was not so well relished ; Ijut it was the heigiit of impolite- 
ness not to comply with the established custom. 

The most of the corn husking was done in the barn by the 
young people, while the old folks were preparing a sumptuous 
meal at the cabin. A good article of whisky was generally on 
hand, and the party partook of a sufficient amount to become 
hilarious, but not drunk, although there was always some one 
in such a crowd, as there would be in the present time, who 
would become tipsy. 

After the husking was oyer the crowd would repair to 
the house and partake of what would now be termed a ban- 
quet, spread by the ladies of the neighborhood, and such a 
feast as it was is too gootl to think about. Country-cureil 
liam, home-made molasses, lye homin)*, honey dripping from 
the comb, pumpkin pie and sweet milk. Johnny cake, corn- 
dodger, yenison, hard cider and red apples, home-made sau- 
sage, and in fact eyerything that the g-jod old mothers could 
think of to prepare for such an occasion. 

Supper oyer, the tables were cleared away, and the 
" country fiddler," who was inyariably on hand, began to tune 
up, and the merry dance set in and was kept up till daylight 
next morning. 

The enjoyment of such a scene cannot be imagined by one 
who never witnessed it. To undertake to describe it would 
be a useless task. 

We haye said enough here to put the old-timer's head to 
whirling as he reads these pages and wanders back in his im- 
agination to the time when he an.xiously hustled to get the 
red ear when he saw the apple of his eye husk out the first 
one of the eyeifing. 

People may now be more polished in manners and liye on 
a higher plane, but certainly are not better, not purer or more 
generous than they of the gooil old days of the husking bee. 



insTOIJV OF MADISON COl\T>-. INDIANA. 12 I 

TUK DAYS OF THE STAGE COACH. 

The present generation ^vho enjov the hixur\' of being- 
transported to and from different parts of the country behind 
the swift, snorting steam horse, snugly seated in a parlor car, 
know but little about the vexations of the early mode of travel 
in a stage coach, and in tact there are many now living in Mad- 
ison county who never saw a stage coach. Fiftv jears ago 
this was the only wav of tra\eling to and from distant points. 

The leading State roads that traversed the country were 
stage routes, and the United States mails were carried over 
them, generally bv contract with the owners of the stage line, 
much the same as the railways now transport the mails. 

The arrival and departure of the stage coach at the towns 
and villages along the routes was a thing looked to with more 
anxiety than the witnessing of a circus parade at the present 
time. 

The last stage coach that ever ran In Madison county 
was owned by William G. Pittsford, and made its last appear- 
ance in Anderson in 1S(')7. Mr. Pittsford was then the owner 
of the line from Anderson to Marion via Alexandria and 
Jonesboro. He had a contract with the government to carry 
the mails, and also with the American Express company to 
transport their freight between these places and made a trip 
each way everv alternate day. He also had the contract for 
the same service as far north as Wabash, but sublet it from 
Marion north to other parties. This stage line was owned 
prior to the war by Oliver H. P. Carey, of jVIarion, who vol- 
unteered his services at the breaking out of the rebellion, and 
became Lieutenant Colonel of the Thirty-sixth Indiana regi- 
ment of volunteers, under Col. William (jrose of Newcastle, 
who afterwards became a general in the armj-. 

Mr. Pittsford during his ownership of the line had for his 
partners at different times, Mr. Richard J. Hunt and Samuel 
Pence. 

Among many who once were drivers on this line were A. 
J. Hunt, R. J. Hunt, William McAtee, Samuel Hunt and Mar- 
shall Bonner. William McAtee drove the last stage coach into 
Anderson in 1807. The building of a railroad through Marion 
from east to west gave them an outlet for travel to Indianapolis 
and other places, and cut off the mail contract and passenger 
travel to such an extent that it was no longer profitable and the 
stagecoach became a thing of the past, and gave way to a hack 



128 HISTOliV Ol- .MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

of small dimensions, which did service between .\nderson and 
Jonesboro, until the building of the C. \\'. & M. railroad in 
1876, when (he line was discontinued. The last owner of the 
property was Mr. Walker Winslow of Jonesboro. 

The old stage line transported the first company of sol- 
diers from Marion that went into the service from that place, 
to Anderson, where they took passage on the railroad for In- 
dianapolis, where they went into camp. 

At a place on the State road near where Summit ville now 
stands, was a staging station, and point to change horses and 
feed. 

For many years the post office, at the corner of Eighth and 
Meridian streets, in Anderson, was where the stage " hauled " 
up when it arrived, invariably being greeted by a large crowd 
of anxious people, waiting to see who was on board. The 
Myers House was for years the popular hotel with the traveling 
public, and was patronized by the passengers of the stage line. 
It was kept by William Myers, mention of whom is elsewhere 
made. Later the Ross House and the Burke Allen House 
were headquarters for the stage traveling public. Both have 
given way to more pretentious hotels, but the hospitality of 
"these old time hostleries will never be surpassed; thev were 
the homes of the traveler in every sense of the Nvord. 

Summitville, Alexandria and Prosperity were all stopping 
places in this county on the line, and when the blast of the 
stage driver's bugle sounded giving warning of the coming of 
that important vehicle of travel and commerce, the popula- 
tion of these villages turned out en masse to witness its arrival 
and departure. 

In the early spring months it was almost impossible to 
travel over a portion of the route, and in some instances it 
became necessary to abandon the stage coach for days at a 
time and traverse the route with a cart with two horses hitched 
to it to carry the mails, as they had to go through, at all 
all hazards. 

Mr. Pittsford relates that in tiie spring of 18()5, it was so 
muddy that he drove over the entire route with the front 
wheels of a wagon on which was placed a queensware crate 
which served as a receptacle for mail and express matter, and 
that the only passenger he hauled in the period of three weeks 
was a Alethodist minister who came to Anderson to attend 
conference. 

Congressmen, United States Senators and men of mill- 



ItlSTORV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 12'.) 

tarj' renown h;ive been passengers on this stage line. It was 
the only outlet north for man)- years, and was patronized by 
all, high and low. 

A stage driver was one of the envied of idl envious peo- 
ple, and was generally foremost of all in the social world. 
Many a boy while plowing corn along the highwav where the 
stage coach passed has looked upon the driver and wished for 
the day to conie when he could lea\e the farm and become a 
stage driver. 

Air. Pittsford's first experience as a stage driver was at 
Stockton. California, where he was in the employ of a com- 
pany driving across the plains and mountain ranges in an 
eai ly dav. 

The hand of progress has made the stage coach a thing 
only in history, the locomoti\e has driven it out of existence. 
What disposition electricity will make of the locomotive is left 
for the future to unfold. 

THE FIRST I!KID(;K IN THE COUNTV. 

Until the year 1842 no effort was made to bridge White 
river so that the people could pass and repass from north to 
south through the county during times of high water, which 
occurred much oftener in the early times than at present, on 
account of the countrv not being drained, and the timbered 
lands being covered with surface water most of the jear, 
especially in the early spring. Almost everv season we had 
what was termed the " January thaw," when the snows began 
to melt in the latter part of that month and the first part of 
Februarj-, which caused the little streams all over the country 
to be much swollen, and their waters emptying into White 
river caused it to become impassable during those periods. 
A ferry boat was for many years maintained at Anderson 
upon which the populace crossed in going to and from market 
to sell their produce. At the March session of the Board of 
Commissioners, 1842, a move was put on foot to place a 
bridge across the river. The Board made the following order 
appropriating money for that purpose. 

"Ordered, that ^\)\)) of the B per cent, fund belonging to 
Madison county be appropriated to the constructing and build- 
ing of a bridge across White river where the Fort Wayne and 
Andersontown road crosses the same, or as near as a good 
situation can be had, and William Sparks, Willis (J. 
Atherton, Paschal Baker, John Renshaw and William 



130 



HISTORY OF MADISON COINTY, INDIANA. 



Young are hereby appointed superintendents of said bridge, 
and they are empowered to raise funds by subscriptions, and 
they shall make report to this board." 

Thus the matter rested until at the December session, 1S42, 
when the superintendents aforesaid came into open court and 
informed the Board of Commissioners that they had failed to 
agree as to the proper place to locate the bridge, and resigned 
their places. 

At this time the Comity Board made the following entry 
after accepting the resignation of the superintendents : 

" Ordered, that the board of commissioners now take the 
responsibility upon themselves, and now proceed to locate 
the bridge at, or near, the lime kiln, below the termination of 
the bluff at the northeast corner of the plot of Anderson- 
town." 

The Board afterward let the contract to Henry and Hugh 
Rogers to build the structure, which was evidentlj' not com- 
pleted for c|uite a while, as no final settlement was made for 
the work until the September session, 184(), when thev were 
paid $300 as the balance due them on their contract, all of 
which appears of record. At the same session that the ap- 
propriation was made for this bridge, a similar one was made 
for the purpose of the erection of a bridge across Fall creek, 
at Pendleton. 

The bridge at Anderson was washed away during the 
liigh water season in January, 1847, an account of which is 
elsewhere given. The pier on the west side of the river, upon 
which this bridge stood, is still intact, and is situated not 
far from tiie foot of Sixth street, close to the Norton brewer^'. 
It has served for half a century as a place from which the boys 
who resort to the " old swimmin' hole,"" dive into the ri\er. 
There is not an " old " boy in Anderson scarcely, who has not 
plunged into the clear and beautiful waters from this pier. 
There are men in Madison count}' who are now grav-headed, 
who have in their boyhood daj-s dived into the river from 
this place. 

After the bridge was washed away a ferry boat was again 
established there, and for many years did service, in fact, 
until the year IHHS, when the covered bridge that stood where 
the present iron structure now stands, near the cemetery, was 
built. The covered bridge was built b}- an appropriation by 
the County Commissioneis together with a fund raised by 
popular subscription. Many who subscribed to the fund gave 



HlSrOHV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 131 

their notes and never paid them, and tor veais they were car- 
ried in the assets of the county treasury, until finally they 
were certified off' as bad debts, and were filed away in the 
Auditor's office as dim reminders of the loner ago. 

The ferrv boat was owned at different times bv many of 
liic prominent citizens of the county, it being considered a 
good piece of property. Joshua Shinkle, one of the oldest 
living inhabitants of Madison county, at one time operated it, 
the lion. Wesley Dunham, ex-mayor of Anderson, and Gerry 
T. Hoover, well known to all of the older residents, each had 
their time as ferr3man. 

It is related that on one occasion when a circus and 
menagerie was being taken across the river on the ferry boat, 
an elephant was brought to the water's edge, and urged to 
step on the boat, when he flatly refused, and bioke away from 
his keeper and swam across ; stopping on the opposite shore he 
filled his trunk full of dirty water and gave the hundreds of 
bvstanders a thorough soaking, spoiling many a new gown 
and Sunday hat. 

This ferry freighted across the river all the hogs and 
cattle that came to the Anderson market for several years, 
■when the waters were high. The covered bridge that took 
the place of the ferry in IS(j8, was swept away in 1884. and 
in the same year the Countv Commissioners let the contract to 
McCormick & Sweeney, who were then engaged in build- 
ing the court house, for the construction of the masonry, and 
to the Morrison Bridge company for the iron work. 

The covered bridge was a place dreaded bv many pedes- 
trians, in making their wav through its long, narrow passage 
in the night time, and many blood-curdling tales were told 
tibout attempts at robberv. But many of them were purely 
imaginary. It being so close to the cemeterv it was an easy mat- 
ter for the superstitious to work them.selves up to believe that 
robbers, ghosts and goblins made their haunts in its dark 
recesses. 

MADISON county's FIRST GRADUATES. 

Away back in early times in Madison county to be a 
graduate from an institution of learning, was an honor enjoyed 
b}' the precious few. One who enjoyed this distinction was 
looked up to by the community with eyes full of envv, and was 
the talk of the neighborhood, by old and young. The first to 
be accorded this piivilege were Enoch M. Jackson and Augus- 
tus M. Williams, the former the son of the late Andrew Jack- 



132 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY. IXDIAXA. 



son, and the latter the son of Robert X. ^\'illiams. Ijoth of 
whom were prominent for many j'ears in Madison countv, 
both socially and politically. Mr. Enoch M. Jackson was the 
first to attend Bloomington college from this county, having 
entered that institution in 1845. 

In the following year Mr. .Vugustus M. Williams was 
appointed as a student there by the board of commissioners at 
their June session, 18415. The laws governing the State educa- 
tional institutions provide that each coimtv shall have two 
students annually appointed whose tuition should be free. 

The order appointing Mr. Williams is recorded as fol- 
lows : " The Board now selects Augustus M. Williams as a 
student in the Indiana University and grants to him the ben- 
efits of said college in as full and ample a manner as the laws 
no\v in force empowers them to do." 

Both of these gentlemen graduated from Bloomington 
with high honors. Mr. Jackson has several years since 
deceased. He is spoken of in another place in this volume. 

Mr. Williams is yet living in Anderson enjoying his old 
days in a cottage of his own, where all is happiness and con- 
tentment. He not ouly enjoys the honor of being one of the 
first graduates of the county, but he has the distinction of 
being the first white male child born in Anderson, where he 
has resided all his life. It is said that he was born in the hut 
in which the Indian chief Anderson had formerly resided, and 
whose name the city bears. 

We are indebted to ^Ir. Williams for much information 
about early times and are glad to make honorable mention of 
him in this work. 

In 1845 the Hon. Wm. C. Fleming was appointed as a 
student in this institution, but never a\ailed himself of its 
benefits. 



I 



FIRST F0RF:I<;X horn CITIZEX X.VTL'R.\LIZIiD. 

Thomas Carlton, a natl\e of •' OKI Ireland ," was the first 
foreign citi/.en to a]5plv f"r naluiali/.ation papers in Madison 
countv, which were issued to him on the 7lh of July, 18-iU. 

He appeared before the c!erk ol the Madison circuit 
court and made his application in wriiing. and after subscrib- 
ing to the following oath, was granted his first papers : 

"I, Thomas Carlton, do solemnly swear tlial I will -up- 
port the constitution of thel'nited Stales, and the constitution 
of the State of Indiana, and forever renounce all allegiance and 



I 



HISTOnV Ol- MADISOX COUNT"!'. IXDIAXA. 



133 



fidelitv to every forcin-ii prince, potentate, state or sovereignty 
■whatever, and especial 1\- to the C^iieen of (jreat Britain, so 
help me God ."' 

On the ].")th of Autj;iist. ISld. Mr. Carlton appeared be- 
fore the judge of the circuit couit and upon making proof of 
his good citizenship and obedience to the laws of his adopted 
country, was in open court made a full citizen of the L^nited 
States of America, anil went on record as being the first for- 
eign citizen to be naturalized in this county. Since that tiiue 
thousands who have left their native land to seek a home in 
the land of the free, have gone through the form of being 
transformed into children by adoption, of the best govern- 
ment on earth. 

A WAR MEMOUV. 

In the A// i^tr.o// S/ainiard oi June 2Sth, 1864, a full ac- 
count is given of the presentation of a |40l) watch to Colonel 



^^^^^ ..-tf-"^^^ 


^^■1 


^ -^'SiLi^ 


f *.T^ 


HH 1 




^^^v ■ 


I ''°*^ ,^ 


^^r ■ 


lidp 


^ 1 


1^ 


HH^^H 



MA|(>K i-.i>(;ak ukndkkson. 

Thomas N. Stilhvell by the officers of the One Hundred and 
Thirtieth and One Hundred and Thirty-first regiments, Indiana 
Volunteers, which took place in camp at Kokomo where the 
Colonel was organizing troops for the service. The pres- 
entation speech was made by the late Hon. Edgar Hender- 
son, a former resident of Anderson, who was at that time a 



134 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 

captain in the army, having volunteered from Adams county. 
From Captain Henderson's address, we quote the following- 
extracts : "Colonel Stilwell, the connection which for a 
time has so pleasantly existed between us, being soon to be 
severed, permit me on behalf of the officers and men of the One 
Hundred and Thirtieth and One Hundred and Thirty-first reg- 
iments, as a slight token of the esteem and respect entertained 
by them for you as an officer and man, to present to vou this 
watch and chain. May the shield engraved thereon ever prove 
a true symbol of your safety from the assaults of vour foes and 
from the enemies of our country. May tlie chain ever svm- 
bolize the chain of friendship and affection which binds our 
hearts together, and may its links grow brighter and brighter 
as time presses on and be as pure and untarnished as the metal 
of which it is made, and mav its stars and field of blue ever 
remain so. 

"We go to the tented liekl, the field of strife and blood, 
doubtless some of us to our death, never to return, we trust, 
until this most causeless conspiracy, this most atrocious rebel- 
lion against the best government on earth, ag;iinst the highest, 
purest and holiest of ho[)es of humanitv, shall have been 
crushed into ungalherable atoms. We are an.xious that \oii 
should go with us, but understanding and knowing that voiir 
business relations are such that you cannot, it would be worse 
than puerile and heartless to indulge in anv unavailing re- 
quests. You will soon retire to tlie walks of private life, not 
always on a velvety lawn, shaven with a scvthe and leveled 
with a roller, but often times hedged with thorns, and beset 
with sharp and rugged corners."" 

To this the Colonel responded with much feeling as fol- 
lows : " Officers and soldiers of the Eleventli Congressional 
District of fndiana : To say that I appreciate the magnificent 
present purchased, and just now presented by you through 
Captain Henderson, in the eloquent words to which vou have 
listened, does not do justice to my heart. \'ahiable as it is; 
beautiful as the experienced hand of art could make it, it is 
not for its intrinsic worth or beauty that I pri/.e it. The re- 
membrance of the links of friendship that unite us, and the 
kindly sentiments on vour part that suggested its purchase, 
make me profoundly thankful and aft'ect me with feelings far 
more agreeable than any that could be possibly expected by 
the value of the gold and diamonds. I shall treasure the pres- 
ent through all the days to come. It shall remain an heirloom 



IIISTOUV Ol' -MADIsOX COl'NTV. IXDIAXA. 



im 



in mv family. I shall keep it as a remembrance of this hour ; 
one of the most agrecalile in my life. Soldiers, you have 
nobly responded to the call of your country. The Eleventh 
Congressional District stands to-day in the tront ranks ot 
honor in Indiana, and Indiana stands out prominently as the 
foremost State in everytliing that looks to the crushing of this 
ungodly rebellion. There are many soliliers among you with 
whom I have formed a pleasant and agreeable acquaintance, 
and I know you are ready to sacrifice your lives, if necessary, 
for the Union, the constitution, and the enforcement of the 
laws. If I cannot go, you shall have a man more competent 
than I am to command you, an officer of experience, who has 
seen active service, and can lead vou through every conflict. 




fOL. XnoM.'iS N. STII.U r.i.i.. 



I remember when a banner was presented liy me to the gal- 
lant Thirty-fourth regiment, with which I was then connected. 
Under the folds of that ilag whose inspiration was onward, 
the members of that gallant regiment fought, and would not 
forsake it until it should wave over all the land. That ban- 
ner has returned to this State, torn, pierced with the shot of 
the enem)', its original beauty gone, but beautiful still, with 
the stars and stripes thereon, and the remembrance of the con- 
flicts through which it has passed. The brave boys of that 
regiment have nobly adhered to their oaths. As Indianians 



180 HISTORY OK MADISON COINTV, IVDIAXA. 

"we liave a glorious part in tlie history ot" the war; no soldiers 
stand higher than do those of this State. Again, soldiers, 
accept my heartfelt thanks for your handsome and valuable 
present.'" 

Shortly after this presentation, Colonel Stihvell returned 
to his home where he engaged in private business, although 
alive to the interests of the soldiers in the field. In the fall of 
that year he was nominated by the Republicans of the 
Eleventh Indiana district, and elected as a member of Con- 
gress against the Hon. J. F. McDowell, of Marion, Indiana, 
an account of which is given in another part of this book. 

Captain Henderson, who made the presentation speecii, 
became a leading citi/.en of Anderson after the war was over. 
He was prominent in its business aft'airs, and, in ]8Tl5, \vas 
elected to the legislature and served acceptably for one term. 
Later on he removed to Kingman. Kansas, where lie engaged 
in the banking business, and there died. His remains were 
brought to Anderson, and interred in the cemetery north of 
the river. His familv at this writing are residents of Fort 
Wayne, Indiana. 

THE OLD l,0(i .SCHOOL HOUSE. 

None but those who have attended school in the old log 
sciiool house can appreciate the many pleasures that cluster 
around its meniorv. 

The district schools of Madison county of fifty years ago 
\vere taught in rude cabins, built by the pioneers in the neigh- 
boriinods in a manner to best suit the convenience of the few 
pupils of the times. Some of the happiest moments of the 
lives of the country boys and girls were spent in these primi- 
tive structures. 

The school house was often at a distance of one or two 
miles from the home of the pupil. The wading through the 
deep snow and the crossing of the little brook on the foot log 
by the country lads and lassies, were pleasures pure and unal- 
loyed. Tlie rustling of the leaves of the stately maple that 
shed its foliage in the pathway to the school house will never 
again be heard by those who so joyfully kicked and romped in 
the woodland on their journey to school. In the beautiful 
month of October, when "Indian summer" was at its height 
of splendor, who ever heard a sweeter sound than the rattle of 
the leaves beneath the feet of the country maiden on her way 
to school .' 



IIISI'OUV OF \rAnTSOX COUNTV, INDIAXA. \iU 

Whoever hreatlietl a purer air than the autumn breath, 
when " tlie frost was on tlie pumpkin vine," as through the 
woods the scholars romped and played, sometimes too long, 
making a tard_y mark against themselves for their fun? » 

The furniture was of the rudest kind, being composed of 
slabs made of logs split in two and one side smoothed off for 
the scholars to sit upon. These clumsy seats were set upon 
legs driven into the slabs where holes were bored into them. 
The seats had no backs against which to lean or to rest the 
wear}' pupil as he conned over his lesson. The teacher was 
generally the " sii/ar/csl" man in the neighborhood, regardless 
of his cJ/iratioit, and must be thoroughly competent, physic- 
ally, to whip the biggest bov in school. The brightest scholar 
at that time scarcely ever got beyond the •' single rule of 
three," or, as we now term it, simple proportion. 



&k^-m 




THK OI.Ii r.Ol". SCHOOL IIOrSK. 

The great occasion of the country school came on Christ- 
mas day, or the dav pre\ ious. On that tlav the large scholars 
presented to the teacher a petition, asking him to treat on 
Christinas dav. This, of course, he refused to do, being a 
part of tlie [ilay. 

On the next morning when the teacher came to school he 
found himself locked out, and the big bovs in command of the 
premises. The small scholars were almost scared to death by 
the threats of the teacher to annihilate the whole crowd as 
soon as he gained admission; Ijut this was understood by the 
larger ones, and after repeated efforts of the teacher to gain 
an entrance, all to no purpose, he would start in a threatening 
manner to lea\e the grounds. .\ntl there is where the fun set 



138 



IIISTOIJY OF MADI.SOX COIXIV, I.NDIAXA. 



in. Xo s-joner would he start tlian the entire gaii^ of h'g 
boys were on his trail, anil siicli ruiinii'g was never witnessed 
in any other conte-t. If the teacher happened to be a swift 
limner, it often took a half day to oserhaid him, and when he 
was captured he was taken to the brook and sometimes thrown 
in before he would sign the agreement lo treat. Bat it was 
always expected that the treat would be forthcoming at a 
proper time. And after the captive had succimibed. and all 
of the arrangeinents made, a grand time was had, in which 
all partook of a feast of striped candy, apples and hard cider. 

None but those who have participated in one of these 
afl'airs can fully appreciate the pleasure thev gave. It is safe 
to say that anybody who ever did take part in one. now looks 
back to it with pleasurable emotions. 

The school house was not supplied with glass windows to 




admit the light of dav, but a log was cut out of the side, and 
a piece of greased paper was pasted over the opening, which 
served for that purpose. 

It was against the rules for more than one scholar to be 
out of the house at one time, during the hours of study. It 
was impossible for the teacher to at all times keep his eye on 
the door, so he had a large paddle made, which he hung by the 
side of the door, on one side of this was in large letters, gener- 
ally made with a piece of '• kiel," "OL T," on the reverse side 
was the word "■ IN.'" Each scholar was required to turn the 
paddle when going out. and on returning, to turn it back again. 
Sometimes when two mischievous boys wanted to have some 
fim. one would go out and turn the paddle entirely over, and 
after the teacner was engaged and had time to forget who was 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 139 

out, the other would go out and join his partner. This meant 
an awful whipping if caught and the boys well knew it. To 
get a whipping at school then was a thing long to be remem- 
bered b)' the recipient. A large hickory switch as big as an 
ox "gad" was the instrument used, and the offending one 
was drawn up in front of the whole school and a frightful ex- 
ample was made of him, as he stood up and received from fifty 
to one hundred lashes. Many of the large boys prepared 
themselves for the whipping (as they were chastised for the 
most minor ofl'ense). They would sometimes, when they had 
transgressed the rules, and were expecting to be punished, 
place sheepskins under their coats which would serve to pro- 
tect their persons from the severe blows. 

The Friday afternoon spelling bees of the country schools 
were a feature that the present day pedagogues might with 
profit imitate. The whole school resolved itself into a spelling 
match, having a captain on each side who chose alternately 
from the scholars until all the pupils were taken, then the 
teacher "gave out " to them and the contest was kept up un- 
til late in the afternoon, when the exercises were closed by 
reading " compositions " and speaking pieces. 

Dialogues, declamations, essays and stump speeches were 
the order of the day. The quarrel of Brutus and Cassius, and 
the speech of Patrick Henry before the Virginia convention, 
were favorite pieces selected for these occasions. " Ben Bat- 
tle was a soldier bold," was also often rehearsed with much 
gusto by the young Cicero of the old log school house times. 
Mark Antony's oration over the dead body of Cit'sar was left 
for the big boy who aspired to fame and future greatness, and 
many who afterward became great in oratory made their first 
attempt by delivering this address. 

The last day of school will never be forgotten by the old- 
timers. The term was generally wound up bj' giving an " ex- 
hibition," in which the whole school, and sometimes the 
scholars of neighboring districts, took part. These affairs 
made an impression upon the minds of those who participated 
in them, that it would be impossible to forget. The last day 
was a day of parting, with some forever ; with others only 
until the next winter, when school again took up. 

With all the joyous sports and exercises of the last day of 
school where is the boy or girl of the old days who has not 
moistened the pillow with the tears of regret upon retiring 
upon the night of the last day of school? 



140 



HISTORY OF iMADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



REAPING HOOK, CRADLE AND BINDER. 

There are a few yet living in Madison county who reiwem- 
ber the daj-s of the reaping hook, but precious few who ever 
used one of them to gather a crop of growing grain. It has 
been nearly three-quarters of a century since thej' were in 
general use. In the early settlement of the country, the area 
of land sown in wheat was quite small as the country was but 
little cleared, and only a small patch of wheat was cultivated, 
corn being the principal grain for food for man and beast. 




THE REAPING HOOK. 

When the time came to harvest the grain, the farmer did 
not go forth in his field with a hand.some reaper, followed bj' 
scores of men binding the sheaves as thej^ fell from the 
machine, but in a quiet manner proceeded with his wife, sons 
and daughters, and with reaping hooks gathered the waving 
grain by hand. 

The larger farmer, who had considerable of cleared land, 
generall}' invited his neighbors to assist him, and it was made 




THE GRAIN CR.VDLE. 



the occasion of a grand " frolic." A little of the pure and 
"unadulterated product of the still '" was always on hand, as 
it was thought at that time that the harvest could not be prop- 
erly gathered without it. 

At night after the work was done, sometimes the festiv- 
ities were wound up witli a dance on the old puncheon floor. 
The music being furnished by one of the neighborhood boys 
on a " fiddle," the most popular airs being '• the Money 
Musk," " the Devil's Dream"" and " the Arkansaw Traveler." 



HISTORY OK MADISON COl'XTV. INDIANA. 141 

The liardsiiips of llic diiy were entirely lorifotten in the 
merry dance and obliterated by the swelling notes of the 
music, and the dance went on until the dawn of morning. 
There is no doubt as to the enjoynient in those good old times, 
as there is not one living who ever participated in one of those 
occasions who does not grow eloquent in recounting tiie many 
blissful moments thus spent. 

As the country opened out ami farms became possessed 
of wider fields, the demands for better facilities for harvesting 
the grain became manifest, and the inventive genius of man 
began to plan, and in his fertile brain conceived and brought 
forth the grain cradle, which was the implement of the har- 
vest field for many years, in fact, it was the only means of 
gathering the wheat until in the year liS49 or 1850, when it 
gave way to the reaping machine. 

The cultivation of wheat was largely- increased by the in- 
troduction of the grain cradle, and the harxest time became 
one of the most important seasons of the year. People were 
more sociable and attentive to the wants of each otiier than 
now, and the neighborhoods flocked together in harvest time 
and helped their neighbors gather their grain. Sometimes as 
many as a dozen men with a cradle each, would be at work on 
one farm. The cradlers each had a man or boy to follow with 
a rake, whose duty it was to bunch the fallen wheat into 
sheaves ready for binding, which was done by a man in the 
rear. The shockers who followed the cradling party, the boy 
who carried the sheaves and one to carry water and whisky, 
made up the party at one of these harvesting bees. The 
women made as much stir about the uflair as did the men. 
They congregated together at tiie homes of the neighbors and 
assisted in preparing the meals for tlie harvest hands, and en- 
joyed it as much as the present day women do the assisting of 
each other at the "swell" receptions. An ordinary cradler 
could cut four acres of grain in a day, and experts could do 
much more. There was a great rivalry between the cradlers 
as to their aliilit\', and many matches were made in the fields. 

When McCormick invented the reaper he put an end to 
these merry scenes in the harvest fields, and a new era dawned 
upon the people, and harvest was made a comparatively easy 
task as compared with the days of the cradle and the reaping 
hook. The self-binder soon followed to further lighten the 
burden, which was soon followed by the machine to bunch the 
sheaves ready for the shock, which has made the harvest field 



142 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COl^NTY, INDIANA. 



a place nearer to a scene of pleasure than of labor. What the 
next fifty years may develop is beyond even conjecture. It 
may be that in the near future the people of the L nited States 
may witness the bearded grain felled and prepared for the 
granary with machines propelled by electricity. Whatever 
inaj- come to pass, there is one thing that is a certainty, the 
people will never get back to the simplicit}' of manners, and 
good fellowship that was extant in the days of the reaping 
hook. 




THE SELF BINDING REAl'lNCi MACHINE. 

The halcyon days of om- grandmother, when that good 
old soul used to go into the flax patch and pull the growing 
weed from the ground and carry it to the quaint old log barn, 
and after drying the stems, prepare it for the " break," while 
her husband was tilling the little patch that he had opened in 
the forest, for a faini, is long ago passed into oblivion. There 
are just a few here and there who ever saw such a scene. 
There are precious few of the old-time women now living in 
Madison county, who [)ropelled the spinning wheel, or used 
the " scutching "" knife in the preparation of the flax for cloth- 
ing with which to cover her little "brood."" The process of 
utilizing the tlax is almost a lost art to tlie people of this com- 
munity. ?vlany of the present day do not e\en know how our 
grandmothers used to toil in the work of providing covering 
for the bodies of their children, as well as making with her 
own hands, the clothing for the beds on which they slept. 

The flax was pulled when matured, and thoroughly dried, 
sometimes by a fire, and wlien in a proper state was " broken " 



II 



III>T(»I!V OI' MADISON COrXTV, INDIANA. 



143 




THI-: 111. I) M'lNNiNc; \vhi;i;l. 



144 HISTORY OF .MADISON COl'NTY, INDIANA. 

and then " scutched ■' willi a "scutching" knife made of 
wood, until all of the shives were taken out of it, leaving the 
lint ready for the wlieel.- 

It was then spun into threads ready for the loom, by 
which it was woven into cloth. 

The good old pioneer women, many of them besides rear- 
ing a famil}' of a dozen children and attending to all of their 
household duties, took the flax from its native state in the 
ground and went through the entire process of converting it 
into cloth and from that stage into clothing, making the gar- 
ments for her entire household. It was also true of all wool- 
ens, which she took from the sheep's back and followed it 
through the diflerent processes until it was converted into 
clothing, and blankets for the beds. Mothers and daughters 
of to-day know but little of the work and toil of the pioneers. 
Tiie preparation for the afternoon reception, the worry about 
the six o'clock dinner, is nolh'iig to be compared with the 
anxiety and labor connected with the earlv settlers' wives and 
daughters in the preparation of the raiment for the family, 
which had to be taken from the ground in the raw material 
and worked into manufactured articles. 

The shrill whistle of the woolen mill iias drowned the 
hum of the spinning wheel, and it is only a thing in the mem- 
ory of the old-timer, and but few of them are left to tell that 
these were once the implements of industry. The flax break 
is now a thing of an age passed and gone. We doubt if 
there ever was a sweeter time in life than when the good old 
mother sat in front of the fireplace spinning, while her little 
ones prattled around her knee and roasted potatoes in the 
ashes in front of her, uniler her watchfid and loving care. 
Could we be carried back to such a scene we doubt not that it 
would be a happy one to behold. The mother of those days, 
was a mother in all the word implies ; no care was too great, 
no labor too severe for her to undergo for her offspring; her 
\o\e was as pure and ns simple as the plain and im pretentious- 
ness of her surroundings. 

In order tiiat the wheel that plaj-ed such a conspicuous 
part in the early times in this and other counties in the early 
settlement of the country, may not be lost in ol)li\ion we have 
procured a photo of one of these ancient implements of lahor 
and reproduce it here in contrast with the wheels witii which 
tile mother and daughter of to-dav are wont to employ their 
leisure moments. The one here produced is one of the oldest 



HISTORV OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 145 

extant, having been made early in the present century, in 
Wayne county by an old wheelwright, who, almost a century 
ago., went to his final rest. 

It was once the property of Mrs. Lj'dia Forkner. of 
Union township, who was one of the last women in Madison 
county to make use of the spinning wheel. She died in .\u- 
gust, 18U5, at the residence of her son Alfred, at the ripe old 
age of ninety-three. She was the last of a tvpe of women 
the like of whom will never again live in Madison county, 
and we are made happ}- by here perpetuating her memory 
and to speak well of her noble deeds. 

Mrs. Mary Hull, widow of the late Rev. Matthew R. 
Hull, a noted minister of the gospel of the M. E. Church, who 
for many years was a prominent figure in both church and 
political matters in Indiana, kindly posed for the illustration 
here given. She can \'ividly remember the days when the 
spinning wheel was one of the household necessities. Siie 
has for many years been a resident of Aiulerson, with her 
daughter, Mrs. R. H. Cokefair, and is one of the best known 
and highly respected ladies in the community. 

IHE OLD TIME MAIL ItOUTES. 

Of the four boys who carried the mail to Anderson sixty 
years ago, there are but two yet living, the Hon. M. L. 
Bundy, of New Castle, and John R. i?oston, of Pendleton. 

The other two, Mr. Britton Braskett and Mr. A. K. 
Russell, are both dead. Mr. Russell died five or six years 
ago, and ]\Ir. Braskett died in Anderson but a few months 
previous to this writing. 

These boys, as they were then, braved the storms and 
hardships in all seasons of the year and made their regular 
trips to and from Anderson with the mail pouch on horseback. 

All in after years became more or less prominent in the 

business affairs of the world, notably Mr. Bundy, who has 

filled many high and honorable positions in civil life, and was 

a paymaster in the war of the rebellion. He was judge of 

the courts in Henry county, and National Bank Examiner 

under Grant's administration as President. He has been very 

successful in iinancial affairs, and is now living in retirement 

and ease at Newcastle. Mr. Bundy has kindly furnished us 

a sketch of his experience as a mail boy, and other matters 

which we are pleased to copy. 
10 



146 



IIJSTOltV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



JUDGE BUNDY S LETTER. 

"I am asked to give a description of Anderson and other 
villages of Madison county as well as such old-time citizens as 
came under my observation while I carried the mail on horse- 
back for a year, beginning October, 1834, and ending October, 
1835, also the route 1 traveled. The eastern end was Center- 
ville, in Wayne county, and the western, Noblesville, in Ham- 
ilton county, and the service was once a week. Centerville 
was the most important town on the route, because there was 
a newspaper published there by Samuel C. Meredith, who at 
this date still lives. The great lawyers and politicians of the 




A. E. RUSSELL, WHO CARRIRD THE .MAIL TO ANDERSON AND PENDLE- 
TON, IN 1833. 

White Water valley lived there, and there was an excellent 
dry-goods store kept by Myer Seatoii. Leaving Centerville 
my route took in Jacksonburgh, Nettle Creek (since called 
Hager.stown), Boyd's, on Flat Rock, New Caslle, Middle, 
town, Che.sterfield, Ainicrsoiitoivii, as it was then called, Pen- 
dleton and Noblesville. Five days were allowed in which to 
make the trip in eacli week, Siituiday and Sunday being daj-s 
for rest. The late William Silver, of Pendleton, but then re- 



HISTOHV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



147 



siding at New Castle, was the contractor who furnished a 
horse and subsistance, with ify a niontii as mv compensation. 

CHKSTERl- lELD. 

In the fall of 1884, Chestertiekl was probably a place of 
tnore importance than it is at this day, for Allen Makepeace 
had the best store and largest trade in the county, and gener- 
ally was recognized as one of the best merchants in the country. 
A man of genial address, he never failed to attract people to 
his store. His father, then an elderly gentleman, was the 
postmaster to whom I delivered tiie mail, ami William Dilts 




HON. .MARTIN L. BINUV, WHO CARKIKD THE .MAIL TO 
ANDERSON IN 1834. 

had a large brick house which he used as a dwelling for his 
family- and likewise to entertain the public, and there I stopped 
for dinner twice a week. I can never forget the family and 
the kindness with which they always treated me,. though I 
was a mere boy. 

ANDERSON, 

At the time I name, might have had a population of 150 peo- 
ple, but the site was a great hazel thicket, through which nar- 



148 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

row roads had been cut to enable teams to pass, but on either 
side of which a person could hide in the bushes in a few steps. 
and become invisible. The physical condition of the town had 
not improved since the Indians left it a few years before. It 
had long been an Indian town, where, tradition tells us, the 
great warrior, Tecumseh, was born and spent his boyhood. 
The county seat had been removed from the thriving town 
of Pendleton to Anderson, but no public building had been 
erected, and business was transacted at the house of the public 
officer in 1834. I do not remember who filled the office of 
sheriff, but R. X. Williams was clerk, recorder and post- 
master, and I doubt if his compensation for all these public 
trusts amounted to $500 a year. The citizens of the town I 
best remember, because I saw them every week, were ^Vill- 
iams, the postmaster ; Andrew Jackson, afterward clerk : and 
Colonel Berry. Fred Bronnenberg I often saw either in 
Anderson or Chesterfield, the same genial companion then as 
now, though sixty-two years have elapsed. He is I he only 
person then in active business that I can call to mind as now 
living, which shows the transitory nature of our existence. 

PENDLETON, 

Which was my next stopping place, was then a thriving village, 
full of enterprise and gifted men. There was Palmer Patrick, 
Dr. John H. Cook, James Gray, and the Doctors Richmond, 
father and son, who would have been men of mark in any 
community, my landlord, Jesse Boston, who took care of me 
two nights each week, had immigrated from Baltimore the 
year before and erected a family residence and house of enter- 
tainment combined. Before leaving Maryland he had evident- 
ly caught the railroad fever, then prevalent there, because his 
tavern sign liad painted on it the picture of a locomotive 
engine, which attracted much attention because of its novelty. 
The men of Pendleton then in active life, it is needless to say, 
have all passed away. 

NOBLESVILI.E. 

I was retiuired to go from Pendleton to Xoblesville and 
return the same day. The country between these two towns 
at that time was a howling wilderness and one could tr;;vel 
several miles without seeing a human habitation. Much of 
the land was covered with water which in the winter time 
froze over and formed a solid bridge for miles, but in the 
spring of the year there seemed to be no bottom to the road. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTY, INDIANA. 149 

Nobleville was a stiaggling villa<!;e on White river and while 
it looked more like a town than Anderson, it \vas greatly 
inferior to Pendleton. The public business was transacted 
after the manner of Anderson, for General Stephenson was 
clerk, recorder and postmaster, and the emoluments of his sev- 
eral offices hardly exceeded those of Williams at Anderson. He 
was able, however, to take a Philadelphia newspaper, a lux- 
ury forbidden to most pioneers on account of poverty, but he 
did not know until I told him twenty years afterwards that his 
paper was read each week several times before it saluted his 
eye. On mv westward trip the people would collect from the 
surrounding country at some of the offices, knowing about 
the time the " great eastern " mail would arrive, and clamor 
for the news, apparently supposing the carrier knew the con- 
tents and could tell them. To satisfy them I would take out 
Stephenson's paper and read to them for an hour the foreign 
and domestic news, the markets and often editorial comments 
on Jackson and \'anl5uren. Clay and Webster, besides other 
noted politicians, who at that time occupied the public atten- 
tion. This was repeated several times before reaching Nobles- 
ville, much to llie delight of the jieople, because it was the 
only means they had of procuring information. 1 was young, 
but having been raised among the Quakers, could read well, 
because these people never neglect early education. If the 
late A. E. Russell, who was mv predecessor in office, were 
alive, I could appeal to him for confirmation of much that I 
luue written, and his intelligent widow, Caroline, who still 
survives, must lie an authoritN- on the early events of Madison 
county. M. L. Bundv. 

.\ F.\MOUS WINDOW SHIITTEH. 

In the summer of 1S6S, John O. Hardesty came to An- 
derson unheralded and unannounced. He purchased the ma- 
terial, of the " Loval American," a newspaper published by 
John C. Hans in and ex-postmaster H. J. Brown, and started 
the .liii/crsoii I/cra/d, a " red hot " Republican sheet. It was 
but a little while until the people knew that he was in town, 
especially the Democratic part of the communit}-. as he com- 
menced a warfare at once on the ramparts of the Democratic 
camp. 

Hardestv was then a young man, full of vigor and vim. 
He knew where to shoot, and never failed to hit the mark. 



150 



HISTORY or IIADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



He caused the Democrats more trouble thm any one who ever 
published an opposition paper in this county. 

When the annual statement of the receipts and disburse- 
ments of that year came out it was disclosed that the expenses 




i 

L_ 



THE S37,00(l UlNDllW SHITTICR. 

incurred bv the County Board, footed up to the snug sum of 
$37,000, not an extraordinary amount for a county like Mad- 
ison, but the figures looked big, and sounded large to the tax- 
payers. 

Hardesty took this exhibit for his text for the campaign 
that was soon approaching, and the way he handled it was a 
caution to the old settlers. 

Of course the amount expended included all paid out for 
eyery purpose, including the courts and the officers' salaries, and 
the keeping of the poor; but in looking over the list of \(Mich- 
ers, Hardesty discovered that the only money that had been 



^IS■1'<1R^■ OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 151 

paid for improvenicnts of the public buildings was an item 
for putting a new shutter on the court house. This was 
enougii for him, and he at once began an agitation of the sub- 
ject through the columns of his paper, and week after week 
alluded to the thii ty-se\en-thousand-dollar window shutter, 
until he liad all of the Republicans, and half of the Democrats 
in the county believing that it actually cost that amount. 

He had a full sized cut of it in his paper standing during 
the entire campaign, and the papers in the neighboring 
towns took it uj) and it became a topic of general talk over 
the State that Madison county had a shutter on its couit house 
that cost $37,0()0. In the street parades, at political meetings, 
wherever the Republicans had speakings, the window shutter 
was on hand ; some one always brought up the rear with a 
transparency with the shutter p'inted on it. 

This shutter was tinally taken otT the court house and 
carried in a procession at Indianapolis at the " State ralK' '" 
that year, and caused an endless amount of mirth. 

The Democrats wished many times before the election 
came around that the shutter was in hades, and Hardesty close 
by, but the shutter was still there ; it would not down. 

Whilst the agitation on this subject did not defeat the 
candidates of that year, on the Democratic ticket, it '' laid the 
egg" for a grand cleaning out in the election in the ne.\;t cam- 
paign. 

In the year 1870, the succeeding election for State and 
county officers, but two of the Democratic candidates were 
elected, the Clerk of the courts and the Coroner, and the)- had 
no opposition, or they would probably have fared the same 
as their rimuing mates. 

To John O. Hardesty, more than any other person, is due 
the credit of turning the tide in a county with a solid majority 
of 80() against his party, and landing the candidates of his 
political complexion in the best offices in the gift of the voters 
in the community. 

The window shutter, and the waj' it was handled bv 
Hardesty, was a play that was hard to beat, and one that 
argument would not serve to change. 

We doubt if Mr. Hardesty is fully appreciated by the 
newer and younger members of his party, from the fact that 
he at one time moved away from the county, and for a time 
lost his identity, but the old-timers well remember his stnig- 



152 HISTORY OF MADISOX CCn'XTV, INDIANA. 

gles against what seemed a hopeless cause, and the window 
shutter and the part it phiyed in thi?. memorable political fight. 

SOME .SEVERE TORNADOES. 

The first tornado or cyclone in Madison county known to 
the old settlers occurred in 1828, about three and one-half 
miles south of Anderson. It was one-half mile wide, the 
efi"ects of which were for a long time known as the '' Fallen 
Timber," having felled the forests, in its track. The next was 
in 1843. It commenced a little northwest of Pendleton, passed 
east through what is known as the ■' Dismal " to the north of 
Huntsville, then up the gravel ridge just south of Anderson, 
ending about where the Big Four and Pan Handle railroads 
cross. ^\long the ridge or hill road to Huntsville large trees 
were blown out by the roots. Little mounds of earth still show 
^vhere it swept through. 

The third was in the west part of the county, in 1853. 
Its course was just south of Perkinsville, east and northeast. 
It took the second stor\' off of Daniel Wises brick house, an 
account of which appears elsewhere. It passed south of Flor- 
ida. Some men who were building the grade for the Pan 
Handle railroad, seeing the storm approaching, took shelter 
in a log house close by. One man, probably more timid than 
the others, huddled down in one corner and said : "Now, 
Billv," meaning the wind, " see what you can do ; do vour 
best.'" The words had scarcely left his lips when the house 
^vas blown from its foundation. Another man ran out and 
caught hold of a small bush and was terribl}' bruised and 
shaken up. He, so far as reports go, was the onlv man hurt 
by the tornado. 

In June, 1880, a fourth severe tornado passed over this 
county. It commenced in Hamilton countv, literallj- sweep- 
ing the town of Cicero, injuring (juite a number of people. 
It came into this county about Perkinsville. and in its eastern 
course took ofi' for the second time the roof of Daniel Wise's 
house. The repaired walls show the extent of the damage. 
It did considerable damage in its course, striking very hard in 
the west side of the Joseph (jroff farm, four miles northwest 
of Anderson, where it completely demolished about twenty- 
acres of timber ; farther east it did but little damage. Bolts 
of dry goods were found in its track, probalilv from the v\recked 
stores at Cicero. 

The first to result in the destruction of human life passed 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 153 

over the north part of the county, about lialt waj' betwcLMi 
Frankton and Elwood, May 12, 188ti, strikin<r \\ith terrible 
force the old Caleb Canaday homestead, destroying the house 
and barn and doing other damage. The house was all blown 
away except a room occupied bv the family. The " nigger 
head"' corner stone of the barn was turned out of its place. 
James Legg's residence, close by, was made a perfect wreck, 
killing his son John, breaking an arm and leg for his wife and 
otherwise injuring her. The balance of the family escaped 
with less serious injury. Its ravages extended through the 
county. This, so far as now can be ascertained, was the only 
fatality. 

rllE COLORED MAX 15ARREU. 

Prior to the civil war there were but few colored jieople 
in Madison county, and but little respect was paid to the few 
who did live here. In fact, they were not looked upon as 
human beings by most people. The only ones who had any 
sympathy for the colored brother were the Abolitionists, who 
were but few, and confined to the Qiiakers and their descend- 
ants. 

A striking illustration of how the colored man was held 
by his wiiite brother is to be found in the record of deeds at 
Anderson, where there is recorded a deed to a piece of land in 
Monroe township, in which the land is conveyed to the 
" State of Indiana for the purposes of a burying ground so 
long as the same may be used therefor, provided that no 
' nigger " shall ever be buried therein, in which case the land 
shall revert to the owner and his heirs."' The name of the 
donor is withheld, as it is useless, at this late day of enlighten- 
ment, to stir up the old feeling that at that time existed, be- 
sides, no doubt, the one who conveyed the land has long since 
relented, and has a warm place in his heart for the sons of 
Ham. 

Ql-ILTINGS AND WOOL PICKIN'GS. 

^\'hile the pioneer farmers had their l"un and frolics at the 
logrollings and house raisings, the good old mothers tlitl not 
miss tlieir opportunities to liave an entertainment once in 
awhile. 

In the spring of the year after the flock had been sheared 
and the fleeces washed, they invited in the neighbor women 
and indulged in a " wool-picking," which consisted in picking 
the " burrs '" and '• Spanish needles " from the wool, so that it 



154 



HIMOKV OF MAUl.SON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



could be prepared for market, and for the spinninj^-wheel. 
These gatherings were what the ladies now term " hen par- 
ties," no men being allowed to take part in the proceedings. 

They in a like manner invited their friends occasionally 
to take a hand in a quilting match. 

The guests parceled out to themselves a task of quilting, 
while the hostess prepared a sumptuous repast which was 
served after the day was spent. While these gatherings were 
a help among the neighbors, with their manv labors, they also 
served as a pastime, and to lighten the path fif life through 
the wilderness in which they lived. 

Thestoiies told of the wool-pickings and quilting-bees, 
bv the old ladies who took part in them would make an inter- 
esting book. There are but few left now who can relate per- 
sonal e.xperiences in these scenes of long ago. 

The loom and the spinning-wheel are things that repre- 
sent an age gone by, and there is just here and there one who 
remembers the days of their usefulness. 



D.WS OF THE CI,EAI!INC;S .\ND LOG ROLLINGS. 

The first thing the early settler did after entering his land 
from the government, was to " deaden " several acres of the 
dense forest covering his possessions. In the course of a vear 
the timber would die and become sufficienth" dry to be easily 
burned. The trees were felled with axes and prepared for the 
log iieap. The process of getting the logs in proper lengths 
was generally by building fires across them at different places 
and " niggering'" them off by throwing one log across another 
and firing them, then it would not take long to burn them in 
twain. The owner of the land and his family consisting of 
male and female members, would spend davs and nights in the 
clearing, and through smoke and fire, would work without 
cessation until several acres were prepared for the " log roll- 
ing." Then the neighbors for miles around were invited and 
a rolling "bee'' was indulged in. 

While this was a hard job, it was also a time for great joy 
and merriment. It was the time for all to congregate and 
exchange greetings, and between the hours of labor and re- 
freshments give themselves up to story telling and merrv 
making, the whole ending at night with a dance where voung 
and old enjoyed themselves in boundless mirth. 

Many lifting matches at the hand-spike were indulged in 
at the log rollings. The logs were placed on large sticks 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 155 

shaved and prepared tor the purpose, calletl " hand-spikes,"' 
generally from four to six under each log. The men would 
pair off in twos, one at each end of the spike and there's where 
the "tall lifting" set in. A man would lather be buried 
alive than to be " lifted down." The logs would be carried to 
some favorable spot and piled in heaps ready to burn, and 
when the rolling was over the heaps were tired. The fires in 
the clearings were a beautiful sight to behold at night, ligiiting 
up the skies for miles around. 

At these rollings whisky was always furnisiieil in copious 
quantities. Some would become hilarious, while others wi>uld 
get "full," but good feeling generally prevailed, although 
there haYe been cases where old grudges were settled between 
enemies by hand-to-hand tights when they happened to meet 
in the clearing. 

The men of those daj's generally dressed in homespun 
clothing, consisting of a hunting shirt made of '• linsey " with 
pants, coat and vest of blue jeans. In this rough garb their 
hearts beat with honest pride as they toiletl for their future 
wealth and greatness. 

In those days at the log rollings many used oxen to assist 
in bunching the logs for the heaps. Many of the present gen- 
eration have never seen a " yoke " of o.xen. They were not 
only beasts of burden fifty years ago in the woods in logging, 
but served as a means of hauling wagons upon the roads. 

An early scene along the old National Road, and the road 
leading to Strawtown, was one of a continual stream of ox 
wagons, moving the pioneers to the wilds of their new homes 
in the far west. 

The yellow hound was also an accompaniment to the ox 
wagon. He generally brought up the rear of the procession, 
keeping faithful watch over the children and the faniilv cow 
that followed behind. 

At the log rollings and barn raisings there was as muL-h 
formality and etiquette in some respects as prevails among the 
" swell " society people of to-day. When a new comer made 
his advent into a neighborhood he was the recipient of all 
favors, and made the guest of honor on all occasions until he 
was duly initiated into the ways of the new home he had 
sought in the wilderness. If he proved true, and was made 
of the proper material, he soon was one of the community in 
all its meaning; if not, he was in a \ery short time dropped. 
It did not take the neighbors long to form an opinion of the 



156 IIISTORV OF MADISDN COUNTY, INDIANA. 

new settler, and when public sentiment was formed there was 
no reversing it. 

The fellow who alwajs had fault to find with the ways of 
the country and was continually comparing the mode of pro- 
cedure with the way they did "in yander" where he came 
from, and making unfavorable comments of this sort, was set 
down as an ass, or what we would in this day say, a '• smart 
Alec," and the people had but little use for him. 

In the days of " the cabin in the clearing ,'' of which the 
Hon. Ben. Parker, of Xewcastle, has so sweetly sung, the 
"Johnny cake " cut quite a figure. To bake a "Johnny cake" 
was an accomplishment that any woman was proud to possess. 
The cake was made of corn meal and water, being well mixed 
with lard for " shortning." and laid on a board and set up in 
front of the lireplacc, which generally occupied one whole end 
of the cabin, and was baked by the heat thrown out from the 
tire of huge logs rolled in by the sturdy pioneer. Some times 
a gnod fat opossum was served with the "Johnny cake" with 
an abundance of "sop"' for the children. A person who did 
not like that kind of eating was at once set down as not being 
properlj' "raised." 

Who ever sat in front of one of those old-fashioned 
fire places and looked into the fiaming lire as it threw out its 
warming raj'S, and listened to the lullaby of the mother's even- 
ing song, that does not wish that he could wander back to 
those scenes of simplicity, and for a time live over aj^ain the 
happy moments thus spent? 

It would not be exaggeration to say that a million dollars 
worth of timber has been burned in log heaps in Madison 
county. Many handsome walnut trees have thus been de- 
voured in order to get them out of the way of the plow, that 
would now be worth at least one hundred dollars each. 

()R(,ANIZATION OK OLD SETTLEKS. 

For a number of years it has been customary at intervals 
to have meetings in different parts of the county, of the old 
settlers, for the purpose of talking over old times and ming- 
ling together in amusement and speech making. The first 
meeting of this kind of which we can find any record, was 
one held in Pendleton in 185(5. Among the prominent persons 
who took an active part on this occasion and made speeches 
were [ohn Markle, Able fohnson, Samuel D. Irish, John H. 
Cook. Conrad Crossley, Thomas Silver and Isaac Busbv. \\ e 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 157 

believe that of those sturdy pioneers active in tiiis memorable 
meeting, not one is now living. 

In the vear of 1873, another meeting was held at Alex- 
dria, in luly, which was largely attended by people from 
different parts of the county. 

The next meeting of importance took place in the jear 
1874, on the banks of White river, near the village of Perkins- 
ville, which was largely attended by Ijoth the residents of 
Madison and Hamilton counties. The meeting was called to 
order by Andrew McKenzie, of Hamilton county. (General 
J. D. Stevenson, of Noblesville, was elected president, and 
the Rev. J. F. Rhodes, of Perkinsville, was elected secretarv. 
The meeting was addressed by Rev. John W. Forest, Ji'dge 
Johnathan Colburn, James HoUingswortli, Noah Waymire, H . 
G. Finch and Thomas L. Beck with. A good deal of merri- 
ment was occasioned by the speech of Mr. Finch, who gave 
it as his opinion that the country would be better off without 
either ministers or churches. Various relics of the pioneer 
times of the county were e.xhibited, among which was an old 
*' shot pouch " and powder horn, worn by a Mr. Fislier. 
who was killed by the Indians, not far from where this meet- 
ing was held, an account of which is given elsewhere. A 
permanent organization was effected for the two counties by 
Thomas L. Beckwith being elected corresponding secretary 
and General Stevenson president. 

At various times since, there have been other meetings of 
the old settlers at different points in the county, but it seems 
that no attempt had been made to keep up a regular organiza- 
tion, and the meetings were held simply by calls being signet! 
by ditTerent persons, which assembled them together. 

One of the largest meetings held for many years, oc- 
curred at Chesterfiekl in the year 1887, at which Judge Win- 
burn R. Pierse, Hon. James W. Sansberry, Samuel Myers, 
W. C. Fleming and many old timers, delivered addresses. 
This meeting was on White river, north of the \illage, near 
a gas well on W. B. I?ronnenberg's farm. 

At a meeting held at the court house in Anilerson, on the 
Kith of July, 1894, upon the call of Samuel Hardin, Rufus 
H. Williams and others, steps were taken to more thoroughly 
organize the Old Settlers Association, since which time thev 
have held annual meetings and a record of their proceedings 
has been kept. John L. Forkner presided, and William P. 
Newman acted as secretary at this meeting. It was decided 



158 IIISTOHV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

to hold the first annual meeting at Ruddle's grove on the ;}Oth 
of August, of that year. Francis Watkins was chosen presi- 
dent and a vice-president was elected for the association for 
each township in the county. 

When the day of the meeting arrived a large concourse of 
people assembled in the beautiful grove and were welcomed 
to the city by the Hon. John H. Terhune, at that time Mayor. 
Addresses were made by J. M. Farlovv, Hon. James W. Sans- 
berry, Dr. Ward Cook, of Pendleton, James Hollingsworth, 
Samuel Myers, Hon. David S. Gooding, of Greenfield, Charles 
Fisher, of Fishersburg, Abisha Lewis and many otheis whose 
names if recorded here would occupy too much space. The 
oldest married couple in the county was present in the persons 
of Samuel and Rebecca Stevenson, of Anderson township, 
they having lived in the holy bonds of wedlock for tiie term of 
sixty-three years. The Lapel brass band under the leadership 
of Prof. D. K. Elliott, furnished most excellent music for the 
occasion. The venerable Samuel Myers, in his address pre- 
dicteol that this would be his last meeting with the association, 
which proved true. 

The next annual nit'eting was held on the '2{)th of August, 
1895, at the same place. Francis Watkins, the president 
of the association, being absent, the meeting was called to 
order by James Hollingsworth, and Hon. M. M. Diinlap, 
Mayor of Anderson, welcomed the visitors in a very happv 
speech and extended to them the freedom of the city. The 
weather being very threatening, it was not so largely attended 
as the former one, but a general good feeling prevailed and a 
very happy time was had by those who were in attendance. 
Among those who addressed the meeting were Dr. William 
Suman, Byron H. Dyson, James HoUingswortii, W. V. 
Shanklin, Mrs. Lucinda Harden, Mrs. G. N. Hilligoss and 
Abisha Lewis. Dr. N. L. Wickersham read an original poem 
prepared by himself for this special occasion which contained 
many good points in reference to the old cabin days, which 
was well received and was highly entertaining to those who 
had the pleasure of listening to it. At this meeting a com- 
mittee was selected consisting of Edward Roberts, Neil 
Mauzy and Thomas Harmeson, to select names for permanent 
officers of the association for the next year, who accordingly 
reported for president, Samuel Hardin ; secretary, John L. 
Forkner, and treasurer. David Conrad. Thev appointed a 
meeting to take place at the same locality one year hence. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 159 

These meetings have thus kept alive the spirit and enthu- 
siasm of the old settlers of Madison county and by keepinij a 
record of their annual proceedings in the years to come it will 
be interesting to the new generation to peruse the account of 
their doings and sayings. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



Reminiscences — Accidents and Incidents. 



THE STORY OF A HAT. 

Sometime during the j'ear 188(_) a mysterious stranger 
dropped into (jreentield, in Hancock county, and settled 
down in the farming community in that vicinity. He en- 
gaged in the occupation of school teaching. He was very 
reticent, and gave but little information as to his former 
hoine or whence he came. It was evident, however, from 
his conversation that he was an eastern man from tiie fact 
that he had the Yankee brogue plainlv upon his tongue. He 
was verj' quiet and exceedingly neat and cleanly about his 
person. He seldom visited Greenfield except in the company 
of the farmer with whom he made his home while teaching 
school. He was thoroughly educated, and to all appearances 
was one who by his talents could command a much better 
position in life than the one he was then tilling. While 
many who became acquainted with him wondered why such 
a man should have located in a country district and confined 
himself to the monotony of school life, there was none who 
had any cause to believe there was anything wrong about 
him. 

He remained in that neighborhood for nearly two years, 
during which time he became well acijuainted with the 
neighbors, and finally ingratiated himself into the confidence 
of the farmer to such an extent that he was entrusted with 
his business, such as drawing money on checks at the bank. 
This the stranger did with faithfuhiess, and would turn over 
to his host the last penny. As the result of all tiiis, he be- 
came well acquainted with tlie officers of the banks in Green- 
field, who were delighted to have a visit from him. He was 
an interesting conversationalist, and was very suave in his 
manners. 

One bright sunny morning he dropped into one of the 
banks and laid down on the counter a note for a considerable 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. IGl 

amount. The note was signed by his farmer friend with 
whom he had been living, and the stranger was anxious to 
have it discounted, a favor which was readily granted by the 
officers. Nothing further was thought of the transaction 
until some weeks subsecjuently, when the farmer by whom 
the note was said to be signed came to town, and on going 
to the bank was informed by the officials that they had pur- 
chased the note. Their consternation and astonishment can 
be well imagined when informed by the farmer that the note 
in (|uestion was a base forgery; that the stranger had not been 
at the farmer's house for quite a while, and that he had left 
the count}-. 

Efforts were made in a cjuiet way by the bank authorities 
(o ascertain his whereabouts, but all to no purpose. But lit- 
tle stir was made about it, as they did not desire the commu- 
nit}' to know thev had been duped in such a manner. 

Time rolled on until the year 1885, when at Rockford, 
Illinois, a stranger was found dead in his bed in one of the 
rooms of the hotel at which he was stopping. There were no 
papers or anything upon his person whereby his identity 
could be established. He had worn a stiff cady hat, and in 
the crown of this appeared the name of "Frank Spear, the 
Hatter, Anderson, Indiana." Letters were at once written 
to Mr. Spear, but he had no recollection of selling a hat to 
any such personage, and could give no clue to his name or 
identity. 

The officials of Rockford, being anxious to find his rela- 
tives, as he had all the appearance of being a well-to-do man, 
iiad photographs made of him as he lay in liis coffin and then 
held the body until they had time to send these throughout 
the land. 

Thomas R. Moore was at that time sheriff of Madison 
county, and received one of the photographs, which he exhib- 
ed to every one he met on the street, to all the business men, 
and to all the city officials, but no one could remember of hav- 
ing seen such a person. In some way, one of the photographs 
fell into the hands of the officials of Hancock county and was 
shown to the people there, and among these were the propri- 
etors of the bank upon which he had committed the forgery, 
who recognized his features at once as the missing party for 
whom they had been looking. \\'iihout making much fuss or 
ceremony, they sent a representative to Rockford, Illinois, 

who after examining the bod)' established its identity bej'ond 
11 



162 HISTORY OK MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

doubt. L'pon his person was found but little monev, ;is he 
had evidently squandered it, and the bank never received anv- 
tliing to reimburse it. 

During liis residence in Hancock county he gave his name 
as Blanchard, by which name he was known at that place, 
but nothing of his history, or his former life, or who he was, 
ever became known, and is to this day a mystery. One thing is 
certain and that is, that he was a very slick rogue, and that he 
laid his plans in the most artful and cunning manner and car- 
ried them to successful ends. When making his escape froin 
Greenfield, he no doubt passed through Anderson, and here 
purchased of Frank Spear the hat by which he was identihed 
after death. 

The bank officials have to this day kept the secret of this 
affair to themselves, and there were very few outside of their 
own circle who knew anvthing about it. 

DARING ESCAPE OF A CRIMINAL. 

The following story was related to F. T. Luse bv Will- 
iam B. Allen, late of Anderson and Ex-Sheriff of ^ladison 
countv. There are yet living in this county many persons 
who remember the occurrence. The world admires a hero, or 
deeds of daring; the more astonishing the achievements, the 
greater the admiration. The men in our late civil war who 
excited the greatest interest were those who took the greatest 
risks, resulting in the most unexpected terminations, but 
whether a man be facing the cannon's inouth, or engaged 
in any other work, if he has accomplished his undertaking, 
attention is at once directed to him, and his name for a season 
is upon man}' tongues. 

Criminals have often won praise for their daring. One 
of the most remarkable cases of this kind took place in Madi- 
son county many years ago. A man of the name of William 
Harris, who was a noted criminal, displayed the most \von- 
derful nerve and daring to secure his freedom, and it was the 
theme of conversation in every circle for many months. Mr. 
Harris had, like manj- other wayward men, in his childhood, a 
good father and inother to guide him, but he gave little heed 
to them. Soon after reaching his majority, he began to associ- 
ate with men of bad reputation, and was finally arrested by 
William B. Allen, Sheriff of Madison county, during the 
summer of 1S41, on the charge of passing counterfeit money, 
and on his trial he was proven giiiltv. 



IIISTOUV OK IMADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 1G3 

In relating this story, it might not he inappropriate to 
state that other persons whose names have never been given 
up were known to have been engaged in this most nefarious 
business, but escaped impHcation. 

The old log jail that stood in the court house yard was 
insecure and unfit for use, and the cupola, or belfry of the 
court house was improvised into a prison for keeping crimi- 
nals, there being but one way of access to the cupola, and 
that was by the stairwav leading from the hall of the court 
iiouse. In the case of Harris it was not deemed necessary to 
watch him at any other place about the building than at this 
point. No one but his wife and the Sheriff and deputies vis- 
ited him in his elevated confinement. 

On the night of August ll', 18^:1, about 12 o'clock, the 
prisoner set himself at work lo make his escape. The night 
was one long to be remembered by those then living ; great 
torrents of rain fell from about 10 o'clock until daylight next 
morning. The rain was incessant, and was accompanied by 
vivid Hashes of lightning from all points of the heavens. 
The thunder was terrific and appalling in the extreme. What 
lime more fitting than this for a man to liberate himself from 
imprisonment? Harris determined to go through the shutter 
to the lightning rod, and let himself down to the roof of the 
court house, then continuing his hold on the rod to descend 
to the ground, a total distance from the starting point of about 
forty-five feet. 

The wife of the prisoner, who had been admitted to his 
place of confinement, was with him upon this occasion, and 
between them the attemjit to escape by this means was de- 
bated long and earnestly. Liberty was sweet and life precious, 
vet while undertaking to secure the one he might lose the 
other. The desire to proceed with the undertaking was about 
ecjually balanced by the resolve to abandon it. Finally, over- 
coming all fear, he bade farewell to his wife and started out 
amidst the drenching rain and the blinding flashes of the light- 
ning to the rod which was to lead him to liberty. He could 
hear, as he afterwards stated, the lightning skip along the 
rod. At the west end of the cupola a portion of this rod was 
discernable as long as the old court house stood in the public 
square. 

Harris seized the rod and proceeded sailor fashion, hand 
over hand, and soon reached the roof. So far so good, and 
yet only a small portion of his journey had been accomplished. 



164 HISTORY OK MADISON COrXTV, INDIANA. 

The fear that the electric current passing down tbe rod niiujht 
injure him seemed to deter him ; the belief that the guard in 
the hallway might hear his movements caused his heart to 
flutter ; but the die was cast, and he could not now retrace his 
steps. Seizing the rod once more he crawled cautioush" down 
the roof, over the eave of the house, and stepped off the roof 
on to the sill of a window on the west end of the hall. A 
glance at the other i^nd of the hall, as the lightning illumin- 
ated it, satisfied him that the guards were asleep, and that his 
journey thus far had been safely accomplished. It was six- 
teen feet from the window to the ground, and once on tcrru 
lirma he departed as speedily as possible from the localitv. 

When he was put in prison he had been manacled with 
handcuffs and chains upon his ankles. It is said that his wife 
in entering his room had taken with her an old case knife, 
which served the purpose of sawing in two the chains between 
his hands and between his feet, and that she also furnished 
him with a shawl which she had worn on that occasion and 
wrapped his legs for the purpose of protecting them from the 
rod as he climbed down over the roof. 

When the morning arrived and the SheritY and his guards 
came to get their prisoner great astonishment and chagrin 
seized them when they discovered that their bird had flown. 
The unlooked-for manner in which he had escaped filled them 
with confusion and shame which it is impossible to describe. 

Harris had been originally arrested in Henry county and 
had escaped from the officers and fled to Madison count}-, 
where he was concealed by some friends for a time. He was 
arrested by Sheriff Allen and detained in confinement in the 
old court house, as described, until such time as he could be 
safely returned to New Castle and delivered to the officers of 
the law. He was recaptured and brought from Cincinnati to 
New Castle. He was there convicted of the crime for which 
he was arrested, and was thence taken by the sheriff and his 
deputy to the State's prison at Jeft'erson ville, Ind., in a two- 
horse wagon, taking several days to make the trip. Here he 
served a term of two years, the period for whicii he was 
sentenced. 

Harris never returned to this part of the country to live. 
In the year 1863, some Madison county soldiers of an Indiana 
regiment, while on detached duty in Kentucky stopped for a 
brief season near Cvnthiana, and in mingling with the citi- 
zens, one of them became accjuainted with an old, gray-haired 



IIISTOltV ()[•' MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 105 

man, stoop-shouldereil and slow of conversation. After a 
brief interview, the old man asked the soldier if he was from 
Madison county. On receiving an afKrinative reply, he made 
himself known. It was Harris, the man who had, over twenty 
3'ears before, on that dark, stormy night, made his successful 
escape by the lightning rod. He related the particulars of 
liis escape to the soldier ; how he had retreated on the night 
in question, and had gone to the residence of a brother who 
lived north of Anderson, who assisted him in relieving himself 
from his handcuffs and chains, and that they were hidden in an 
old hollow stump on his brother's farm. On his release from 
the State's prison he had gone to Kentucky, where he had 
made his home ever since. He said that he had sown his wild 
oats and had settled down to be a sturdy- and steady citizen ; 
that he had reared a respectable family and had accumulated 
a competency for the remainder of his days. He said he en- 
joyed the respect of the community in which he lived. Har- 
ris died about the close of the rebellion. His relatives in Mad- 
ison county were all highly respectable people. He had a 
brother who at one time represented the countv in the Indiana 
legislature. 

James Hollingswortii was then deputy sheritf of Madison 
county and stood guard around the court house the night that 
Harris made his escape. 

HELD THE FOKT. 

In the year 185t) Peter H. Lemon, once a promineat cit- 
izen of Madison county, was elected clerk of the Madison cir- 
cuit court, and served four years. Shortly alter his election 
the question was raised as to his eligibility. He \vas elected 
as a Democrat and it seems that the Anderson Sia/nhird and a 
number of the leading Democrats of the county were of the 
opinion that he was not eligible. The S/aiidord oCSliiy ,Sth, 
1857, says in relation to the matter : '' A rumor, to which we 
at first gave little attention, has within a few weeks been gain- 
ing currency in some parts of the countv, particularly the 
most southern townships, to the effect that the present in- 
cumbent of the clerk's oftice, Peter H. Lemon, is said to be 
constitutionally ineligible. The Republicans will now secretly 
nominate a candidate and vote for him, conseijuently if there 
is no opposing candidate he will be elected and will then pro- 
ceed to oust Mr. Lemon. We therefore deem it prudent and 
right to warn the Democracv of the dantjer bvstatinsr the real 



166 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

facts in the case. The constitution of the state of Indiana has 
the following provision: ' Xo person elected to any judicial 
office shall during the term for which he shall have been 
elected be eligible to any office of trust or profit under the 
State other than the judicial office until his commission expires.' 
Mr. Lemon having been elected Justice of the Peace and his 
commission having not expired at the time of his election as 
Clerk the classification in the constitution makes him clearly 
ineligible.'' It seems that the editor of the Stainhu-J had no 
feeling against Mr. Lemon other than stated in his editorial 
article with the belief the opposite party could under the 
constitution name a candidate at the next election who could 
claim the Clerk's office by right of the provision of the con- 
stitution above quoted. 

Several leading Democrats, prominent among whom was 
Samuel W. Hill, who was at that time a practicing attorncv, 
upheld the position taken by the StaiidarJ , and in several 
communications in that journal advised the partv to make a 
nomination and run a candidate in the next election to fill the 
oflice. JSIany of the Republicans sided with Mr. Lemon, 
prominent among whom was John Davis. A continual war- 
fare was kept up until the election had passed liv and !Mr. 
Lemon safely held his office. Peter H. Lemon was not the 
sort of man who could be scared by a small matter like this. 
lie was considerable of a factor in politics himself, and wield- 
ed a ready pen. It will be seen by the files of the newspapers 
of that day that he took ample care of himself in the contest. 
It was secretly passed around from mouth to mouth by many 
of his political opponents that a candidate would be placed in 
the field and elected to take his place before his term of office 
expired, which never came about, owing largelv to the shrewd 
kind of warfare which Mr. Lemon made. It may be here 
further stated that Peter H. Lemon and Albert J. Ross were 
the only two persons ever elected to an office in Madison 
county, who filled their terms, being clearly ineligible at the 
time. Mr. Ross was elected sheriff of the county in 187:i, 
under the provision of the constitution similar to that of Mr. 
Lemon. He had been elected but a short time prior to his 
nomination as Sherifl", to the office of Justice of the Peace of 
Duck Creek township, and had resigned tlie otfice. and but 
one or two persons in the county gave the matter a thought, 
and but little was said about it until ^Ir. Ross" term of office 



IllsroHV 111- .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 167 

as SlicrilT had expired. Tlie question was never raised by his 
poh'tical opponents dm inir his term. 

AN INDIAN ItliMINI-SCENCE. 

In rummaging amont; a lot of old papers, hunting dates 
and material tor this work, the writer unearthed a story told 
by some old settler over the name of" T.", in which he re- 
counts the tragic end of an Indian near the city of Anderson 
on the ground now occupied by the beautiful suburb of Shade- 
land. The details of this narrative are as follows : In the 
spring of 1827 four Indians, three of the Miami and one of the 
Pottawattamie tribe, left their homes upon Eel river, north 
of Logansport, for a hunt on Big Lick, a stream meandering 
through the southern iiart of JMadison county, in the neigh- 
borhood of Fall Creek and Adams townships. Deer, raccoon, 
.squirrel and other game were very plentiful in those days, and 
the work of the hunter, was generally well rewarded. At this 
season of the year, when the leaves were about the size of a 
squirrel's ear, and the spring was just ready to don its green 
coat of verdure, hundreds of hunters, both white and Intlian, 
would betake themselves to the streams for hunting and 
fishing. 

Two of t!ie Miami Indians above named were designated 
as "Jim" and "George Buckwheat." On the way to the 
hunting ground the partv stopped at " Andersontown " and 
purchased ammunition and fire water, the latter article being 
more familiarly known among the pale faces as whisky. They 
then proceeded leisurely south to their intended hunting place 
and remained two weeks, during which they enjoyed the sport 
of hunting, not forgetting at the same time to indulge in lib- 
eral potations of •• fire water." * 

These four Imlians Ijecame invohed in a quarrel, whicii 
ended in blows and a general fight. ^\ taunting remark was 
made by George Buckwheat to the Pottawattamie, wiio con- 
sidered his character as being slandered, and immediately seiic- 
ing a tomahawk struck Buckwheat a blow on the head which 
knocked him lifeless to the ground. This act soon brought 
the two remaining Indians to a condition of sobriety, and a 
feeling of rage look possession of |im Buckwheat when lu; 
saw the dead body of his brother. A grave was dug, into 
which the bod}- was lowered, and after tobacco and a toma- 
hawk had been deposited with it. was covered up, and tiie 



168 HISTORY' OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

tliree Indians mounting their ponies departed cjuietiy in tlie 
direction of their homes. 

The quarrel between Jim Buckwheat and the ihiyer of 
his brother was, however, kept up with much bitterness for 
several hours along the route of their return. Gradually it 
began to dawn upon the mind of the Pottawattamie that he 
had done wrong, and the only way to appease the wrath of the 
Miamis, which was then the leading tribe of the Northwest, 
and to preserve his honor as a brave warrior among his own, 
was to oflfer up iiis life as an atonement. He accordingly 
concluded to do so at once. The party reached a strip of 
\voods where the Ben Thomas farm is now situated, about one 
mile west of Anderson. Here, the Pottawattamie, after sing- 
ing a death song, and offering up a prayer to the Great Spirit, 
folded his arms across his breast, and requested Jim Buck- 
wheat to shoot him. Pacing off some fifty steps, and taking 
deliberate aim with his riile, Buckwheat fired and the Potta- 
wattamie fell to the earth a corpse. The deed was done, and 
Indian honor avenged, according to the aboriginal idea, by the 
death of this warrior. 

After informing the whitesof what had occurred, and the 
reason therefor, the two survivors mounted their ponies, 
leaving the dead unburied, and soon disappeared in the forest. 
Tlie white settlers dug a grave near the tree where he was 
killed and buried him. Old timers living here then have 
frequently asserted that the moss on the north side of this tree 
assumed the exact face and head of an Indian. So strongly 
was this afhrined, and just as strongly ridiculed for manv 
years that finalh' a man of the name of Harris, well known in 
Anderson at the time, quietly proceeded to the spot and cut 
down the tree, and thus stopped further discussion. 

A few years subsequent to this event, one Dr. Roe started 
a plirenological publication in Anderson, and would occasion- 
ally deliver lectures on phrenology. To illustrate his points it 
was necessaiT to have a skull, and he proceeded ciuietlv to 
the grave of the forgotten Pottawattamie, and unceremoni- 
ously took thereform the skull which had once belonged to the 
noble red man. This he used in his lectures as long as he re- 
mained here, and when he left, it is said, took it \vith him. 

A \VAR IlEMINISCEXCE. 

It was on tiie first Saturdav evening after the firing on 
Fort Sumter, in April. ISOl. that tliere was a voluntarv 



IIISIORV OK MADISOX COUXTV, INDIANA. 



1 r.9 



mass-meeting of citizens in the old rectanguUir ccnut house, 
which then occupied our public square. It was in all regards 
the most potential meeting ever iield in that edifice. Old and 
voung of all shades of political faith were present and took an 
eager and an active part in its deliherations, if such they may 
be called. 

Dr. Townsend Ryan, Colonel Milton S. Robinson, Robert 
D. Traster, and Joseph Buckles, of Muncie, (the latter being 
then Circuit Judge) and many less conspicuous persons spoke. 
It is needless to say there were no two opinions — (it would 
not have been healthy) — expressed by any one on the subject 
then uppermost in the minds of old and young of both sexes. 
Nearly every man and youth present who was eligible for 




DAVID SHAFER IN lS(il. 

military service, and man}' who were not eligible, vohniteered 
in less than sixty minutes. 

There were 18() volunteers and a company was at once 
organized, and \V. R. Myers was elected captain but declined 
and suggested the name of Iliram T. \'andeyender, assigning 
as a reason that \'ande\ender was two inches taller than any 
man in the company. It is needless to say that the spirit 
which then actuated the \olunteers, was not the same that 
prevailed a year later. The question then was not whoshoukl 
be officers, but on the contrary it was who could inost promptly 
respond to tlie call for troops for the suppression of the re- 
bellion, which Secretary of State Seward assured the coutitrv 



170 iiisTi)K\' i)i- MADisox coi ^^^, Indiana. 

would be done in ninety dav*. The result was that II. T. 
Vandevender was, oxer his protest, elected captain, ^\'. R. 
IMyers, first lieutenant, L. D. McCallister, second lieutenant, 
and Hampton H. Dula, third lieutenant. 

Colonel N. Berry and Judge Starkey were conspicuous 
in giving assistance in the organization of the company ; Col- 
onel Berry having served in the Mexican war as a quarter- 
master, and Judge Starkey liaving served a five years' enlist- 
ment as a Seargent Major in the regular arniy. It was soon 
learned that the office of Third Lieutenant had long been dis- 
pensed \vith, and Mr. Dula found himself an enlisted man, 
which not in the least emharrassed him. 

After the business for which this memorable meeting had 
been called was disposed of, Mr. S. B. Mattox (then county 
recorder) made a speech in which he called the attention of 
the meeting to the fact that one Henry V. Clinton, who after- 
ward achieved a wide reputation of an unsavory character, 
was living with Mr. Berryman Shafer (who then owned and 
lived on what is now the county poor farm), and had been 
there for several months. 'Sir. Clinton was from the State of 
Louisiana and though his deportment in the community uji to 
that time had been that of a thorough gentleman, it was an 
easy task, owing to the fevered condition of the public mind, 
to rouse the imagination of the audience to believe that Mr. 
Clinton was an emissary from the South, with secret powers 
for evil against the government. Matto.x's speech was fol- 
lowed by Samuel Waldon, then sixtv years old, who posed as 
an " old Californian,"' and knew exactl}' how to tie a hang- 
man's noose, claiming to ha\e had experience in that gentle 
pastime, as a member of the " Regulators " of the Pacific slope 
in the earlj- fifties. Other speakers followed, all ui^ging the 
necessity of immediately ridding the county and State of Mr. 
Clintons presence. Mattox ottered a resolution, authorizing 
a committee to wait on Mr. Clinton that nigiit and give him 
twenty-four hours in which to absent himself from the State. 

This resolution was adopted with much enthusiasm and 
in less than an hour anywhere from fifty to one hundred men 
and bo)-s were on the road to Mr. Shafer's home. The old 
"bus" was engaged, and buggies and carriages were brought 
into requisition, while many were on horseback : saddle 
horses and equipments were much more numerous then than 
now. The night was clear and beautifully star-lit. With 
wild whoops and hurrahs, tlie excited body of insane human- 



insT<IU\' III-' MADISON COt'XrV, INDIANA. 1(1 

ity made its way to Mr. Sliafer's lioine, via Chesterfichl. Ft 
^vas probal)ly twelve o'clock in the night when thej- brought 
up in front of the quiet, dignified home of Mr. Shafer, who 
was vociferously called out ; he promptlv responded and stand- 
ing in the door in his night clothes, calmly incjuired the oc- 
casion of this nocturnal visit. Mattox, Traster and VValdon 
were a self-constituted committee to wait upon Mr. Clinion. 
Others of the more rabid members of the party insisted on 
going in, but Mr. Shafer firmly protested against a crowd 
entering his house at so unseasonable an hour, but readily con- 
sented to admitting the above named gentlemen. He protested 
that he was a law abiding citizen, and that Mr. Clinton was 
the same, and was in his room in bed, where he intimated all 
the party ought to be. This very natural and just remark 
caused threats against Mr. Shafer, who immediately admitted 
the committee and conducted them to Mr. Clinton's room, 
which was on the second floor. It is needless to say that Mr. 
Shafer felt himself greatly outraged, which in fact he was, 
and Mr. Clinton was very much alarmed, though he was cool 
and self possessed. He sat up in bed while .Matto.x read the 
resolution to him, and excitedly and in language far from 
polite, demanded that Mr. Clinton should leave the county 
instanter. More moderate counsel prevailed. howc\er, and it 
was agreed that Clinton could remain until morning, at wliich 
time he assured them he would take his ileparture. He pro- 
tested that he had left Louisiana, his native State, to avoid 
taking part in the threatened rebellion, and had hoped to find 
a kindlier hospitaiitv than he was then receiving, but piomised 
to go to Canada on the first train east the ne.xt day. Tliis 
satisfied the committee, and also the crowd, a majority of 
whom hail no sympathy with the self-constituteil committee, 
many of whom had given their presence to the transaction for 
the sole purpose of seeing that no gross or brutal wrongs were 
perpetrated. 

It was not until all this had transpired that the name of 
David Shafer was mentioned or thought of. Shafer had 
been absent for some months, or possibly longer, in Missouri, 
and had returneil only a short time before that e\ening. He 
luid, in the meantime, given vent to some very radical expres- 
sions, indicating a strong sympaths' with the South. No sooner 
was his name mentioned than, by common consent, the entire 
crowd headed for his home, which was north of Chesterlield. 
On arri\ing near his home, which was a one-story log hou-e. 



li:^ inSTOKV OF MADI^OX COINTY, INDIANA. 

but little removed from :i cabin, the party halted and con- 
sulted as to the best mode of making their nearer approach. 
It was soon arranged that a delegation of half a dozen should 
go to the house and call him up and interview him as to the 
condition of his mind on the then all-important question of 
his lovalty to the government. Will Mays, who will be re- 
membered by the older citizens of Anderson as a jolly, 
good-natured fellow and a great wag, was the spokesman 
of the party. They knocked and Shafer responded promptly 
in his night-clothes with a good-sized revolver in his hand. 
The party represented themselves as fugitives from one of 
the border States, and that they had been directed to him 
by some prominent man in Indianapolis, as a person in 
sympathy with their cause, and, further, that he was quietly 
recruiting a companv for the Southern army. This fTattered 
his inordinate vanitv, and he assured them, with great gravity, 
tliat such was a fact. He hospitably offered them such shel- 
ter and accommodations as he had, and assured them their 
services would be accepted. In the meantime he had donned 
his clothes, as the parley lasted some fifteen or twenty min- 
utes. One of the party stole away from him in the darkness 
and reported to the crowd the substance of his conversation. 
The house was promptly surrounded and " Dave '" and iiis 
partv of supposed rebel visitors were captured without resist- 
ance, the capturing partv alleging that they had been follow- 
ing the visitors all night. Mays pretended to be very much 
scared, and begged most piteously for clemencv. 

The capturing crowd insisted that thev all had to be hung 
before morning. Shafer argued his constitutional rights 
and declared he had come home for the sole purpose of en- 
tering the Union army, as lie knew when he left Missouri 
there was going to be war. This resulted in an agree- 
ment to take the prisoners to town and give them a trial. 
They were all hustled in the " "bus '' and headed for town, — 
Dave soon braced up and became very defiant. Finally 
when the partv reached wliat was then known as the 
" Billy Spark's farm."" just north of Anderson, the crowd 
agreed that if Dave and his fellow prisoners would take the 
oath ot allegiance thev would let them go ; to this all con- 
sented but Dave, who held out firmly and swore that he was 
in sight of the court house, the temple of justice, and he 
would not be forced to take the oath as he was always loyal to 
the constitution, and to take such an oath would be an ad- 



iriSTOKY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. ] i i) 

mission tliat lie was not loyal. Mattox, Traster, Waldon and 
Joseph McKinnon were the men that had the hanijing in hand, 
and they placed the rope round Shat'er's neck and threw one 
end over the limb of a locust tree and pulled until " Dave '' be- 
gan to choke ; the crowd then protested, and when they gave 
him another talk on the subject of taking the oath and he re- 
fused, they pulled again, when Jacob Hubbard, who was then 
a splendid specimen of physical manhood and quite an expert 
boxer, interposed and soon persuaded them to unloose Shafer 
and let him go. By this time dav was dawning and the part}' 
dispersed to their homes. This is the story of the hanging of 
Dave Shafer as recalled b}- an eye witness. 

In many respects David Shafer was one of the most unique 
and eccentric characters Madison county ever produced. He 
was such a character as Dickens never had met, else lie would 
certainly have given him a place in his immortal galaxy. 

He was a Hercules in stature and physical strength. Ag- 
gressive and domineering, his virulent tongue frequently got 
him into personal altercations. He was for many years con- 
stantly in litigation over some tri\'ial matter, and was a terror 
to lawyers, with whom he soon disagreed, and it is safe to say 
that he was at some time the undesirable client of every attor- 
ney in the county. After the death of his father, who was an 
honest, exemplary man, he laid claims to the whole of his 
father's real estate, and for years he was in court, during all 
of which time he lost no opportunity of denouncing his broth- 
ers, who were all very respectable, hard-working men. 

He \vas illiterate, yet he had most of the New Testament 
and much of the old Bible committed to memory, and could 
repeat it by the hour. He was an ardent Democrat and never 
wearied in talking politics. He knew the Declaration of In- 
dependence by heart and also the Constitution of the United 
States, and his application of both his biblical and political 
learning was frequently amusing and grotesque. 

He was naturally a mechanic, and without the aid of any 
one he built a very respectable two-story frauie house on the 
farm he recovered from his father's estate. He laid the foun- 
dation, built the chimneys, did all the carpenter work and 
painted and plastered it ; he was over two years in performing 
the task. Much of his time was spent in tramping through 
the country repairing clocks and such other tinkering jobs as 
he could get. The least bit of hospitality shown him was sure 
to be abused, and many of the older citizens remember his 



174 HISTOItV Ol- -MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

visit.?, not as pleasant ont's, dotting the misty past, but as hor- 
rid nightmares; and when he took his leave the host, and 
especially the hostess, could truthfully say, '' There is nothing 
I will more willingly part withal." He died in ISS;"), in his 
lonely home unattended, on a bed of straw on the floor, and 
his remains were buried in a neighboring cemetery. Peace to 
his ashes, and mav his turbulent spirit iiave reached a iiaven 
of rest. 

XoTE. — Berryman Shafer wliose name is mentioned in 
this sketch, was in no way related to Da\'id Sliafer. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



A Fa.molts Mi'RDEU Case — Tin-: Akrest of the Muuder- 
ER — His TiiiAi. AND Execution. 



TIIK MlHDKIi OF DANIEL IIOl'l'KS liV MILTON WIIIT?:. 

( )n the Sth of April. 1S()7, one ot the most horrible mur- 
ders in the iiistory of Indiana occurred in M;idison county 
about two miles southeast of Anderson, in which Milton White 
w.is the murderer and Daniel Ilojijies the victim. The crime 
took place in a little ravine running through a strip of woods 
near where the residence of Daniel Rhodes now stands, on 
what is known as the '• east line " Columbus Turnpike road. 
White was arrested the next daj- and taken before the Hon. 
Edwin P. vSchlater, who wa<i at that time a Justice of the Peace 
of Atiderson township, where a preliminary examination was 
held, and the defendant bound over to the Circuit Court. At 
the foUowinsT session of the grand jurv, an indictment was re- 
turned against \\'hite and he was jihiced on trial. The Hon. 
Henry A. Brouse was then judge of the circuit, and the Hon. 
Nicolas VanHorn, now a resident of Pecos City, Texas, was 
the prosecuting attorney, who conducted the case on behalf of 
the state. The Hons. James W. Sansberry and Howell D. 
Thompson, with Calvin D. Thompson, Esq , appeared for the 
defence. These gentlemen were then in the [.irime of life, 
and their efforts in behalf of the criminal will be remembered 
by the older citizens of Anderson as long as they survive. 
Mr. Sansberry's speech before the jury was a masterpiece of 
oratory. Calvin D. Thoinpson is dead, but Mr. Sansberry 
and Mr. Howell D. Thompson vet live in Anderson. 

A full and complete account of all the circumstances sur- 
roimding this alTair from beginning to end was written by 
George C. Harding, of the Indianapolis Herald, now the 
Scu/ii/ci, the day succeeding the execution of the murderer, 
from which we make the following extract : "•On the Sth of 
April, Daniel Floppes, who resided about three miles from 
Anderson, had some meat stolen from him, and upon exaniina- 



176 



inSTOUY OK MADISON COL'NTV. INDIANA. 



tion, tracks leading from his smoke-house evidently pointed 
very strongly to Milton White as the person who committed 
the theft, the tracks leading almost directly to iiis house. 
Hoppes, with a neighbor, Mr. Swearingen, left his house on 
the morning of the tragedy and started toward Anderson for 
the supposed purpose of having a search warrant issued. At 
the junction, near Anderson, they met White. Hoppes re- 
quested Swearingen to go and S( e White about the meat, 




MII.TON WHITE. 

whicli he did. After a short talk. White came up to Hoppes 
and agreed witii him that thev shoiiUl at once return home, 
and that Hoppes might search White's house. They pro- 
ceeded down the Chicago & Cincinnati railroad track, in the 
direction of going home in the usual wav, but were seen bv a 
Mr. Hughes passing the water tank at about 10 o'clock in the 
morning. They were walking side by side, but the witness 
heard no talk between them. Thev were next seen bv 



Rebecca Pittsford, who resided a ijuarter of a mile so 



uth 



ot 



IIISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 177 

the railroad, on the pike. This was between 10 and 11 
o'clock in the morning : they were walking one on each side 
of the pike. The next time they were seen together was by 
Sallie Stevenson, who resided still farther south. Hoppes 
was walking about eight feet in advance. She heard no 
words spoken between them. A short distance south was a 
gate and bars leading through a piece of clearing or woods 
pasture, where Hoppes and White were last seen together by 
Patrick Allen, as they were going in the direction of the bars 
leading to the pasture. Here the dead body of Daniel Hoppes 
was found the next morning, lying upon his face with the 
skull fractured entirely across and around the right side. His 
head and face were crushed and indented into the ground, 
evidently by the force of the murdei'ous blows. The weapon 
of death was but a short distance away, and was a sassafras 
club, about four feet in length, which bore upon its face some 
clots of deep dyed blood, with hair adhering to it. Hoppes 
not returning to his home for his dinner or supper, his wife 
became alarmed, and at once informed the neighbors of his 
continued absence. The fact of the meat having been stolen 
being known in the neighborhood, and that suspicion rested 
on White as the guilty party, and the fact of their having 
been seen together, led a number of citizens to repair to his 
house that night in order to keep him in charge until daylight 
should return, when they would search for the missing man. 
White was asleep when the parties called at his house, 
and upon their entering a newly whetted butcher knife with 
its point still upon the whet stone was observed lying upon 
the table near the door. A\'hite was informed that Hoppes 
was missing, that the}- had been seen together, and it was 
thought that he had killed him, but White stoutly denied any 
such imputation. He was then asked where he had left the de- 
ceased. He answered upon the railroad. In answer to the 
inquiry, " whereabouts on the railroad ?" he answered " the 
other side,"' that he was standing there talking with a stranger. 
The .searching party remained at White's house until morning, 
and at that time search was made for the man, and his body 
was found on the edge of a hollow basin in the woods pasture, 
not far from the path leading in the direction of their homes, 
and about thiity rods from the pike, and seventy rods from 
wheie Allen testified he had seen Hoppes and White together. 
White was then taken in sight of the body, but did not ap- 
proach it, remarking," Yes, there he is."' He was then taken 
12 



178 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

to Anderson where a preliminary examination was iield. The 
evidence further showed by the sister-in-law of the defendant 
that upon his return home on the fatal day, he was much 
excited; that he came home about 11 o'clock, and said to her 
and his wife that Hoppes would not search anv other house as 
long as he lived. He also said that he had an altercation with 
a man in the depot, and had struck him and in doing so had 
hurt his hand. 

Upon the evidence adduced before "Scjuire Schlater, 
White was sent to the Circuit Court and tried as before stated. 
The evidence was entirely circumstantial in every part as no 
man saw the deed committed, but it was deemed entirely con- 
clusive by the jur\-. and the prisoner was found guilty and 
sentenced to be hanged on the 20th of September, 1867. 
Owing to the fact that there was no positive evidence, no eye- 
witnesses to the occurrence, efforts were made by some of the 
leading citizens of Anderson, prominent among whom was Dr. 
John W. Westerfield, to have the sentence commuted by Gov- 
ernor Baker. His excellency \vas at the time busy in canvass- 
ing the state of Ohio in a heated political campaign, and not 
having the leisure time to examine the case, ordered a post- 
ponement of the execution until the first day of November. It 
not having been known generally that the execution had been 
postponed, a large crowd assembled in Anderson on the 20th 
of September to witness the execution, and fears \vere enter- 
tained that the prisoner would be taken out of jail and hanged 
by the excited populace, but better counsels prevailed, and the 
crowd dispersed with the threat on the part of all that if the 
prisoner's sentence was commuted they would hang iiim any- 
way, and there is but little doubt that this threat would have 
been carried out. 

Governor Baker at his first leisure repaired to Anderson 
and had a personal interview with White in the Madison 
county jail. The Governor was a very kind-hearted man, and 
would gladly have commuted the sentence, but after a thorough 
investigation he did not feel that he could do otherwise than 
let the law take its course, and White accordingly paid the 
penalty of his crime on the scaffold on the first of November, 
1867. 

THE VICTIM. 

Daniel Hoppes, the victim, was a native of Madison 
county. He was a man of very small stature, and one of the 
kindest and most inoffensive of men. Though not remarkable 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 179 

for intellif^ence, he was richly endowed with tiiat most god- 
like of virtues, charity. He spoke and thought well of all ; he 
was industrious and temperate, and was never known to drink 
liquor of any kind. He did not have an enemy in the world. 
Whenever he came to town on business, he did it as quickly 
us possible; no matter what was transpiring, he immediately 
left for home. When election time came around, he quietly 
went to the polls, voted, and returned home as soon as he 
could. His whole life was wrapped up in his family. Though 
a poor man, weak and sickly, he supported his family by the 
honest labor of his hands. .Such was the well known kind- 
heartedness of the man that it is absolutely certain that if 
White had returned to him the meat which he had stolen, he 
would have taken his property home with him, and said noth- 
ing about it. 

THE EXECUTION .\ND THE PUEP.V K .\TION THEREFOR. 

Milton White's last night upon earth was restless. Up 
to the last day he had been buoyed up with a hope of execu- 
tive clemency, but as the sun went down on Thursday even- 
ing, hope departed and dark despair took possession of his 
soul. With dignified obstinacy, however, he refused to make 
any public confession of his guilt, and resolved to die game. 
At night he was visited in his cell by members of the press, in 
company with Hon. E. P. Schlater, before whom he had been 
tried in his preliminary examination. He was stolid and uncom- 
municative, and answered in monosyllables such questions 
as were propounded. He appeared to make a terrible effort 
to appear calm, and with the exception of the restless and 
glaring expression of his eye, succeeded in doing so. When 
he was asked a question which he did not like, his eyes flamed 
with an expression of tigerish ferocity which was calculated 
to make one's blood run cold. But little information could be 
gleaned from his conversation, and his manner seemed to be 
insincere. He was attended by the Rev. John B. Crawley, 
who was unremitting in liis attentions and who labored earn- 
estly to turn the thoughts of the poor wretch to his God. 

On the morning of the execution. White was again visited. 
He was walking to and fro in his cell with his hands crossed 
in front. On being asked by Mr. .Schlater how he felt, 
he replied, "pretty well, thank you." 

On being asked if he had been in the army, he replied 
that he had served in the yUth Indiana regiment. On being 



180 mSTOKY OF MADISON COL'NTV, INDIANA. 

questioned if he knew a man by tiie name of Prellaman, he 
answered that he knew him well, and knew somethings about 
him that he would not tell just at tliat time. 

Friday morning, the day of the execution, dawned bright 
and beautiful. The hazy blue of the lingering Indian summer 
was radiated by a glorious sunshine, and a gentle breeze toved 
with the falling leaves and sported with the fleeing thistle- 
down. The neighboring forests were radiant in the golden 
gleam ; the green, the crimson and the orange of the dying 
foliage presented a picture of surpassing beaut}'. A man with 
any poetry in his soul would have been more than ordinarily 
loth to leave so beautiful a world on so beautiful a day, but it 
mattered little to the stolid wretch about to take his last look 
of earth from the scaffold floor. The crowd began to gather 
from all parts of the compass, on foot, on horseback, in bug- 
gies, wagons and o.x carts, the old, the young, the hale, the 
lame and the blind, male and female, dusty and sweat-be- 
grimed. The buggies came loaded with people; in many in- 
stances the whole familj- were present, from the old grandma, 
with wrinkled parchment skin, yellowed by time as the maple 
leaf, down to the infant in its mother's arms. Young girls 
with rosy cheeks came in troops smiling, chattering and co- 
quetting as if it were but a gala day. Young gentlemen 
mounted on sleek, ^vell-fed horses, sitting on brand new pig 
skins, with hats gorgeously decorated with red, white and blue 
streamers, rode proudly info to^vn with faces all aglo\v with 
the inspiration of the hanging festival. Lank and ague-shaken 
backwoodsmen, dressed in linsey woolsey wammuses, types of 
an almost extinct race, trudged wearily through the woods 
followed by gaunt and half-starved dogs for the pitiful sake of 
being in the neighborhood of a poor, fellow human being who 
was about to be choked to death for his sin. 

The scenes around the public square in Anderson on this 
bright day \vere a sad commentary on human nature. Among 
the eight or ten thousand people assembled, all the talk was 
of the hanging. There \vas much boasting among some of 
the people of the number of criminals they had seen launched 
into eternity at the rope's end. A man who had not seen 
more than five men hung did not command much respect from 
the crowd. The twenty-five or twenty-six execution man 
could secure the attention of the crowd, and the returned 
Californian, who had witnessed ninety-three hangings, was 
looked up to with a feeling akin to awe. Old men gaped 



HISTORV f>F MADISON COUNTY, IXniAXA. 181 

with open nioutlis, and young boys stood by with staring eyes 
with the noble ambition to see as many iiangings as possible, 
so that they might boast a little when the down on their chins 
ripened into stiff beards. 

At one of the corners some men were bleating out the 
attractions of a side show, "The wild men of Afghanistan," 
and were splitting many a sensitive tympanum with their 
vociferous shouts to walk inside the dirty canvas and view 
the wonders of nature in the shape of a couple of idiotic 
negroes. To and fro among the crowd were numerous young 
men selling pictures of White, and who earnestly protested 
that they were bona fide photographs of the man who was 
about to be hung. 

During all this time, within a few rods of this scene a 
poor wretch strode miserably to and fro in his cell, counting 
each tick of the clock which brought him nearer to the frown- 
ing gallows, the dreadful noose, the yawning grave and the 
dark, dread hereafter, which not even the best of us can face 
without a shudder. 

PHEI'ARINC I'OK THE .MARCH. 

At ll' o'clock p_reparations were made to take the prisoner 
to the scaffold. The rope, artistically knotted and well greased, 
was examined and found all right. The jurors, county officers, 
reporters and others entitled to admission within the enclosure, 
were assembled in the jailor's room below, and when all was 
ready proceeded up stairs. The sheriff opened the cell of the 
condemned man who walked out into the corridor. He looked 
calm and self-possessed with the exception of the restless wan- 
derings of his e\es, here, there, everywhere, but resting upon 
nothing. His arms were now pinioned, the rope was placed 
around his neck, and he was escorted down to the front gate 
of the jail yard. 

The crowd was large and denseh' packed, and it reciuired 
guards with fixed bayonets to keep them back. The prisoner 
was then seated on his coffin, which had been placed in a com- 
mon spring wagon, the Rev. Father Crawley on one side, and 
Sheriff" James H. Snell on the other. The reporters and others 
fell in behind, and the guards with bayonets turned outward, 
formed a line on each side, and thus the procession began the 
dead march. From the prison the procession marched to 
Anderson, now Eighth street, and turned west down that 
beautiful thoroughfare, lined on each side with elegant dwell- 



182 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ings. The cortege passed slowly along amid a cloud of dust, 
the crowd pressing frantically forward to get a view of the 
prisoner, and were unmindful of the bayonets. Hundreds of 
women, many of them with babies in their arms, were borne 
along with the crowd, their dresses torn and dragging in the 
dust, and themselves in danger of being trampled to death. 
Many of the verandas in front of the residences were full of 
people, while from behind the green leaves of the vines shone 
the fair faces and bright eyes of young ladies too modest to 
sliow themselves on such an occasion, yet with enough of 
morbid curiosity to make them look upon the tlreadful sight. 

Throughout the horribly tedious march the prisoner was 
unmoved. He sat with his eyes closed and with his ear 
inclined to Father Crawley listening to the exhortation of that 
good man. He seemed to have gathered strength as he went 
on, and his nerves acted as if made of steel. He spoke rarely, 
and then only in response to questions asked him by Father 
Crawley. Occasionally, as some epithet would fall upon his 
ear, he would look quickly up, and a tiger-like gleam would 
for a moment flash from his eyes. He was decorous and dig- 
nified throughout, and his conduct put to shame many of 
those who followed him to the grave. 

THE GALLOWS. 

Arriving opposite the gallows, which had been built in a 
thick forest of oaks about half a mile from the citj-, and two 
hundred yards north of the main road, the procession filed down 
the narrow county road with a thick undergrowth of hazel 
bushes on either side. The gallows %vas a plain platform with 
a railing around it, a trap in the center and a crossbeam over- 
head. It was surrounded by a high enclosure of green oak 
trees, capable of holding 200 persons. The scene around the 
gallows was at once striking and humiliating. Ten thousand 
persons were scattered througii tlie woods, while prol^abl}' 
five hundred had climbed to the tops of the neighboring trees, 
and hung like squirrels among the branches, almost determined 
to break their necks in order to view the final proceedings. 
Adventurous women followed the prisoner to the gallows, 
and looked up enviously at the fellows in the trees who had 
the opportunity of viewing the execution from an elevated 
standpoint, seeming to regret the right vouchsafed to man 
that was not granted to woman, that of climbing a tree. 



IIISTORV OF ?iIADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 183 

Several seemed on the point of trying it, but in deference to 
public sentiment, their better judgment prevailed. 

ox THE SCAFFOLD. 

All who had tickets marched into the enclosure, and the 
armed guards set about the task of keeping out the crowd. 
Sheriff Snell, Father Crawley, and the prisoner mounted the 
scaffold, and the latter was set on the proper place over the 
trap. He was a large man, neai ly six feet in height, and 
"weigliing about 200 pounds. He was dressed in a complete 
suit of black cloth ; he wore gaiters, had on a black felt hat 
and a white collar. He was cleanly shaven with the excep- 
tion of a mustache and chin whiskers, which partially con- 
cealed the sensual and cruel expression of his mouth. Many- 
women would have pronounced him good looking, even hand- 
some, in fact, one"s first impression would be, that he was 
not a bad man. There was nothing repulsive in his appear- 
ance to the casual observer except his eyes, which were set 
closely together, and had a suspicion of strabismus about 
them. 

Sheriff Snell read the death warrant to him, but White 
heard it without moving a muscle of his countenance, keep- 
ing his eyes steadfastly fixed upon the floor. He then knelt 
with Father Crawley on the trap, and repeated after him the 
Lord's prayer, and the Ave Maria, the Apostles' creed, and 
other prayers of the church. His voice, though low, was 
clear and distinct, without the slightest suspicion of tremor. 

It had been expected that the prisoner would make a pub- 
lic confession upon the gallows, which, however, he failed to 
do. Sheriff Snell informed us that he made to him and 
another gentleman^a sort of confession in which he asserted 
that he did not himself commit the deed, but that it was done 
by a respectable farmer of Madison county. This is under- 
stood to have been a gentleman who severely horsewhipped 
White while he was a boy for cutting up his harness, and 
against whom White held malice ever since. This alleged 
confession was considered as not being entitled to any sort of 
credence. The prisoner may have probablv confessed to 
Father Crawley, but what he confessed is between Father 
Crawlev and God alone. 

THE DROP. 

Tile rope was finally adjusted to the right length after 
several trials, during which the prisoner stood erect with every 



18-4 HISTORY OF :MADIS0X COUMV, INDIANA. 

muscle as rigid as iron. There was no sign of failing except 
the limpid expression of the eye, arid an occasional gulping 
motion of the throat as if trying to swallow something. 
While the rope was being adjusted he stood firm, and occasion- 
ally cast a glance at the fastening which sustained the trap. 
Sheriff Snell drew the black cap o\er his head as the poor 
wretch cast a last and lingering look upon the world and the 
scene around him. The cap was drawn tightly over his face 
and tied under the chin, shutting out forever from his gaze the 
glorious sunshine. 

The sheriff then took a sharp hatchet, and with one quick, 
nervous blow, severed the cord. There was a sickening thud 
as the body, with a fall of three feet, shot through the trap, 
making the beam overhead quiver. Thus was the body of 
Milton White suspended between Heaven and earth, while his 
guilty crime-stained soul went into the presence of its Maker. 
His neck was broken by the fall, and not a single muscle 
moved after the body fell. 

CONCLUSION. 

But little remains to be told. \Vhatever may be thought 
of capital punishment, tiie people of Madison county are well 
enough satisfied that Milton White is out of the way. The 
execution was well managed, and Sheriff Snell is entitled to 
much credit for his coolness and self-possession. 

Father Crawlej- proved himself a devoted friend to the 
condemned man and stood by him to the last. Everyone was 
disappointed by the demeanor of White in his last moments. 
It was believed that he would be unmanned, but on the con- 
trary, no man ever met death with less sign of trepidation. 
The behavior of the crowd at the execution was commendably 
quiet. 

The body hung twenty-seven minutes, after which it was 
taken down, and examined bj- Drs. Thomas X. Jones and 
Stanley W. Edwins, who pronounced life extinct. It was 
placed in a coffin and buried in the Catholic cemetery, whence 
it is possible it may have found its way into some doctor's dis- 
secting room. If the articulated bones of Milton White assist 
some medical student in his study of anatomv, it will be prob- 
ably the first good use to which they were ever put." 

As many newcomers of Madison county are not familiar 
with the scene of the execution, we will state that it took 
place on the old fair ground, on what is now known as west 



IIISTOKV OF .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 185 

Eighth street. The gallows was located on nortli Madison 
avenue about 150 yards northwest of the palatial residence of 
jamas Donnelly. 

Many stories are told of White in his younger days being 
of a naturally cruel di.sjjosition. It is said that he would catch 
pigs, goslings, young ducks and other fowls, and cut their legs 
otT in order to see them hobble around in their misery. 

James H. Snell, the slierifT, who e.xecuted White, is still a 
resident of Anderson. Dr. Thomas N. Jones, one of the 
physicians who examined the body, died in the year 1S75, 
while Dr. Stanley W. Edwins is at this writing a prominent 
physician of Elwood. 

The clul) with which Iloppes was killed was kept in the 
county Clerk's office until the destruction of the court house in 
December, 1(S8U. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



Reminiscences taken from the Files of the Anderson 
Gazette, a Newspaper published ix Anderson in 
THE Early Fifties, which will re of 1ntp;rest to 
Old-Timers. 

In the issue of the Anderson Gazette, of April 8th, 1S5B, 
we find the business card of the law firm of Buckles & Sans- 
berrv, in which they offer their services to the public as solic- 
itors at law and solicitors in chancery, and state that thev will 
promptly attend to all professional business entrusted to their 
care in the courts of Madison count}-. 

" The professional business entrusted to the care of Mr. 
Buckles in either the supreme court of this state or the district 
courts of the United states will be promptly attended to." 

These two gentlemen afterwards became famous at tlie 
bar. Mr. Sansberry is yet a prominent citizen of Anderson. 
Mr. Buckles lives at Muncie, Ind. 

In the same issue appears the announcement of L. .Vntrini, 
proprietor of the Railroad House, as follows : 

" The Railroad House is centrally and conveniently 
situated directly opposite the court house. No attention will 
be spared to render the accommodations of the Railroad 
House of a most acceptable character. The livery stable of 
Richard Lake has been procured for the accommodation of the 
house, where a hostler is always in attendance, and a hack will 
run regularly to the depot for the accommodation of railroad 
passengers." 

The Richard Lake above referred to is the Hon. Richard 
Lake, Ex-Judge of the Common Pleas court, who ha- for 
many years been a member of the Anderson bar. 

In the issue of April I5th, 1853, we find the following 
editorial announcement : 

" We are happy to inform our readers and those wiio are 
interested in the completion of the Cincinnati, Logansport and 
Chicago railroad, that it is progressing at a stead}' rate: Mr. 
Creighcraft. the contractor here, is shoving things as tiiey 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. ISJ 

ought to go; if the weather will permit there will be a large 
amount of work done this spring, and we may confidently 
look for the speedy completion of this great work. When it 
is completed Anderson will be between two great thorough- 
fares, and who shall say that it will not be a business place? " 

In the same issue the returns of the township election 
for Anderson township are given, as follows : 

" For township trustees, William Crim, for a term of 
three years ; Samuel Myers, two years, and Lanty Roach for 
one year; for township c'erk, Enoch M. Jackson ; for town- 
ship treasurer, Elon Merrill ; for constables, Da\ id Henry, 
Gerry T. Hoover, and William Mustard."' 

At the same election the question as to whether Anderson 
township should have licensed liquor saloons was submitted 
to the voters and the anti-license people carried the day by a 
big majority. 

The issue of the Gazette of April '2'2A. ISoH. appeared in 
full mourning, having all its column rules inverted, in mem- 
ory of William R. King, Vice-President of the United .'-^tates, 
with the following announcement of his death : 

" After we had gone to press and had worked off a large 
part of our edition we received the mournful notice of the 
death of the Hon. William R. King, Vice-President of the 
United States, who departed this life at his residence in Dallas 
county, Alabama, on the evening of the 18th of this month." 

It will be remembered that William R. King was \'ice- 
President of the I'nited States, elected on the ticket with 
Franklin Pierce in 1852. 

In the issue of July 1st, 1853, an account of the celebra- 
tion by the Masonic order and other societies at Pendleton, 
appears as follows : 

" The celebration by the Masons, the Odd Fellows and 
Sons of Temperance was well attended by the members of 
their respective orders at Pendleton on the 24th of June. 
Reuben A. Riley, of Greenfield, opened the public speaking 
on behalf of the .Sons of Temperance and his eff'ort is said to 
have been a very able one. Mr. Boyd ne.xt addressed the 
audience on the part of the Odd Fellows, and lastly Dr. Ferris, 
of New Castle, delivered a discourse on behalf of the Masotn'c 
fraternity. Alter the speaking a large number repaired to a 
grove near by. where a sumptuous repast awaited them, hav- 
ing been prepared by the Rev. Nathaniel Richmond for this 
occasion. From the table the procession marched to the site 



188 IIISTOR-S- OI- MADISOX COIXTV, INDIANA. 

of the New Masonic hall about to be erected by Madison lodge 
No. 44. Here the corner stone was laid in due form in the 
evening, witli appropriate ceremonies, and then a cotillion 
' came off " at Liberty hall, after which all the vast throng, 
estimated at three thousand people, dispersed to their homes, 
well pleased with the festivities they had enjoyed at Pen- 
dleton." 

In the issue of June 3d, 1858, appears the professional card 
of J. & M. S. Robinson, counsellors at law, in which they 
announce that they will attend to all business entrusted to 
their care in the Superior and inferior courts of the state, 
special attention being paid to the collection and security of 
claims. Office up stairs in G. W. Bowen's " Open Front," 
east of Atherton's Corner. The M. S. Robinson above 
referred to is the late Col. Milton S. Robinson of .Vnderson, 
who was then quite a young lawver just starting on a long 
and successful career. 

It appears from the issue of June yd. that the agitation of 
building a plank road from Anderson was talked of, as the fol- 
lowing notice appears in the Gazette of that date : 

" A meeting of the citizens of Madison and Grant coun- 
ties will be held at Alexandria on Saturday, the 11th day of 
)une next, for the purpose of determining as to the propriety 
of constructing a plank road from Anderson, in Madison 
county, to Jonesboro. in Grant county. Every person inter- 
ested is particularly invited to attend.'" 

This scheme was never carried out, and the road was never 
built, but afterwards a portion of it became a graveled and 
macadamized thoroughfare. 

In the same issue we find that the editor of the (iazctle 
had communicated with G. \V. Lennard, of the New Castle 
Courier, asking for the name of the first locomotive on the 
Cincinnati tV Chicago railroad. Mr. Lennard promptly in- 
formed him that the name of the engine was the "Swinette." 
Tiie writer can \erify the correctness of Mr. Lennard's state- 
ment from the fact that he has seen that engine and it pulled 
the first train upon which he ever rode. It was a small affair, 
without any cow-catcher in front, and presented a very odd 
appearance. Furtiier details will be found in reference to this 
engine, in another place in this book, under the head of early 
railroad.s. 

In the issue of June 17th. 1858, we find the announce- 
ment of River's Eciuestrian and Dramatic Circu-. in which it 



IIISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 189 

is announced that an cxhil:)ition will take place at Anderson 
on June llSth ; doors open at 1 o'clock and 7 o'clock p. m. ; 
admission, 25 cents: positively no half price : performance will 
consist of an array of brilliant performers selected from the 
cream of the most celebrated estal)lishments of both Europe 
and America. The entertainment will be rich, rare and un- 
equa'ed. Among the leading features will be an ample hip- 
podrome and set of performing horses incomparably superior 
in beauty and training to those of any establif-hment on earth, 
a troup of equestrians and a dramatic company of rare histri- 
onic ability. The Riyers family of efjuestrians, whose names 
are familiar in every capital of the new and old world, will 
also be present. Mr. J. W. Myers, the chaste, witty, origi- 
nal, exquisite clown and humorist, will also be present in the 
arena. A whole family of diminutive trick ponies will he one 
of the leading features of this exhibition. 

We also tind in the same issue the announcement of Ray- 
mond & Co. and Van Amberg & Co.'s menageries united, in 
which they announce an exhibition in Anderson on Saturday, 
June 25th, admission 25 cents, children under ten years. 15 
cents. They also announce that the cavalcade will arrive in 
the town in the morning about 10 o'clock, and the grand ]5ro- 
cession will take place, consisting of carriages, cages, and 
vans containing the animals, drawn by one hundred and 
twenty splendid horses, headed by the comnanies' celebrated 
brass band. They will pass over the principal streets to the 
pavilion wliere the exhibition will take place. And thereby 
will give the public the benefit of beholding one of the most 
enormous processions ever witnessed. ]\Ir. Van Amberg, the 
most renowned of all lion conquerors, giving an exhibition in 
person by entering the dens of the lions, tigers antl leopards in 
the presence of the audience. A rhinocerous or unicorn and 
an Arabian zebra will also be among the features of this grand 
entertainment. The monster elephant Hannibal, the finest 
specimen of his race in the known world, will also be in- 
troduced. 

Hannibal, the elephant above referred to, was one of the 
largest ever exhibited in this country. He was verj' sullen 
and mean in his disposition, and finally had to be killed. 
David K. Carver, Ex-Sheriff of Madison county, while travel- 
ing with this caravan in the capacity of a vender of ginger- 
bread and circus lemonade, had an experience witii old Hanni- 
bal that will bear repeating. \\'hile in one of the southern 



190 HISTORY OF ArADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

cities after the exhibition was over Carver had at night pur- 
chased from a bakery in the village, a large amount of warm 
ginger-bread which he had stacked in his wagon and was 
ready to leave the camp, when the elephant smelled the cake 
and immediately made his way to Carver's outfit. Raising 
his trunk he smashed the wagon into smithereens and then 
gobbled up the bread in the twinkling of an eye, leaving Car- 
ver badlj' in the lurch, as he had invested about all he had in 
the outfit and the articles which it contained. Hannibal's 
keeper endeavored to prevent the destruction of the Carver 
outfit, but no power on earth could have retarded him, and he 
\vas not satisfied until his ;ippetite was appeased by eating the 
last ginger cake in sight. 

We also find in the issue of June 24th, the announcement 
of a meeting held at the M. E. church for the purpose of tak- 
ing steps for the celebration of the Fourth of ]u\\, 1858, at 
Anderson. A large and enthusiastic meeting was held and 
the following resolutions were offered and inianimouslv 
adopted. 

•• Resolved, that the 4th of July be celebrated by the Sab- 
bath schools of Anderson ; secondly, we cordially in\ ite all the 
Sabbath schools and citizens in the county to participate with 
us on this occasion ; Jasper Myers be and is hereby selected as 
the reader of the Declaration of Independence ; that Judge 
David S. Gooding be invited to deliver an address; that Captain 
George W. Bowen. of the Madison Guards, be invited to take 
part with us in military style, and to bring a band of music, 
the procession to be formed at 10 o'clock under the command 
and direction of Colonel Ninevah Berry, who is hereby se- 
lected to act as inarshal of the day ; that the procession march 
to the grove north of the town ; that the editor of the Gazette 
be requested to publish the foregoing resolutions." 

The committee who signed the above were P. A. Leever, 
Mr. Pence, F. P. Siddall, and Luther P. Stone. This celebra- 
tion will be pleasantly remembered by many of our old-time 
citizens. 

The grove north of town wi.s on a piece of ground now 
in the heart of the city, being on north Meridian street, near 
Fifth street. 

In the issue of June 24, 1853, the editor of the Gazette 
makes an earnest appeal to his subscribers to pay him, and 
uses the following language : 

"We want on subscription wood, bacon, flour, butter. 



IIISTOliV OF MADISON COITNTY, INDIANA. 191 

eggs and, in fact, everytliing used about the house. If our 
friends will only keep us in such like, we guarantee them a 
paper regularly each week."' He also announces that he 
" will give the highest market price for any amount of good 
clean rags on subscription to the Gazette.^' 

In the issue of July 8, 1853, the editor makes an appeal 
to his readers in behalf of the American Express company, 
which was the first company of that kind to do business in 
Anderson. He says : 

"We advise our readers who wish any article from the 
city, to have it brought by the American Express company if 
they desire to have it quickly and certain. P. F. Siddall is 
the agent in Anderson, and he uses every endeavor to accom- 
modate to the fullest extent, and secures the highest prices for 
all who do business by express." 

Jii the same issue, the advertisement of Cyrus P. Pence, 
the father of John W. Pence, the genial cashier of the Citi- 
zens" Bank, of Anderson, appears as follows : 

" Vegetable and mechanical process of tanning all kinds 
of leather. The subscriber is now prepared to teach the 
above process of tanning by written instructions, or by being 
present with the person desiring to receive the instruction, by 
letter or otherwise on very accommodating terms, for the sum 
of twenty-five dollars. The tanning of skins in the short 
space of one day, and other qualities of leather in proportion 
to their bodies. He professes to be able to give to any one 
who may favor him with his custom, general satisfaction." 

In the issue of July 29th an editorial appears, announc- 
ing a fire in Anderson, and calling the attention of the citizens 
to the necessity of fire protection : 

" On Friday night last, about one o'clock, fire was dis- 
covered in the stable belonging to John Davis, Esquire. So 
fierce were the llames that before they could be extinguished, 
a stable belonging to Samuel Myers caught, and was con- 
sumed with all in it. Mr. Myers" horses, three in number, 
with a colt, were burned to death. Mr. Myers' loss was about 
$400, while that of Mr. Davis was very small. The fire 
originated from the hand of an incendiary. Under the new 
law it is obligatory that every property holder in the corpora- 
tion should furnish buckets and ladders, and if they refuse to 
procure them, the authorities may do so and recover the 
amounts from them in spite of theniselves. We hope our citi- 



192 HISTORY OF .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

zens will see the necessity of preparing for the worst of all 
elements — fire." 

On the 5th day of August, 185'5, the editor announces 
that 680 acres of swamp lands in Madison county were sold 
at the court house door at from |1.25 to |2.00 per acre. The 
worst of this same land, at this writing, would be worth at 
least i)!50 per acre. 

On the 9th day of September, 1858, a stabbing affray 
was noticed in the paper as follows : 

" A man by the name of Jackson Snyder was stabbed, in 
the north part of the county, last Thursday, by a man bv the 
name of Stephen Fennemore."' 

The man Snyder, spoken of, is not known to the writers, 
but jNIr. Fennemore was the late Stephen I'ennemore, of Mon- 
roe township, well known to every old settler in Madison 
county. 

In the issue of September 9, 1853, George R. Diven, 
father of Hon. W. S. Diven, ex-judge of the Madison .Supe- 
rior court, announces to the public that he has opened a new 
store in the building formerly occupied by T. and D. Rvan, 
and solicits the patronage of all the people of Madison 
county, assuring them that they can find the cheapest goods 
at his store of any place in the county. 

The store building alluded to in the foregoing announce- 
ment, was located at the corner where the Star drv goods 
store is now to be found, at the corner of Eighth and Me- 
ridian streets, and was erected by T. and D. Ryan. The T. 
Ryan referred to was the father of the Hon. Henry C Ryan, 
at this time judge of the Superior court. 

On the 23d of September, 1853, Thomas X. Stilwell an- 
nounces to the readers of the Anderson Gazette, XhtA he has 
become local editor of that paper. The editor, Mr. J. Fen- 
wick Henry, also speaks of Mr. StilwelFs journalistic venture 
as follows. 

•' It will be seen that our young friend, Thomas X. Stil- 
well, has taken charge of the local columns of the Gazette. 
Mr. Stilwell is a ready writer, and we have no doubt tiiat lie 
will please our readers by keeping them well posted in the 
affairs in the town of Anderson." 

Mr. Stilwell served as local editor of the Gazette for a 
considerable period of time, and made a good local journal of 
it. He subsequently became prominent in social, political and 



III^TI)K^ OF .MAIMSON COINTV. INDIANA. 1 9o 

linancial circles as will be seen by the many allusions made to 
him in different parts of this volume. 

In the issue of September l*;>d, 185:5. the announcement 
is made that P. T. Barnum's (jrand Colossal Museum and 
Menagerie will visit ^Anderson on the ISth day of October. 

" Among- the manv attraction.s that he presents is no less 
a personage tlian General Tom Thumb. He also announces 
that Mr. Nellis, a man without arms, will execute extraor- 
dinary feats of loading and tiring a pistol with his toes, cutting 
profile likenesses, shooting at a mark with a bow and arrow, 
and plaving upon an accordeon. lie also presents Air. Pierce 
with a den of living wild animals. lie also announces that 
there will be a fine military band to accompany the show, and 
that a grand parade will take place in the principal streets of 
tiie town at ten o'clock a. m."' 

This was Mr. Barnum's first appearance in Anderson, 
and he traveled with the show in person, as will be recollected 
by many old-timers jet living who were present upon that 
occasion. This was also the first appearance of Tom Thumb 
in the western countrv. At that time, Mr. Barnum"s, like all 
other traveling exhibitions, went overland from town to 
town. 

On the 20th of June, lsr)4, the Ai/Jcrson Gazette an- 
nounces that the wire of the direct line of telegraph from An- 
derson to Cleveland, being built, has just been stretched to 
this place, and makes the [)rediction that it will be but a short 
time before the system ^vill be in working order. This was 
undoubtedly the first telegraphic communication between An- 
derson and the outside world, and is the first notice in any 
publication that we iiave come acr',ss in oiu' search for mate-, 
rial for this book. 

In the issue of .\pril 21st, isr)4, we find an account of the 
proceedings of the organization of the Madison County Agri- 
cultural Society, as follows ; " Pursuant to previous notice 
the citizens of Madison county in favor of the organization ot 
an agricultural society, convened at the court house in Ander- 
son on Saturday, ^\pril Sth, 1S54. On motion, Colonel 
Thomas Bell was elected chaiiman ami J. R. Molston was 
elected secretary-. Samuel B. Mattox was chosen assistant 
secretary. The president then arose and politely thanked the 
convention for the favor they hail conferred upon him. and 
stated in a few brief words the object of the meeting. When 

the president had sat down, there was a call from the several 
13 



194 HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

townships for contributions, which was responded to as fol- 
lows : Fall Creek township, $13.50 ; Greene, 16.00 ; Ander- 
son, $14.00; Jackson, $6.25; Richland, $13.25; Lafayette, 
$2.00 ; Monroe, $17.00; Adams, $8.00; Union, $25.00. and 
Van Buren, $3.50, making a total of $108.50." 

A committee was appointed bv the chair to draft and re- 
port a constitution and by-hiws reguLating and governing the 
society. The following were the members of the committee : 
John Huston, Andrew vShanklin. Peter Fesler, Frederick Bron- 
nenberg. Dr. 11. Wyman, Aleck McClintock, A. Nelson, A. 
Hinchman. T. J. Clark, Joseph Siglcr, E. Ellis, J. J. Zediker, 
J. \\ . Perry and C. W'avmire. 

These gentlemen reported a constitution and by-laws, 
which were adopted. The following resolution was intro- 
duced : 

" Resolved. That anv person can become a member of 
this society when formed by contributing and paying over to 
the proper authorized agent the sum of one dollar.'' 

It was ordered that the president of the convention pub- 
lish in the Anderson Gazcile the minutes of the meeting, 
which were signed by Thomas Bell, president, and J. R. Hol- 
ston. secretary. 

On the 2()th of August, 1854, the following notice was 
inserted in the Gazette in reference to the fair association : 

" Proposals for donations will be received at the drug 
store of Jones & McAllister, in Anderson, for preparing and 
fitting up the grounds suitably to hold the agricultural fair. 
Donations will be accepted for use of the grounds in cash. 
The township or town which proffers and secures in the aggre- 
gate the largest donation, consideration being had to eligibil- 
ity of situation, convenience of the public, &c., will receive the 
award of the fair g^round for three successive years. The in- 
dividual or individuals whose proposals shall be accepted will 
be required to lease tiie grounds for three successive years to 
the Madison Agricultural Society, to be used for holding fairs 
and for no other purpose." 

It seems that in the rivalry of the difierent townships for 
the location of the fair grounds that Anderson took the lead, 
as the fair was located in Anderson township and occupied 
the spacious grounds where the Hon. James W. Sansberrj- 
now resides, at the west end of Tenth street, and on the 14th 
and 15th days of September, 1854, the first fair was held upon 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 195 

these grounds, and they remained as the place of the annual 
meetings for several years. 

After the excitement of the fair was over, Joshua R. Hols- 
ton, secretary of the association, published on the 19th of Oc- 
tober, 1854, a list of the premiums awarded, from which we 
make the following extract : 

"To J. E. Pendleton, best stallion, 1^3.00; J. M. Nelson, 
best four-year-old gelding, $2.50 ; A. Banks, best five-year- 
old mare, $2.50; John Mowery, best sucking colt, $1.50 ; An- 
non James, best jack, $8.00; R. Van Winkle, best d.iiry cow, 
$3.0); Isaac Pittsford, best t^ne wool buck, $3.00 ; Randolph 
Free, best bureau, $3 00; Jacob Beicholz, best fowling piece, 
$1.00; Jacob Slusher, best violin, 51. 00 ; William Foster, best 
saddle and bridle, $2.00 ; Cyrus P. Pence, best tanned calf- 
skin. $1.00; ISlrs. W. G. Atherlon, best quilt, $1.00; Mrs. I. 
N. Terwilliger, best chair tidy, 75 cents; Mrs. Emma Haz- 
lett, best patch quilt, 50 cents; Mrs. M. J.Jackson, best rab- 
bit and mouse, 75 cents; Mrs. J. W. Thornton, best bread, 
$1.00." 

In the issue of April 21, 1S54, the editor of the Gazette 
shows his teeth in a wonderful degree by "spanking" John 
Davis, late Judge of the Madison Circuit Court, for having 
made some allusion uncomplimentary to the editor in a speech 
in a lawsuit in the court house. The editor says : 

" W'e have the speech of lawyer John Davis while de- 
fending the notorious James W. Mendenhall. It was taken 
in shorthand by a friend who was in attendance during the 
trial, and sets out Mr. Davis in his true colors, and will show 
the depth to which a man will resort when he is doing the 
dirty work of another. Copies of it will be furnished for gra- 
tuitous distribution. While speaking on this subject, will 
state that Mr. Davis' course towards us was caused by a pri- 
vate pique on account of differences in political opinions. 
When a man will suffer his political prejudice to control his 
lietter feelings towards a fellow man he has, indeed, fallen."' 

In the next issue of the paper, some friend under the nom 
deplume of "Fair Play," advises the editor that his time 
could be better employed than to pay any attention to what 
John Davis might say about him in a law suit. 

Perhaps the old-timers and especially the older members 
of the Madison county bar, will remember what the Menden- 
hall case, was about, and the circumstances surrounding it. 



196 HISTORY OF MADISON COUN TV, IXDIAXA. 

So far as thu newspapers of that day are concerned, they are 
silent upon the question. 

In tlie issue of April 21. 1854, appears an advertisement 
announcing that on the 9th of May, 1854, Franconi's colos- 
sal hippodrome from the cit)- of New York, will give an exhi- 
hition in Anderson. Among the other attractions advertised 
was a scene on the turf with six horses, and a parade one mile 
long, headed by six lady jockeys in costume. A grand chariot 
race with four iiorses abreast, flying at full speed, presenting 
a sight of terrific splendor and animation neVer before wit- 
nessed. 

In the issue of June ;}(), 1854, an account is given of the 
burning of a house in Lafayette township, as follows : 

" On Monday night the 19tii instant, an outhouse con- 
taining a cjuantity of lumber belonging to James Closser, of 
Lafayette township, was burned to the ground. On Wednes- 
day night following, Mr. Closser found his stable, which 
contained a valuable horse, to be on fire. In rushing to the 
rescue of the animal he saw two men who were apparently 
watching his door. Suspicion was immediately excited and 
his family were alarmed. Mr. Closser succeeded in getting 
his horse out. though somewhat injured from the effects of the 
fire. lie now supposed the incendiaries were trying to draw 
his attention to the burning of the stable, and that in his 
absence they would be aljle to enter his house and rob his 
chest. A guard was set at night for the purpose of watching 
ills buildings, with instructions to challenge everyone, but to 
fire upon no innocent persons, so that there might be no possi- 
bility of injuring anj- one. On the following Friday night 
the guards discovered a man coming towards the house, when 
fire was opened upon him. but without result. The person 
was recognized as being a well known character in Lafayette 
township, and was placed under arrest and taken before 
"Scjuire Rulon. but sufficient evidence could not be obtained 
against him for the ijurpose of convicting him."' 

In the issue of July 7, 1854, the announcement of I. X. 
Terwilliger and J. M. Hayes, advertising their school at the 
seminary building, appears as follows : 

"The undersigned respectfuilv inform the inhabitants 
of Anderson and the vicinitv. that thev will open a school in 
the seminarv building in Andeison, on Monday, July HI. 
Terms per session of twelve weeks, spelHng and first reader. 
•12.00: reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and English 



iiisTORv oi- ^rADISo^' county, Indiana. 1117 

grammar. SjiH.On; higlier Eni^lish branches, algebra, philoso- 
phy, ciiemistry, geology and anatomy, .ii4.()(); Latin ami 
Cireek languages and higher mathematics. $5.0(1. The gov- 
ernment of this school will be based upon the principles of 
luunanitv and kindness, and yet a sufficient amount of firmness 
will be used to insure a prompt compliance with the rules of 
the school. A liberal share of patronage is solicited.'" 

I. X. Terwilliger, who lield this school in the seminary 
building, was the best educator in his day in this part of the 
country. Many of the older men, lawyers and doctors who 
have been prominent in Madison county, received their educa- 
tion from him, among whom ^ye may mention the Hon. Will- 
iam R. Myers, late Secretary of State of Indiana : John ^^'. 
Pence, cashier of the Citizens" Bank of Anderson ; Daniel F. 
Mustard, .Mbert C. Davis, and many others whose names do 
not now occur to us. The old seminary in which this school 
was taught occu]5ied the ground on which the First Ward 
school building has been erected by the ^Vnderson School 
I^oard. 

In the issue of July 17, there is an account of the cere- 
monies of the Fourth of July of that year : 

"The cadets particip.Tted in the commemorative ceremo- 
nies of our national birthday, had at the (iarrison school 
iiouse, four miles north of Anderson. Patriotic addresses 
were made and the day passed pleasantly with voung and old, 
who enjoyed the occasion. In the afternoon the Anderson 
Guards paraded under the command of Captain G. \V. Bowen, 
in full uniform and elicited much admiration. The First Lieu- 
tenant of the (juards. R. V. Atherton, and .Second Lieuten- 
ant A. L Makepeace, participated in the drill A large num- 
ber of our cili/.ens partook of the supper in the evening, 
which was served by the Messrs. Thornton, the proceeds of 
which are to be appropriated to the purchase of a bell for the 
use of the M. K. Church. In the evening most of the voung 
people engaged in the pleasin"e of a dance in the Makepeace 
block. Xothing occurred during the day or evening to mar 
the general happiness of the day, except the accidental upset- 
ting of a wagon, by which two or three boys were injured." 

It seems that the supper given at Thornton's place for 
the ])urpose of raising funds to buy u bell for the church was 
a financial success, from the fact that on the 21st of Ji'lv, the 
editor announces the purchase of a bell, as follows ; ■' Our 
ears were greeted for the first time in Anderson on Sunday 



198 HISTORY OK .MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

morning with tlie full clear tones of the new bell as they rang 
out on the distance from the M. E. Church, summoning with 
its almost hallowed tones the congregation around the altar of 
prayer."' 

In the issue of September 15, 1854, Hardy Scott, a 
gentleman of color, who at that time resided in Anderson, 
gave notice of his wife having left his bed and board, and 
warning people against harboring her on his account, as fol- 
lows : "Whereas my wife, Mary Ann, has left my bed and 
board, without any just cause or provocation. I caution all 
persons against dealing with her, or trading with her on my 
account, and I will pay no debts of her contracting after this 
date. — Hardy Scott."' 

In the issue of September 14, 1854, appeared a set of 
resolutions in which certain members of the M. E. Church 
severelv censure another portion of the congregation for in- 
jecting politics into their religion, their language being forci- 
ble as well as elegant. The preamble and resolutions are as 
follows: "Whereas, at a camp-meeting lately held at Mt. 
Zion, in Richland township, a preamble and series of resolu- 
tions were passed by those present, signed by Rev. John H. 
Hull, presiding elder of the M. E. Church, and attested by 
Joshua R. Holston, as secretary of the Qiiarterly Conference 
that passed said resolutions, and also, whereas, we. a portion of 
the members of the ISI. E. Church, believe that the action and 
grounds taken and embodied in said resolutions are contrary to 
the pure principles taught in the Bible, and contrarv to the 
doctrines taught in the discipline of the church ; and we 
believe that all interference and intermeddling in politics in 
an official and church capacity, on the part of preachers of the 
gospel or of the church, or any portion of its members, are 
contrary to the peaceable principles of Christianitj', and calcu- 
lated to have a tendency to alienate the feelings and affections 
toward each other ; therefore, we, the undersigned, as mem- 
bers of said church, believe it our right, and we do hereby 
solemnlv enter our protest, against the proceedings held by 
the elder and minister of our church, and those of our brethren 
who then and there participated in the adoption of said reso- 
lutions, in which it was declared, ' that we have the privilege 
to think and act, politically, as American freeman.' ' These 
resolutions were signed by Thomas G. Clark, \\'illiam Jones, 
S. B. Mattox, William Guthrie, class leader, James Stancliffe, 



IIISTOKV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 199 

John H. Fuller. James Mavnard. George Mustard and Joseph 
Stanley. 

On November the 2nd, 1854, we find the announcement 
of A, L. and A. I. Makepeace as landlords of a new hostlery 
in Anderson, as follows : " A. L. & A. I. Makepeace have 
recently fitted up the Makepeace House for the reception of 
guests. House and furniture new. The latter selected from 
approved modern samples. Table well supplied. Hack run- 
ning to and from the de]iot. Stables convenient. Grooms 
obliging and faithful, and the supervision by the proprietors 
always guaranteed." 

The A. I. Makepeace referred to here is Captain Make- 
peace, who is yet living in Anderson, and who is engaged in 
the hardware business as a member of the firm of Nichol, 
Makepeace & Company. 

We also find in the same issue the advertisement of \V. 
<>. Atherton & Sons, who had just opened a new warehouse, as 
follows : 

"W. G. Atherton & Sons have their warehouse in readi- 
dess for the reception of all kinds of ]5roduce, such as wheat, 
rye, corn, oats, flaxseed and potatoes, for which they will pay 
the highest market price. All who want money, bring on 
your produce, as we have the ' ready ' on hand." 

W. (j. Atherton has many years since gone to his long 
home, R. V. Atherton, one of his sons, died in Anderson 
quite recently, leaving but one representative ot that firm 
now in existence, Mortimer Atherton, who is yet living, and 
operatinga planing mill on Xorth Meridian street in Anderson. 

We also find in the same paper the advertisement of S. 
I). Irish iS: Sons, of Pendleton, as follows : 

" The undersigned having, in addition to their country- 
cards, purchased a full set of manufacturing machinery of the 
best workmanship and of the latest stvle. thev wish to inform 
their friends and the public generally, that they are now pre- 
pared to manufacture all kinds of woolen goods on shares, or 
by the yard, at the usual prices. We also card and spin for 
customers anything they wish to have woven. Persons wish- 
ing to have their wool manufactured may rest assured that 
they will receive satisfaction. Factory at the old stanil. Falls 
of Fall Creek, near Pendleton, Indiana." 

The old carding mill referred to was for many years one 
of the leading industries of Madison county, and recei\ed 
patronage not only from this, but from the adjoining counties. 



200 HISTORY Ol- MADISdX COIXTV. INDIANA. 

It was a large frame structure that stood just below the falls 
of Fall Creek. 

On November the 9th, 1854, the editor of the paper an- 
nounces an ac'cident as having occurred on the Bellefontaine 
Railway, as follows: ■• The passenger train on its way from 
Indianapolis to this place last Wednesday had its periodica/ 
transition from the track into the ditch in the vicinitv of Oak- 
land. Three or four persons were injured, the most serious of 
whom was the fireman, who has since died. As was usual in 
this case nobody was to blame." 

It would seem, from the inference to be derived from the 
above bit of sarcasm, that it was no imusual thing for a train 
running on the old Rellefontaine Railwav to land in the 
tlitch, and the editor insinuates that the railwav company in- 
variably justified itself in such actions. It is well remembered 
that the rolling stock that passed over that thoroughfare at 
that early dav was known to be easilv upset when coming in 
contact with an obstruction. 

On Januarv 11th. 1855, on the editorial page, we find the 
following: " Attention, all ! ! Mr. Stravern, the distinguished 
daguerreotypist. will remain in town one week longer. All 
those not having proved the gentleman's rare skill bv ha\ing 
their pictiues taken, should be on hand if they would receive 
the most finished specimens ever offered in these parts. Step 
into his rooms and view those familv groups, represent- 
ing father and mother, brother and sister, grouped around the 
familv fireside. We admire such a picture much more than 
we can express. Mr. Stravern takes all kinds of monev in 
payment. Recollect that he took the first medal at the 
World's Fair at New York, and also at several other State 
Fairs.'' 

In those days the taking of pictures was in its infancy, 
and a town the size of Anderson was not able to support a 
pictiue gallerv. The men. therefore, who took pictures, 
strolled from place to place throughout the cojntrv and took 
the pictures of the people as they passed through. They 
generally travelled overland on a car fitted up for their business, 
which thev could readily mo\e from one town to another. 

REMINISCENCES IRO.M THE .VNDERSON ST.\M).\RI>. 

In the issue of February (J, 1857, on the editorial page, 
we find the following announcement : 

'■ ^Ir. David Henry, who for manv years has been kno\\ ii 



I1IS1(>1:\ OF MADISON' COINIV, INDIANA.' :201 

as an auctioneer luid horse doctor, in Anderson, was arrested 
upon the charge of passing counterfeit money, by Constable 
Mustard. The Doctor, in the course of the preparations for 
liis trial, demanded a subpama for Horace B. Makepeace, who 
was engaged in teaching school about one mile west of Ander- 
son. The subpoena was issued and handed to Constable Mus- 
tard. Mr. Henry remarked that he would walk along with 
him down to the school house. The Doctor walked along 
cjuietly until within sight of the school house when he very 
politely informed the constable that he felt too great an inter- 
est in the case to accompany liim back to the town, and 
then drew from his pocket a jiair of pistols, aiul adviseil 
the constable not to attempt to induce him to change his 
intentions, and immediately began to make use of ' leg-bail.' 
The constable contented himself with calling after him for a 
while, then returned to town without him."" 

Mr. Henry made good hisesca[)e from the officer, and for 
maiiv years did not show himself in this community until 
about the year I,S98. when he again \isited the scenes of 
earlier days and remained in Anderson about a year, being 
prominent around the liyery stables of the city ; but he has 
again branched out into this wide, wide world, and his where- 
abouts at this time are unknown to the writer. Mr. Henry 
was a man of prepossessing appearance, and of much general 
information. 

It seems from the issue of the S/a/u/irrJ o( February VS, 
1857, that the Hon. Richard Lake had been a short time pre- 
viously elected to the high and honorable position ot Judge 
of the Common Pleas Court, composed of several counties 
of which Madison and Hancock formed a part. He per- 
formed his duties so acceptably to the people, and to the bar, 
that he was the subject of many complimentary notices, the 
JIancock Democrat having coine out in very complimentary 
terms in his behalf, noting his splendid qualifications, and the 
dispatch with which he transacted the public business. It 
also appears that the business of the district was not so large 
as in later days from the fact that the editor announces that 
the judge \\ ill not entirelj' retire from his law practice, but 
will wait ujjon the wants of his clients, when not upon the 
bench. The editor says : 

■' Some may suppose that Judge Lake is disqualified from 
practicing law since his election to the office of judge of the 
Common Pleas Court. NVe wish to say that liis position ilis- 



202 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ables him no further than the court over which he is called to 
preside. Mr. Lake will continue to practice in the courts of 
this county e.xcept that of his owu." 

A great change in court affairs has taken place since the 
above was written. It now takes two judges for our county, 
instead of one judge for four counties. 

In the Standard of August 1, 1857, we find the an- 
nouncement that Jacob Beachler has engaged in the manu- 
facture of breech-loading guns, as follows : 

" Mr. Jacob Beachler has obtained the right of this 
county, and has commenced the manufacrure of Newton's 
"jiatent breech-loading gun. This is one of the most complete 
specimens of the kind that we have ever examined. It is 
loaded at the breech with cartridges, and can be hred with 
safety thirty-two times in a minute. It is extremely simple in 
its construction, and stands unequalled as a breech-loader." 

Mr. Beachler is one of the oldest gunsmiths living in this 
part of the country. After following his trade in Anderson 
for a number of j'ears, he removed to his farm west of Ander- 
son, where he resided until within two years prior to this 
\vriting, when he returned to the city, and is now a resident 
of Hazlewood addition, living in ease and comfort. 

In the early history of the agricultural associations, one 
of the leading features of their exhibitions was a contest be- 
tween lady equestrians for prizes, and many of the best horse 
women in the country gave exhibitions in the ring. At the 
fair held at Anderson in September, 1857, one of these exhibi- 
tions took place in which it is announced that the premiums to 
lady equestrians were awarded as follows : 

"First premium to Miss Samantha Suman ; second 
premium to Mrs. Samantha May." The Miss Suman referred 
to was the daughter of a farmer living near Chesterfield, and 
a sister of Dr. William Suman, now residing in Anderson, 
and the Mrs. May, the wife of Major May. and mother of 
Isaac Elmer May. 

In the issue of September 18, 1857, the editor announces 
that "Yankee Robinson, the famous showman, will give an 
exhibition in Anderson, being one of the most extensive shows 
in the business, consisting of four separate shows in four 
separate tents, all for one price of admission, consisting of a 
jungle of animals from the forests, Indian curiosities, and a 
splendid band of negro minstrels. Yankee Robinson will also 
appear in person in the presentation of tha god Momus. in 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 208 

witnessing whose peculiar characteristics, Laughter holds her 
sides, and old wrinkles are driven awaj-. Dilly Fay, the best 
clown in the world, is also one of the leading features of this 
grand exhibition." 

On the 25th day of December, we find an account de- 
scribing a " scrapping " match as follcjws : '"Some excite- 
ment was caused on Sabbath morning by the arrest of a Mr. 
Gresh, who has lately come to this place and set up a 'one- 
eved " grocery. He was arrested upon the afhdavit of John 
W. Thornton, who testified that on the previous evening the 
defendant assaulted him with a butcher knife, because he had 
peaceably entered defendant's grocery to ask him for a small 
debt. The defendant was fined two dollars and the cost of 
the suit. This defendant has lately come here from Newcastle 
where he rendered himself obnoxious to the citizens by keep- 
ing a doggery or tippling saloon. \\'e hope that the town 
authorities will keep a strict watch oxer his grocery, and if he 
is found attempting to keep such a house here, that they will 
make him answer promptly for his violations of the law to 
the known wishes of the citizens."" 

In the issue of January I, 1S58, James \V. Cook, editor 
of the S/at/dard , bids farewell to his readers, and Charles I. 
Barker announces to the world in an ably written salutatory 
that he is the editor and proprietor of that journal. 

In 185s, when Anderson was a village without any Opera 
House or other place of amusement, those who lived here fur- 
nishetl amusement for themselves by forming different kinds 
of societies, debating schools, spelling classes and other means 
of entertainment, which were highly enjoyable to those par- 
ticipating therein, as well as to the many spectators who at- 
tended them. In the Ai/dcrson Standard of Februar)' 5th of 
that year, we find a notice of the Anderson Lyceum and its 
speakers, as follows : 

" This institute is becoming more and more noticeable 
and deeph' interesting each week. It numbers among its 
members prominent gentlemen of all political creeds, who live 
in the village or its vicinity. It has under consideration and 
discussion the ' Kansas Qiiestion," growing out of the Presi- 
dent's message and Mr. Douglas' remarks with regard to it. 
The question being, on resolution, submitted by Dr. Townsend 
Ryan for the purpose of infusing life into the Lyceum, which 
Avas thought to be lacking. We are unable to state the (]ues- 
tion in its precise dictum ; indeed, it is not so much now our 



204 IIISTOIO OK MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

> 

design to introduce the question as it is to mention the per- 
sonages wiio participated in this discussion. First, and doubt- 
less tiie most conspicuous among tlie debaters, stands Dr. 
Ryan, though standing ahiiost alone, taking for argument's 
sake the President's side of the proposition, and fortifying the 
stand he has taken by a formidable array of proof. The Doc- 
tor comes up to his full stature and gives his opponents no 
little trouble. He comes down like Ajax did upon his ene- 
mies, and rushes furiously onward to the fray. 

■' Xext in the arena appears I. X. Terwilliger, the man of 
hooks and memory. He stands forth the embodiment of a 
walking library. He has read everything, knows everything, 
and is thus enabled to use many facts and arguments in sup- 
port of his position. He is a speaker far above metliocritv, 
has a splendid voice and an excellent command of language. 
He hurls his lance like one of the bra\e knights of old. 

•'Next comes the j'oung Hector of the list, Thomas N. Stil- 
well, young in years but old in the forum. He pitches in with 
great impetuosity, scarcely drawing his breath at a period, 
dashes on with terrible rapidity, apparently determined to 
carry off the orator's prize more by storm than by strength. 
lie is, however, a young, untried man of great future prom- 
ise, and by strict discipline may still improve his style of ora- 
tor\-. 

''Just south of the speaker's chair rises a voinig man with 
keen, gray eyes, broad forehead, and rmldv complexion, the 
colleague of Dr. Ryan. His style of speaking is liberal and 
open, yet forcible. It is somewhat steady anil evidently 
smacks of the midnight oil. James M. Dickson, next took 
the floor. He is a son of the Emerald Isle, jet speaks 
the English language well. He makes a good appearance 
upon the floor and has a stentorian voice, but like some other 
debators, lacks availability. He falls into line with the 
Douglas wing and handles that side of the (juestion with 
much force and candor. 

'•Then follows Xeal C. McCullough. He is at times on 
both sides, or, perhaps, rather opposed to both. He consumed 
a good part of his half hour in reading from a \ery compen- 
dious volume, a number of extracts bearing upon the 'Kansas 
question.' He talked fluently, whether to or from the ques- 
tion, and shows conclusively that he is familiar with the t|ues- 
tion. W'e conclude that he would be more at home in a 



HISTOKV OK MADISON COl'XTV, INDIANA. 205 

banking o]ier;itioii th;in in the discussion of tiii? ' Kansas 
question.' 

"Tlioinas \V. Cook also made a short speech, but owint; to 
his ill iiealth he left the main points of the C|uestion untouched. 
The expression of his counteiKuice indicated and impressed 
the beholder that, altliough willing, lie was unable to do his 
best at this time. 

" The last named gentleman was followed by Milton S. 
Robinson, who made a very powerful address. Mr. Robinson 
has been a public speaker all his life, at the bar and on the 
stump for several j'cars, though he is j'et a young man on the 
sunuv side of the meridian of life. He has the faculty of 
drawing from a \ocabularv such a concatenation of epithets 
as will make his opponents writhe under the castigation. He 
is striding on to fame and a brilliant future awaits him. " 

Xearlv every jierson alluded to as having taken part in 
the debates of this organization became, later on in life, emi- 
nent as lawyers, doctors, teachers, business men and poli- 
ticians. Townsend Rvan, James M. Dickson and AT. S. 
liobinson became men of great influence in political circles, 
and held high and honorable positions. 

On December 11, 1857, we find a notice of an in(|uest 
lield over the body of an unknown person found dead near 
Chesterfield, as follows : 

'■ The undersigned, coroner of Madison county, hereby 
certifies that an inquest was held before me at the town of 
Chesterfield, in said county, on the I'lith day of November, 
1857, over the dead bodv of a man. whose name is supposed 
to be James Wright, but whether that be the true name is 
unknown. That said deceased was about sixtv-five years of 
age; that he had a scar on the top part of his left thigh and 
a large wound on his head. He was dressed in a black suit 
of clothes, satin vest and gray mixed pants. He is supposed 
to haye come to his- death by exposure to the incltmencv of 
the weather. [Signed. | J. J. Loxge.veckeu, 

•• Coroner of Madison Co.' 

On the llith of April, 1858, we find the same officer giv- 
ing notice of an inquest in Adams township, as follows : 

■'Notice is hereby given that I have this day held an in- 
quest over the dead body of Thomas Shelton, there lying and 
found dead, said deceased being aljout lifty-nine years of age, 
a resident of Adams township ; that he came to his death by 
'takinu' a lit' and falling into the l)ranch. and then ami there 



20f5 HISTORY OK MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

strangling to death. He liad on his person $5.50 and no 
other valuables." 

We find an announcement in the same issue of a fatal 
accident near Pendleton, as follows: 

"We learn that a little son of Jehu Shuman, who lives 
about three miles northwest of Pendleton, while sitting on 
the fence, a limb fell from a tree under which he was sit- 
ting, hitting him on the head and killing him instantly. He 
was six years of age."' 

In the issue of April 2'S, 1858, we find the following 
obituary : 

"Died in Anderson, on the 18th instant, after a lingering 
illness, Hannah M., wife of Alfred Makepeace, aged 48 j-ears. 
Deceased was one of the oldest inhabitants of Anderson, 
having lived here since her marriage, about thirty years ago. 
At the time she came to Anderson the court house square was 
a forest and there were but few buildings in the town. She 
and her husband therefore shared the privations, the toils and 
troubles incident to the settling of a new country, and have, 
as a reward for an industrious life, accumulated much of this 
world's goods. She was the mother of a large family of chil- 
dren, to whom she had endeared herself by her inany remarka- 
ble cjualities, who have now to mourn her irreparable loss." 
The lady here spoken of was the mother of Captain A. I. 
Makepeace. 

In the issue of June ?,. 1858, we find the account of a 
suicide near Xew Columbus, of which the editor says : "We 
learn that on Sunday morning last Josephus Poindexter, who 
lived about four miles south of Columbus, in this county, 
committed suicide bv cutting his throat with a razor. He 
cut a gash on each side of his throat and left the front of his 
neck untouched. The fatal deed was committed but a short 
distance from his residence. He was found a short while 
after, but life was extinct. He was a worthy and respectable 
citizen, and left a wife and large family of grown children. 
The cause of this act is supposed to have been financial 
embarrassment."' 

In the same number of this paper we find the professional 
card of Dr. George F. Chittenden, as follows: 

" George F. Chittenden has located at Chesterfield, Madi- 
son county, where he offers his professional services to the 
citizens of the surrountlintr country. Parlicular attention 



MISTOIiV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 207 

will be given to surgery. Respectfully refers to J, S. Bobb, 
M. D., and T. Parvin, of Indianapolis.'' 

Dr. George F. Chittenden, at this time was a young 
physician, having come to Madison county from near Ve\ay, 
Indiana, on the Ohio river. lie practiced but a short time in 
Chesterfield, when he attracted the attention of Dr. John 
Hunt, of Anderson, who was one of the leading physicians 
in the county in his day, and who was so much taken with 
young Chittenden, that he otTered him a partnership in a large 
and lucrative business, which lie accepted and then removed 
to Anderson in that year. Since that time he has been a 
resident of this place, and is one of the most successful phy- 
sicians and surgeons in the county. 

In the issue of July 8, 1858, we find the notice of the 
drowning of a person by the name of Patrick Cofl'ey, as fol- 
lows : 

"A man by the name of CoflFey was drowned in White 
river, near the Cincinnati & Chicago railroad depot, on 
Saturday last. He was bathing, and, not being acquainted 
with the river, he got into a deep hole and sank. Before he 
could be rescued, his life was extinct. He was sent to New- 
castle, where his home was, for burial." 

On October 14, 1858, we find in the Staiida7-d the an- 
nouncement of a fatal accident : " On Saturday last, while 
some little children were at plaj- with fire on the streets of 
Anderson, the dress of a little daughter of James Battreall 
caught fire, and before her clothes could be removed she was 
so badl)' burned that she died on Sunday about one o'clock. 
She was about four years of age." 

This little child was the daughter of James Battreall, a 
prominent citizen of Anderson, who is yet living in this place 
and is well and favorably known to the community. 

In the issue of December 23, 1S5S, appears the announce- 
ment of the sudden death of S. S. Templin, who was a promi- 
nent citizen and merchant of Anderson, and whose widow 
lately died in this place. '' On Sunday evening last, about 
five o'clock, S. S. Templin was found dead in his store. He 
had left his house about two o'clock to get some paper for the 
purpose of doing some writing, and, not returning as soon as 
expected, his little girl was sent to look for him. She called, 
but received no answer, and returning informed her mother 
that he was not in the store, and stated that the door was un- 
locked. The mother then went and called him, but received 



208 



HISTORY OK MADISON COl'Xr\, INDIANA. 



no answer. She then locked the door. After waiting awhile 
Mrs. Templin, becoming alarmed, went and unlocked the 
door, jjassed behind the counter, and there lound her husband 
cold in death. She then gave the alarm to the neighboi-s, who 
hastened to the place and found the body in such a position 
as to warrant the belief that death was the work of an 
instant. 

'• Mr. Templin was one of the most enterprising citizens 
and merchants of Anderson. His death will be seriously felt 
by the communit)', but more especially by the wife and fam- 
ily of little children. He was a man about forty year» of 
aj,'e." . ' 

In the issue of November 18, 1858, an account is given 
of the meeting of a " moot legislature" at the court house, in 
which many prominent citizens took part : " Mr. Samurl \\'. 
■Hill was appointed to prepare a message to the House, which 
took place on Monday evening, November 8. After reading 
the journal Mr. Hill introduced and read his message, from 
which we take a few extracts ; 

•' Conformabl)' to my constitutional duty to impart to you 
information touching the condition of the state, and to recom- 
mend measures deemed expeditious and fitting, I do so now. 
Three words express all that makes a state prosperous — agri- 
culture, commerce and morality. The mechanical arts, the 
industrial pursuits, will, or generally are, connected with or 
depending on these. Our commercial prosperity depends upon 
transportation and currency. The Wabash and Erie canal 
and the Wabash and White rivers all have been our means of 
transit. The alarming increase of incendiarism and railroad 
obstruction is doubtless attributable in part to the wholesale 
frauds of corporations. A railroad is built, the funds fail, the 
officers pay themselves and ring the bell ; the hands who in 
wet, heat and cold built the road are left to ' whistle " for their 
pay. Vou are recommended to take unusual steps wilii re- 
gard to the moneyed situation of Indiana, so as to prohibit all 
banks of issue, permitting only those of loan and deposit. 

" If it is right to buy and sell a gallon of whisky to drink, 
why is it wrong to sell a gill for the same purpose. Why not 
leave all those who can control their appetite in this respect 
to their own will and judgment, and moral religious influence?"' 

On motion of Dr. Townsend Ryan, the message was laid 
upon the table for the present, and one hundred copies were 
ordered to be printed t"or the use of the members. 



IllSlOm' OK MAIHSOX COIINTV, INDIANA. 209 

Many proininent citizens of Anderson took pait in the 
proceedings of this boily, among whom wcie Colonel Milton 
S. Robinson, John Davis, Esquire, Samuel B. Maddox, R. N. 
Williams and many others whose names do not now occur. 

A. H. Kline was elected clerk of the House and sipjned 
the minutes of the meeting. The message presented by Mr. 
Hill was at a subsequent meeting taken up anil discussed by 
sections, and literally torn to pieces. Many warm ilebates 
took place on the floor of the House resulting sometimes almost 
in jiersonal encounters. These meetings were \ery enjoyable 
to all those who took part in them. 

I'OURIN'i; OUT I.I(i_llORS. 

On the '25th of December, 1858, occurred one of the most 
exciting episodes in Anderson's early historv. There had 
been considerable agitation upon the temperance question, 
and the citizens were pretty generally stirred up in reference 
thereto ; several parties were selling liquor in the corporation 
without a license, even the drug stores being almost as open 
in their tralfic in lirjuors as the doggeries. The people had 
become much e.\cited in reference to the matter, and on the 
day above alluded to it almost culminated in a riot. Two 
young men, both sons of prominent citizens, became intoxicated, 
which fact precipitated a raid upon the liipior dealing places. 

The .S/n//i/ard of December iJOtli, speaking of the feeling 
on this subject, says : 

" On last Saturday night, a lawless mob visited our licjuor 
sellers, broke into their apartments, or gained admission by 
other means, rolled their.whiske)' into the street, and knocked 
in the heads of the barrels. We have probably particularized 
sufficiently, as all those who have seen men and boys excited, 
will have as accurate an idea of the demonstration as we can 
give. We have no SN'mpathy with liquor selling, we are no 
apologists for its evils. If we want it for any purpose, we 
buy it and use it as our judgment may dictate or our physician 
prescribe. We are in favor of wholesome laws governing the 
traflic, and will submit to such as are made and enforced, but 
will never sanction a mob or the lawless acts of irresponsible 
men and boys. Calamities might have come from the acts of 
Saturday night. 

'•In another part of the paper we publish the proceedings 
of a meeting to justify the conduct of the mob, and in this 
meeting no idea of a dissenting voice is conveyed. We were 



210 " HISTORY OI' MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

not there, but are creditably informed there were those in 
attendance who desired to place that meeting on the side of 
law and order, and spoke to that effect, but every effort was 
crushed out by the clamor of the crowd. To convey an idea 
of what some of our citizens desire, we publish a preamble 
and set of resolutions introduced by Mr. James M. Dickson, as 
follows : Whereas, a necessity seemed to exist in the minds 
of many, on Saturday night, the 2.5th inst., for the destruc- 
tion of all the intoxicating drink in the town of Anderson, 
and whereas we are under the impression that the means 
resorted to for the destruction of the property of our citizens 
is contrary to law and good order, and we hope no such sup- 
posed necessity will ever again exist for the violation of law. 
The editor further says : 'These resolutions breathe more of 
the spirit of law and order than characterizes the resolutions 
that were reported and adopted, notwithstanding the fact that 
as good temperance men as there are in the town were 
opposed to the acts of the mob. Dr. Townsend Ryan, James 
M. Dickson, S. W. Hill, T. W. Cook and others were opposed 
to mobocracv, but tiie proceedings of the meeting would con- 
vey the impression that they spoke in favor of the resolutidns.' " 

The meeting that was held at the court house on the 27th 
of December, referred to by tlie editor in the foregoing article, 
was presided over by ^Villiam Crim i Ralph X. Clark and T. 
P. Kennard, acted as secretaries. This meeting was held 
pursuant to notice given to the citizens of Anderson to take 
into consideration some means for the prohibition of the sale 
of intoxicating liquors, and to call out an expression of 
opinion of the citizens in relation to the movements of the 
mob on the 25th instant. 

On motion, a committee of live, consisting of Messrs. 
Kennard, Davis, Sansberry, Hazlett and Dickson, were ap- 
pointed to draft and present resolutions expressive of the 
sense of the meeting. After a few minutes deliberation, the 
committee reported a set of resolutions from which we extract 
the following : 

Resolved, That we will present an unbroken front 
against the introduction of any more intoxicati-^g drinks 
within our town or vicinity. That we, the citizens of Ander- 
son, pledge to those brave men who had the heart to conceive, 
and the nerve to execute those noble deeds, but at the same 
time we deprecate mobs and the principle thereof as a general 
sentiment, and only justify anything of the kind as a last 



IlISTOKV OF .MAl)IJ>ON COUNTY. IXDIAXA. 211 

resort. That there be appointed as this meeting a standing 
committee of five to ascertain from the agents of the differ- 
ent railroads the reception of any intoxicating liquors for sale 
at this place, which liquors shall be immediately reshipped or 
destroyed, and in case destruction becomes necessary, we will 
sustain said committee with our money and our property. 

Dr. Rvan. being called for came forward and addressed 
the meeting, and was followed by Milton S. Robinson, Davis, 
Dickson, Sansberr}-, Hill, Cook and the Rev. J. F. McMul- 
len, after which, on motion, tlie resolutions were adopted 
without a dissenting voice. The minutes of this meeting 
were signed by William Crim, president, and R. N. Clark, 
secretary. 

It will be seen from tin- editorial above quoted tliat there 
was considerable feeling in reference to this matter, and the 
officers of that meeting were severely censured for reporting 
that the resolutions were adopted withiuit dissent. We find in 
the issue of June G, 1859, several communications upon the 
subject, one of which is signed by James M. Dickson, and 
ani)tiier bv S. W^. Hill, in which the}' denounce the meeting, 
and sa}' that the resolutions were not adopted unanimously, 
but that there were several dissenting votes against them, anil 
also state that several of the prominent citizens arose and 
spoke against the adoption of the resolutions. 

Among the places visited where liquor was destroyed was 
the drug store occupied by Dr. J. P. Crampton. The store of 
Atticus Siddall was also visited and a small amount of Tniuor 
poured out. 

The place kept by Thomas Croke, on South Main street, 
was also taken in charge and the liquors poured into the street. 
A man by the name of Corbett Jackson, who kept a place 
near the crossing of the Pan Handle and Bee Line Railways, 
was also a victim of the mob. This was the first crusade 
against the liquor traffic in Madison county, and caused an in- 
ten.se amount of bad feeling on both sides of the question, and 
it was many years before the animosity growing out of this 
affair subsided. This matter ended in Dr. J. P. Crampton 
bringing suit against those in the mob. The suit was jointly 
against all of them, and a change of venue was taken to Del- 
aware county. Through the shrewdness of John Davis, the 
defendants' attorney, a comprotnise was made with one of the 
defendants, which had the effect to release all. So there ended 



2\2 illSTOKY OK MADISON COl'NTY. INDIANA. 

the legal controversy. The compromise was thought at tie 
time to be a very " slick " job. 

In the i.ssiie of the S/ain/ard of August 8. 1M)7. we find 
the editor announces to the people that the enterprising citi- 
zens of the county are organizing turnpikes and ditch associa- 
tions, and that the county will in a short time become one of 
the finest in the State of Indiana. He sajs ; •■ There are 
eight turnpikes now in progress in this county, a large por- 
tion of which are being built to Anderson. When all are 
completed, in connection with the hj-draulic canal. Anderson 
may become the capital of Indiana, with the suburlian \ illages 
of Muncie, Ne\v Castle and Kokomo dependent upon it for 
their base of supplies. There are nineteen organized ditch 
companies in this county at present. Madison countv has for 
a longtime been reputed to be made up of many swamps ; but 
after the work is completed which these companies propose to 
do, the people will have to move west into Howard countv 
if they desire to purciiase swamp lands." 

Previous to this time there was but one gravel road lead- 
ing into Anderson, which was the Alexandria turnpike. The 
roads throughout a part of the county, from the lirst of Marcli 
until the first of June, were nearly all impassable and the 
county was almost a wilderness of swamp lands. The turn- 
j)ikes and ditch companies were tlie initial steps towards mak- 
ing Madison county the garden spot of Indian.'. 

In the issue of March i;8, IStJT, we find the announce- 
ment of the killing of a brakeman on the Chicago anil Great 
Eastern Railroad, now known as the Pan Handle, as fol- 
lows: " On Monday e\ening last a brakeman was killed at 
the 'junction' by being run <ner by a train of cars. He 
was engaged at the time in making a coupling of a freight 
train and by .some means his clothing caught on a piece of iron 
which prevented him from getting off of the track and he was 
dragged under the train which passed over his leg severing it 
from his body and he was otherwise terribly wounded. He 
lived about twelve hours after the accident. His body was 
taken to Cleveland where his wife and family resided. It is 
understood that his name was fjibson and that he had been em- 
ployed on the road only a short time." 

In the issue of the 17th day of September, 18(58, the 
editor of the S/andarJ announces the arrival of the remains 
of Captain \'an devender, in Anderson, as follows: "The 
remains of the late Captain X'andevender, who fell while 



IIISTOK^ Ol- MADISON' COl-XT\', INDIANA. 1' I o 

i^'alhuitlv leading his men at the siege of Vicksburg, were 
brought to this city on Thursday, the i'd inst., and interred in 
the new cemetery on the Saturday following. lie was a 
brave otlicer ami a gallant man." 

Captain Hiram Vandevender. referred to in this article, 
was a captain in the Eighth Indiana Regiment, being a mem- 
ber of the first company of soldiers organized in ^Vnderson at 
the breaking out of the war of the rebellion. He was well 
and favorably known by the people of Madison county, and 
especially the residents of Anderson. His wife was a sister 
of Captain W. R. Myers and a daughter of the late Samuel 
flyers, of .Vnderson. The first service held for the decora- 
tion of soldiers' graves in Anderson took place at his grave, 
which is marked by a handsome Italian marble slab in the 
cemetery north of the city. At a meeting held for the pur- 
pose of forming a company of \olunteers at the l)reaking out 
of the war, Vandevender was, by unanimous choice of the; 
soldiers, made cajjtain of the company, an account of which is 
gi\en in another place in this liook. 

In the issue of the Standard of April 14. ISfil, we find 
an account of the burning of a saloon in Anderson which was 
said to have Ik'^mi fired by an inceniliary and came ne;ir result- 
ing in a conflagration of other property in the city, as follows : 

"The building was occupied as a saloon bv 'Irish Jimmie 
Smith,' and was lii-ed in two places about '1 o'clock on Mon- 
day morning. It might have resulted in a very serious con- 
llugration in tha d-struction of other houses had it not been 
discoxered bv a gentleman who happened to be on the street 
at that hour, and who, by the assistance of a few others, suc- 
ceeded in extinguishing the flames before any material damage 
was done to the property. The building had been lately pur- 
chased bv Mr. John Flavin. This was evid.-ntly the act of 
some fiend in human shape who desired to burn out that part 
of the city." 

In the issue of August IS, 1864. an account is given of the 
burning of wheat belonging to t\vo prominent farmers of Mad- 
ison county' : 

■'Peter Hosier and David Harless, living near Hamilton, 
in this count)', had all their wheat burned last week. Hosier 
had 4l)() bushels destroyed, while Harless had ()()(). The fire 
w.is the act of an incendiarx." 

In the same issue we find an account of tiie shooting of a 
man of the name of (iriffy, near Anderson : 



214 HISTORY OF MADISON COrXTY, INDIANA. 

" A man bj- the name of Grifl'y who resides some tliree 
miles from town, was very seriously wounded one day last 
week by being shot through the lungs by a rifle in the hands of 
some unknown party. Griffy was helping a neighbor thresh 
wheat, and was in the act of taking his seat at the table when 
he was shot. The crowed in attendance at the place went out 
and overtook Milton White about 100 yards from the house, 
who had a gun with him. He was taken into custody, but 
White denied having done the act and was released." The 
Milton White spoken of was the same person who was 
hung in Anderson on the 1st day of November, 18()7, for the 
murder of IIoppes,a full account of which appears elsewhere. 

In the issue of December 13, 1866, we find a letter from 
G. Dascher, proprietor of the Revere House, of Chicago, 
making inquiries asto one David H. Lane, who died in that 
hotel on the night of the 12th of December, by being suffocated 
by gas. The letter \vas addressed to the postmaster at Ander- 
son as follows : 

" A young man registering himself as David H. Lane, 
Sullivan county. Missouri, met his death at this house last night 
by suffocation from gas, he having througii ignorance blown 
out the gas light instead of turning it off. He had in his pos- 
session a railroad ticket for Anderson on the Chicago and 
Great Eastern Railroad, at which place or in its neighborhood, 
he told the boy who showed liim to bed, that he had rehitives 
livintr.'' 



CHAPTER XXV. 

A Fkw Person'ai, Sketches ok Persons Who \Vere 
Well Known in Madisox County in Their Time — 
Enoch M. Jackson. 

Among tlie okl-timers who have lived in Anderson none 
i.s more worthv of complimentary mention than Enoch M. 
Jackson, who died on the 2Uth of March, 18SiS, while filling 
the responsible office of Justice of the Peace. 

He came to Madison county when four years of age with 
his father, Andrew Jackson, and spent the remainder of his 
life here. He was a man of more than ordinary sense, and 
well educated. 'He was of fine physique and polished man- 
ners, making manv new friends and holding fast to older ones. 

He was for inanj- years in the marble business in Ander- 
son, and during the year of 1868 erected a handsome monu- 
ment dedicated to the Hamilton county soldiers by the com- 
missioners at Noblesville, which was unveiled on the Fourth 
of July in that year. Mr. Jackson delivered an address on 
that occasion that endeared him to the hearts of the people of 
Noblesville and Hamilton county Its language is perfect, 
and the sentiments uttered are full of true patriotism. This 
piece of oratorv will be remembered while its author is sleep- 
ing through ages yet to come. It is embodied in the reports 
of the Adjutant General of Indiana, and is filed in the archives 
of the State, where it will remain as long as time shall exist. 

The following is his address : 

" We have met upon this our nation's birthday for the 
purpose of unveiling and presenting to the citizens of Hamil- 
ton county this beautiful monument. It is proper that such a 
presentation should take place upon such a day. Our memo- 
ries revert to the days of 1776, when our forefathers in solemn 
council assembled and declared that the colonies are, and of 
right ought to be, free and independent. 

"The generations which succeeded them have given every 
evidence of the same spirit of patriotism which imbued their 
hearts, and have erected monument after monument in mem- 



■Jli'} HISIOHV OF MAIMSOX COINTY, INDIANA. 

oiv of their fallen heroes. So it is with us in our day. An 
unnatural and cruel war has passed away. In its cause many 
have fallen, and many hearthstones are desolate ; many sons, 
brothers and husbands have fought their last fight, and have 
given the imperishable crown to victory. 

" Their names and their memories are engraved as indeli- 
blv upon our hearts as they are engraved upon this stone. We 
need no better evidence of the spirit of reverence for our brave 
and gallant soldiers than is exhibited bv the generous liber- 
alitv of vour County Commissioners in the purchase and erec- 
tion of this marble shaft, draped so aporopriately with the 
banners of our country, the Stars and Stripes. Upon its sum- 
mit is perched the American eagle, emblem of freedom, invit- 
ing the oppressed of every land to shelter under its wide- 
spread wings. 

"In erecting this monument jour commissioners simply 
ilid their dutv. Those boys had the promise, Avhen they left 
their homes, that they would be remembered. How noblv 
has Hamilton county responded, in having engraved hereon, 
not only the names of her dead, but of her living heroes, who 
fought on many a bloodv battle-field with Spartan zeal, that 
they might retrieve, in part, for the loss of their fellow com- 
rades, and prove to us that a republican form of gov'ernment 
was a success, and to the world a guarantee of universal free- 
dom . 

'•And. in conclusion, we now piesent and coinmit to vour 
hands and keeping, through Governor Baker, this monument. 
L pon its smooth and polished tablets are engraved the names 
of Hamilton county's gallant defenders. May the names of 
our fallen ones ever be in our remembrance. May the hand of 
charity and of friendship be ever extended to the heart- 
stricken loved ones upon earth. May this beautiful monument 
ever call to our minds, that love of countrv and that heart-felt 
patriotism of ever true American is a noble defender. And 
may the glory and renown of America prove as imperish- 
able as this graven stone." 

Moses Maynard, the oldest man who ever lived in Madi- 
son county and. perhaps, in the state of Indiana, was for 
man}- years a resident of Monroe township, and died at the 
home of his son, Barnabas Maynard. on the hlth of June, 
1iST4. He was born September 23, 1763, near Hillsboro, 
X. C, and had reached the extreme age of lOS years at the 
time of his death. His life was an eventful one as he was 



HISTOHV 1)I- MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. I'll 

the only man known to the people of this section of the 
Cduntry, who could s;iv that lie voted for George Washington 
for president of tiie United States. Mr. Maynard claimed to 
ha\e \oted at every Presidential election since the time that 
(ieorge Washington ran for iiis first term down to the time of 
Horace Greelev in 1S72, and in his latter days he persistently 
contendeil that Horace (jreeley was elected to fill the presi- 
ilential chair. He related many interesting circumstances 
when in a friendly con versal i(in. He remembered the British 
soldiers whipping his father in an unmerciful manner in a corn 
field during the Re\ olutionary war, where his father was en- 
gaged in gathering corn, because he would not disclose the 
whereabouts of a brother, who was in hitling from the ISritish 




.MOSKS .\1.\VN.\ Kl). IHE Ol.niCST .MAN Wild EVEU I^UKD IN 
MADISON lOllNI'l-. DIED AT lO.S VEAliS OK .\GE. 

Tories. He had another brother who was taken by the British 
soldiers, and who never returned. He was a man who always 
ilrank more or less, from his boyhood to old age, and was a 
striking example of the theory that some advocate, that good 
whisky properly used is a benefit rather than an injury to the 
human family. During his residence in Madison county, it was 
not an uncomniou sight to see him galloping along the road 
toward Alexandria to replenish the family jug. which he al- 
ways kept about his premises. In religion he was a Baptist, 
and was a prominent mendjer of that church. He was the father 
of eleven children in Madison County. The immediate descend- 
ants of this old man are ver\ numerous. An uncle of Moses 
Maynaril \n as a \olunteer soklier in the Revolutionarv war 



218 IIISTOKV OK MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

from Xortli C:iroliii;i. In speaking of the customs of liis 
old Carolina home, he stated that there were no wagons in 
that country, and in ■■ toting " their tobacco to market, the 
people took hoop poles and lashed their tobacco hogsheads to 
them, and then hitched their horses to them, and rolled them 
a distance of fifty miles. L ntil a year prior to his death Mr. 
Mavnard raised iiis own tobacco, and did many chores about 
the house of his son. where he lived. Only one picture of 
this old man is in existence. It is a tin type taken a short 
time before his death, from which the accompanying illustra- 
tion is taken. 

During his younger days, when the British were firing 
on Lexington and Bunker Hill, he was an observer of some of 
the tragic scenes of the Revolution. Thomas Paine's produc- 
tions, "The Crisis," -'Common Sense" and "Rights of 
Man,"' were read to Mr. Maynard fresh from the hand-- that 
wrote them. The wife of Moses ^laynard was Sarah Green- 
street. During the Revolutionarv war she is said to have 
subsisted, together with her mother, one wiiole week on boiled 
beans and poke leaves, it being the only means of support, as 
the\' were compelled to hide in ambusii to avoid the British 
cavalry. Mr. Mavnard is uiulouhtedlv the only man who 
ever lived in ^ladison county who had the pleasure of meet- 
ing in person the immortal Wasiiington, also Jefferson and 
Franklin. William Mavnard. the father of Moses, was a siioe- 
maker b}- trade, and this was the means of liis traveling from 
one section of the country to another. Moses Maynard 
eventually, after liis marriage, laniled in Kentucky, near tlie 
Big .Sandy river, and lived there until he was twenty-eight 
years old, when he came to Madison county and entered for 
himself eighty acres of land on the Little Kilbuck, on what is 
now known as the Benjamin Walker farm. He also entered 
forty acres for his eldest son James, the last mentioned tract 
being known as the McKowen farm, on the .\lexandria pike, 
one mile north of Prosperity. The memory of this old man 
was very acute, and after passing a period of lassitude wlien 
he was aliout ninety-five years old, his perceptive facilities 
became quite active. He could recite many daring instances 
of his early life. For several years prior to his death he was 
quite childish, but was not considered a burden by his son 
and estimable daughter-in-law, who took care of him. He 
iiad the notoriety of being the oldest man in the common- 
wealth of Indiana, and when he died the news of tiie decease 



IIISTDUV OF MADISON COUNIV, INDIANA. 21'J 

spread throughout tlie liuul. The Louisville' Courier- Joiirinil 
gave quite an account of the event, written by Miss Laura 
Ream, who visited him during the trial of John E. Corwin, 
in the winter of 1874. Miss Ream was at that time corre- 
spondent for the Louisville Coiiricr-fouriial, and while in 
attendance at the trial she was made acquainted with Mr. 
Maynard through Lee W. Trees, a prominent merchant of 
Anderson at one time, who conveyed iier to the Maynard 
residence, where she held quite an interview with the old gen- 
tleman and the family with whom he residetl, which resulted 
in a long communication to the paper, in which a complete 
history of Mr. Maynard from the time of his birth to the day 
of the interview appeared. 

DEATH OF C.\PT. I{ . M. lIAIiltlMAN. 

In the year 1807, Capt. R. M. Ilarriman, of Anderson, 
with his father-in-law, J. R. Ilsley, together with a man of 
the name of Folsom, engaged in the manufacture of e.xcelsior, 
a product of bass-wood and other soft timber which was cut 
up and used for packing purposes, and also for making mat- 
tresses. The business was carried on on north Main street on 
the ground now occupied by the plainng mill of C. E. 
Springer & Co. These gentlemen did a very successful busi- 
ness for several years, but Capt. Harriman was a seafaring 
man, and could not content himself with the plodding waj's 
of the " land-lubber"; therefore, about the jear 1869, he and 
his estimable wife took their departure for the sea, and he 
again embarked in his old occupation, that of commanding a 
vessel. He was master of tlie An:erican brig Alberti. until 
the 25th of January, 1878, when he lost his life while at his 
post of duty. 

While at sea off Lizard's Point, in a storm, Captain 
Harriinan's vessel was run down l>y an Italian bark, and in 
his efforts to save his crew and cargo, was so severely injured 
that he died within an hour after the occurrence. 

Captain Harriman had ordered the life-boats lowered, and 
picking his wife up in his arms, started to take her to a place 
of safety to transfer her to tlie Italian vessel, which stood close 
beside the Alberti. At this time a quick surge of the Italian 
bark caused her to strike the .Vlberti with such force as to 
nearly bury her in the sea, knocking the captain against the 
rigging, mortally wounding him, and for a time disabling 
Mrs. Harriman. At this juncture the Italian vessel cleared 



i:?(( IIIMOIM Ol- MADISON COINTV, INDIANA. 

away from them and left them to the mercies of the sea. The 
mate, Edward Kelly, at once took command of the crippled 
vessel and safely landed her in Plj-mouth harbor. Besides the 
loss of Captain Harriman, a sailor was for some time missing, 
but it afterward was ascertained that he had gotten aboard the 
Italian bark in the scramble and was not long afterward landed 
in the harbor to join his associates. Mrs. Harriman has lived 
in Anderson ever since this occurrence, and was, on the 18th 
of May, l^T'.l. married to the Hon. D. W. Wood, with whom 
she is now living at their pleasant home on west Xinth street, 
in Anderson. A claim for damages was afterward paid by 
tlie Italian vessel. The Albert! was boinid for Herbice when 
the accident overtook her. 



CHAPTER XX\'I. 

TiiK Trades I'nions of Madison Countv. 

Prior to 1887 such a thinj^as a trade's union was unknown 
in Madison count}*. The discover^' of natural gas brought to 
our borders many manufacturing establisliments since which 
time the trades ha\e formed unions in every town and city 
where there are factories. 

We give the names of the same and the executive olllcers 
under the proper heads. 

By these organizations the wages of workmen are kept at 
a living price and a fraternal feeling engendered among men 
that is calculated to elevate the human family. 

MADISON fOUNTV lEDEKAIIOX OF I..\BOH. 

President, Geo. Cookson ; vice-president, A. T. Dye ; 
secretary, Louis Fuller. 

ANDERSON. 

il'///i/iizc (j/ass M'orkcrs. — blaster workman, (ieorge Per- 
kins; secretary, Gilbert Aitken. 

Barbers. — President, Jacob Fischer; vice-president. 1. A. 
Davis; secretary, C. A. Salman. 

('arf>c)i/crs. — President. Francis L. Eads : vice-president. 
William Baker: secretary, Elias Bidwell. 

1-iiiit (i/ass W'lyrkirs. — President, Oliver ]?rver ; \ ice- 
president. Pollard Ihmsen ; secretary, Wm. Beck. 

A)iia1ga)iiati\i Association of I. S. if- 7\ P. (/'. of A. — 
President, Thomas K. Thomas ; vice-president, John J. Jones; 
secretary, John Chappell. 

7\iiiors'' Union. — President, Cliarles McMahon ; vice- 
president, Geo. HofFner ; secretary, Xora Collins. 

lirirklaycrs'' I'nion . — President, Wm. Kelley ; vice-presi- 
dent, (ieo. Grahi ; secretary. Grant Campion. 

Ritail Clerks' I'nion. — President. Louis Fuller; vice- 
president. Wm. W. Cooper: secretary, Earl Birkebile. 

File Workers' l')tion . — President, A. Loomis ; vice-presi- 
dent, loseph Keltner : secretary, John Elistone. 



•222 msTOKV ok .madison county, Indiana. 

/rn)! Mo/i/dcrs. — President, Mike Howard: vice-presi- 
dent. Eli Maxwell; secretary, Richard Shaw. 

Cii^ar-niakers. — President, A. F. Behrman ; vice-presi- 
dent, John M. Toolen : secretary, Arch Powell. 

Typographical I'liioii. — President, E. E. (joss; vice- 
president, Leroy Thompson ; secretary, R. N. Mattox. 

Wire Drawers. — President, \Vni. Beverly: \ ice-presi- 
dent, J. |. King; secretary, \Vm. Ossenberg. 

EI.WOOI). 

Trades Assc»ih/\. — President, M. \\'. Conway; vice- 
president, Frank Gratehouse : secretary, Frank Keyser. 

Wiinhnc (i/ass Workers. — Master workman, Albeit 
\\illiams: preceptor. J. .Streitt'uss. 

F/ii/t G/ass Workers. — Xo. 50, President. Thos. Mc- 
Go\ern: vice-president, Louis Steckler; secretarv. Fritz 
Bernard. 

Xo. 75, President, J. G. Hand; vice-president. Samuel 
Reed; secretary, Andrew Fracelton. 

No. 114, President. C, Kavanaugh ; vice-president. II. A. 
Bruce; secretary, Geo. Kizer. 

Till Plate Workers. — Pi esident, David Llo\d ; vice-presi- 
dent, Frank Zonh ; secretary. Richard Burns. 

Tailors. — President, L. M. Weying ; vice-president, 
W. E. Behynier : secretary. A. P. Petty. 

Carpenters. — President. J. C. Kincaid ; vice-president, 
]. W. Stoner; secretary, F. \V. .Smith. 

TYpograpliical Unioti. — President, John Larkin ; vice- 
president, George A. Hencke ; secretary, Rob. Yelvington. 

Clerks'' I nioii. — President, Emereth Luse; vice-president, 
Frank Greathouse ; secretary. W. G. Records. 

ALE.XA.NDUIA. 

Trades Assembly. — President, J. E. Carr; vice presi- 
dent, Nick Griffith; secretary, H. R. McAbee. 

Flint Glass Workers. — President, James E. Carr; vice- 
president, Theo. Ring ; secretary, Sebastian Feiser. 

Retail Clerks. — President, E. B. Rogers ; vice-president, 
Lulu Hupp; secretary, Delia Moore. 

Carpenters' I'nion. — President, Win. Myers; Nice-presi- 
dent, John Good; secretary, Elmer Sutton. 

SUMMITVILLE TRADES LXIONS. 

Preccptory, L. A. -iOO — !NLaster workman. Charles Ruf- 
fing; secretary, Thomas Gra\- ; preceptor, Mr. Springer. 



CHAPTER X.Wn. 

TirE Eai!I.\' Physicians of Madison Coi'nty. 

The life of :i country pliyMcian in the (.'aiiv history of 
Madison county was about tiie same as in all new neighbor- 
hoods in the back woods. The physician of today who sits 
in his nicely carjieted oftice upon upholstered furniture, and 
writes prescriptions at fifty cents periiend, and for feeling the 
pulse and looking at the tongues of his patients, kno\vs but 
little of the hardships encountered liy the early physicians who 
settled in this county, and fought the chills and fever with 
fjuinine and calomel. It was then no unusual thing for a doc- 
tor to be called at the hour of midnight, and to be compelled 
fo ride through the mud and over the frozen ground for a dis- 
tance of fifteen (m- t\\enty miles. Sometimes he would hardly 
he nestled in a warm bed, ujjon hi> return home, before he 
\\ 'juUl be c ailed upon to make a similar trip in another direction. 

These old-time doctors have nearly all passed uPi the scene 
of action, and the present phvsicians know of them only by 
what they have read and heard in the medical societies of the 
county. 

The Democrat of .\nderson, in May, 1880, published an 
interesting account of these men, and from this we select as 
follows : 

"The first physician who li\ed and practiced medicine in 
Madison county, was one Dr. Pordwell, who about the 
year 1824, or 1825, settled at Pendleton. He had the reputa- 
tion of being a pleasant, genial man, and one who occasionally 
indulged in the use of ardent spirits. \Vhen in this condition 
he was often heard to remark that he had never lost a patient. 
Such an utterance on the [lart of an\' ol our doctors now would 
be regarded as " cjuackish." 

A young man by the name of Gregory, a brother of the 
late Rev. Frank Gregory, well known as a Christian minister, 
read medicine with Dr. Bordwell, and thereafter practiced in 
the county. Dr. Bordwell removed to Iowa where he enjoyed 
a large and lucrative practice, and it was in that state that he 
died. 



224 IIISTOKV OK MADISON COUXIV, INDIANA. 

Dr. John O. Cook, ol I'eiuUetoii came to that place fn)m 
Virginia in ISiJl. He had already read medicine in his native 
State, and then spent one year in its practice in Tennessee, at 
the conclusion of which time he came to this State, locating at 
Pendleton, and here he spent the remainder of his days. He 
was a brilliant man, a fair physician, although less proficient 
in his profession than his lirotlier. Dr. Ward Cook. Dr. John 
Cook was one of the most genial and companionable of men. 
His conversation was very lucid and instructive. At times he 
figured in debating societies. He could make a good tem- 
perance speech and did'not siirink from showing his ability on 
a political rostrum among the leading men of his time. He 
breathed his last at Pendleton several vears ago. 

A Dr. Richmond was one of the early physicians of Pen- 
dleton, of whose history, however, very little is known. 

The first phvsician to locate in .\nderson was Dr. Ijirt, 
who came to this town in lSl!7. He [iracticed medicine in 
the village, and also taught sciiool. He was a small man, and 
was lame. His stay lasted but two years and then he reino\ ed 
to Illinois. His office was on East Anderson street, now 
Eighth. 

The ne.xt physician to locate here was Dr. Pegg. vviio 
came in 1828. Of him but little is known as he remained 
only two years, and then emigrated to some . distant part of 
our common country. 

In 1880, Dr. Ruddle, a cousin of Milton Ruddle, living 
east of the city, establisiied himself here in tiie practice of 
medicine. He remained for seven vears and then removed to 
Broad Ripple, in Marion county. 

One of the best known and ablest of them all was Dr. 
Henrj- Wyman, who was well posted in the science of medi- 
cine and was a very successful practitioner. He built himself 
a large frame residence, which was situated where the Robin- 
son iV Lovett block now stands on the north side of tiie public 
square. It was known for a long time as the Berry property, 
and was once owned and occupied by Col. Nineveh Berry. 
Dr. Wyman. after a successful practice of many years in 
Anderson removed to Blissfield, Michigan, where he died. In 
liis day the practice of dosing a patient with calomel, and 
bleeding him was much the fashion. 

Along up to the year 1855 the fever and ague was a very 
prevalent disease in these regions, and the amount of cjuinine 
used for mastering this evil was something enormous. As the 



J 



IIISTOKV Ol- MADISOX COIXTV, IXDIAXA. 2:25 

countrv was cleared up and ditches were constructed, the 
stagnant surface water disappeared, and as the decaying veg- 
etation was buried under the earth, the ague also gave way 
and its accompanying fever was a thing of the past. 

Of the other old-time physicians of the county, Dr. 
Spence \Vas located at Alexandria in the year 1880. After 
remaining there four or five years, he removed to Jonesbom, 
Grant county, and died there in 1845. 

One of the first doctors to follow Dr. Spence was Dr. 
Cyrus W'esterfield, whose practice in that town was also of 
short duration, and who subsetjuently moved to Illinois where 
he is yet living. 

Dr. J. W. Perry, but recently deceased, resided three 
miles northeast of Alexandria, where he had a good practice. 
His arrival was in 1840. At the time of his death he was 
the oldest practitioner in that section of the county, and was a 
prominent member of the Madison County Medical Associa- 
tion." 

Three other physicians also located at Alexandria shortly 
after Dr. Perry's advent. They were Dr. Joseph Pugh, who 
ilied in 1895, Dr. S. B. Ilarriman, who ended his last days in 
Richmond, Indiana, a few years since, and Dr. Leonard Ilar- 
riman, his brother, who passed away in Sterling. Kansas, five 
years ago. 

Dr. Braxton Baker, who had a thriving practice for many 
years in Alexandria, subsequently remoxed to Indianapolis, 
where he is now spending his closing days in ease and retire- 
ment. 

Numbers of other physicians settled in diflferent parts of 
the countv, one of whom was Dr. Henry, of Chesterfield, 
who settled there in 1828, and Dr. Godwin of the same 
place, whose arrival dates from 1887. Dr. Davis arrived in 
1847. 

At New Columbus, Dr. Ilorne located in 1840: Dr. Ilil- 
dreth, in 1842, and Dr. Bear, in 1844. In 1840, Dr. Doug- 
lass came to Perkinsville, and lived there for a number of 
years, and was succeeded by Drs. J. M. Garretson and Charles 
N. Branch. Dr. Garretson continued in Perkins\ille until 
his death, and Dr. Branch is now a resident of Anderson. 
Dr. James M. Garretson, who studied medicine in the office of 
his father, is now a practicing physician in Perkinsville. 

The old-time physicians, unlike their brethren of the pres- 
ent age, were generally able politicians, and it was no uncom- 
15 



226 HISTORY OF .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

mon thing for some of tliem to present themselves as candi- 
dates for the high and hicrative positions within the gift of 
the voters of the countv. The practice of medicine called the 
doctors out among the people, and, if they were disposed to 
be good, sociable fellows, thev generally won the confidence 
of the public. 

Among the early representatives in the General Assembly, 
of the State of Indiana was Dr. John Cook, of Pendleton. He 
was succeeded in a few years in that body by Dr. Henry Wy- 
man, who made for himself a very good record, and was one 
of the ablest representatives that Madison county ever sent to 
that bodj-. Later on Dr. John Hunt and Dr. T. Ryan also 
became members of the Legislature. 

In the year 1S7<I Dr. George F. Chittenden, of Anderson, 
wlio first started in his medical career in the earlv "5(>s at the 
village of Chesterfield, was placed in nomination bj' the Re- 
publicans of Henry and Madison counties, and was elected 
as joint representative, serving two years. He was also after- 
wards prominent as a member of the Board of Trustees for the 
hospital for the insane. 

Among other doctors who represented Madison county in 
the Legislature were J. F. Mock^Thos. N. Jones and S. W. 
Edwins. 

Among the best-known physicians during his residence 
here, and one who was prominent in political inatters, was 
Dr. John Hunt, whose practice dates from 1839. In addition 
to having at one time been a member of the Legislature, he 
was also elected Countv Treasurer of Madison countv. It 
was once said of him that he could sit upon the stone steps in 
front of his oflice in the public scjuare and dictate the nomina- 
tion for every office within the gift of the Democratic party. 
During his reign as a manipulator of politics he ruled with an 
iron hand, and woe be to the man who crossed his path, or in 
any wav undertook to undo anything he might choose to ac- 
complish in that direction. A man once having gained his 
dislike was immediately wiped from his political map. 

Dr. Hunt's medical practice was very extensive, and his 
qualifications were uncjuestioned. Whenever there was a des- 
perate case of sickness in any part of the county, and the 
chances seemed to be against the patient, it was invariably the 
rule for the parties to send for Dr. Hunt. He died in Fayette- 
ville, in Arkansas, in the vear 1894. 

Of other physicians who years ago held political sway in 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 227 

Anderson was Dr. Tlionias X. Jones, father of Dr. Horace E. 
Jones, who is still in our midst. lie came to Madison county 
some time in the '50s. He was tall and stately, and a man 
who was a great mixer amonj^ his fellow men. He was popu- 
lar with the people, and, like Dr. Hunt, drifted into politics. 
In the year 1870 he was nominated and elected as representa- 
tive for Madison county in the Legislature. 

Dr. Jones was an impulsive man, and it took but little 
rubbing of the hair the wrong way with him to get up a first- 
class quarrel. He was not vicious in his disposition, and 
scarcely ever came to blows witii an antagonist, and as long 
as iiis foeman would stand at a safe distance and quarrel the 
Doctor generally managed to hold up his end of the string. 
He was a very successful practitioner, and. a great success at 
the bedside of a patient, from the fact tiiat he was very kind 
and gentle iu the sick-room and an excellent nurse, and he 
never failed to get the confidence of his patients. He died in 
Anderson in the year 1875. Dr. Jones was the most promi- 
nent of his profession in Anderson during his many years' resi- 
dence here. 

Dr. X. L. Wickersham, who yet resides in Anderson, is 
al.so one of the early settlers of the county. He came here 
many years ago from Grant county. He was twice elected 
as president of the first medical society of Madison county, 
which was organized in 18()8. 

One of the most prominent physicians that ever lived in 
Madison county was Dr. William A. Hunt , a brother of Dr. 
John Hunt, above referred to. He was for many years located 
on his elegant farm in Richland township, which is now 
owned by Joiin Tappan, where he had a large practice. He 
removed to Anderson in 1808, and for a while engaged in the 
drug trade with the late J. F. Brandon, but upon retiring 
from the firm he again entered into the practice of his profes- 
sion, which he kept up until his death. Dr. Hunt was a ready 
writer and the public prints of the county contain many of his 
spicv communications. He was undoubtedly the greatest reader 
tliat ever belonged to his profession in this commimity, not 
only of medical works, but of all the literature of the day. 

He was a master of language, and in his writings are 
many gems, although he invariably wrote over a nom de plume 
thereby concealing his identitj- from the world. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



The First County Commissioners Elected in Madison 
County, and Some of Their Early Records. 



The Legislature of 1828-29 passed a law abolisiiing the 
courts of the justices, which was composed of one Justice of 
the Peace from each township, and provided that the county 
business should be transacted by three Commissioners elected 
in each county in the State, and made them courts of limited 
jurisdiction since which time there has been no change in that 
respect. 

The first election held in Madison county under this law 
took place on August 11, 1829, at which time Tiiomas Mc- 
Cartney, Henry Seybert and Joim Berry were elected tiie liist 
Board of County Commissioners. 

On the 19th of August, 1829, the old Court of Justices held 
its last session, being called for the special purpose of receiv- 
ing the certificates of election of the new members of the 
Board, and was presided over by William Curtis, the president 
of the Board. The following members were in attendance : 
Daniel Hardesty, Daniel Wise, Richard Kinnamon. William 
Nelson, Jacob Hiday, Moses Whitecotton, Amasa Make- 
peace and John Busby. 

The first business of the court was to hear and determine 
a contest of the election of John Berry, one of the newly 
elected members of the new court. The contestor, his op- 
ponent, Joseph Nichols, protested against Berry's elec- 
tion on the ground that the election was not carried out 
according to law in relation to tiie closing of the polls at the 
proper time. Ansel Richmond, who was clerk of the courts 
of the county, and also acted in the capacity of Auditor and 
Recorder, made up the minutes of the proceedings. 

The Board of Justices, after hearing all the evidence and 
being well advised in the premises, decided against Mr. 
Nichols, and Mr. Beiry was seated as a member of the Board, 
and the Justices then gave way to the Commissioners and the 
Board of Justices became a thing of the past. 



IlISI'DHV OI-- MAniSOX COUNTY, IXniAXA. 229 

The first order maile by the Board of Commissioners after 
beint; orj^anized was in relation to tlie Slielbyville State road, 
as follows : 

•• Ordered, that Isaac Jones be, and is, hereby appointed 
Commissioner, on behalf of Madison county, to locate a State 
road leadin<r from Shelby ville bv the way of Marion, in the 
county of Shelby ; (Jreenfield, in Hancock county, to Ander- 
sontown in the county of Madison, in the place of Thomas 
Bell, appointed by the lejfislature, January 28d, 1829, he haying 
declined to ser\e." 

At the Noyember session. 1829, the Board made an 
allowance to the Commissioners who laid out the above road, 
as follows : 

'• Ordered, that Isaac Jones. J. C. Sleeth and Henry Watts 
be allowed the sum of nine dollars each for their services as 
Commissioners in viewing the State road from Slielbyville in 
Shelby county, by the Falls of Fall creek to Andersontown, 
thence to intersect the Indianapolis and Fort Wayne State 
road, and M. Gosney is allowed the sinn of fifteen dollars for 
nine daj-s' service in surveying said road." .Sleeth and Watts 
were acting on behalf of Shelby and Hancock counties. 

The old system of State roads \vas as much of a convenience 
to the pioneer as the present railways are to the present in- 
habitant in this the day of steam locomotion. They were all 
mail routes of importance, and the mail-boy was of much im- 
portance, his coming on his bi-weekly trips being anxiously 
looked forward to by the residents along his route. 

At the November session, 182S, the Board made the fol- 
lowing allowance : 

" Ordered, tliat F. W. liichmonil and James M. Irish be 
allowed the sum of thirty-seven and a half cents each for mak- 
ing return of the jiresidential election in Xovember last.'' 

CIIANGIXC; THE KOl'ND.XUY OF .VXDEKSON FOWNSIIIP. 

At the May session, 18H0, the Board of Commissioners 
made an oriler e.xtentling the limits of Anderson township, as 
follows : 

" Ordered, that the west line of Anderson township be 
moved west to the line running nortli and south between Sec- 
tions IC) and IT, thence north to the Indian reservation." 

MADISON' county's FIRST LOAN. 

The first loan negotiated by Madison countv was pro- 
cured of Marion county, which, it seems, had a surplus of 



280 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

funds, and, being neighborly, was willing to help their more 
unfortunate neighbors. The order for the contracting of this 
loan was entered at the January session, 1832, as follows: 

"Ordered, that John Berry be, and he is hereby ap- 
pointed an agent on behalf of Madison county, to apply to the 
Board of Commissioners of Marion county, for a loan of the 
funds of said county on hands, for any sum not to exceed one 
hundred dollars, for any time not to exceed three years, sub- 
ject to be paid whenever there shall be a sufHciencv of monev 
in the treasury of Madison county to pay the same, and that 
lie apply therefor at their March session next, and that the 
clerk of this court give liini a certificate of his appoiiilment 
under the seal of this Board." 

THE FIRST ORDER OF THE COURT DISTRICTING THE COUNTY 
INTO commissioner's DISTRICTS. 

At the May session, 18-51, the Board of Commissioners 
ordered that the county be laid out into districts which should 
be represented by a county commissioner. This was when the 
county was composed of only six townships. Tiie order was 
entered of record on the ;5rd day of May, 18:5] , as follows : 

" Ordered by the Board that Madison count)- be divided 
into three olistricts, in each of which to elect a countv com- 
missioner at the August election, in the following manner, 
towit : Union and Adams townships to be known as District 
No. 1 ; Anderson and Jackson townships to be known as 
District No. 2, and Fall Creek and (ireene township^ to be 
known as District No. ■]. ' 

SCRAP.S FROM .AN OLD COl'N TV RKCORD. 

A CASE OF LOCAL OPITON IN THE OLDE.N TI.ME. 

At the May session, 1833, of the County Commissioners' 
Court, appears the following : 

" Comes now Jessie Wise and tiles his petition for a 
license to keep a grocery and to vend liquor at his stand in 
Andersontown, whereupon conies William Craycraft and 
others, and file their remonstrance against the Board granting 
any license to any grocery in the said town. 

" And it appearing to the Board that a majority of tiie 
citizens and free-holders of said town do remonstrate against 
the granting of any such grocery license, it is considered by 
the Board that said license be not granted." 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 1^31 

LICENSE GRANTED AT CHESTERFIELD. 

At the same session of the Commissioners' Court above 
alluded to, the following entry appears : 

" On application and petition tiled, subscribed by at least 
twenty-five free-holders of the proper township, it is ordered 
that George Swan and John Roswell be allowed a license to 
keep a grocery, and vend liquors at their stand in West 
Union (now Chesterfield), for the term of one year." 

FARMING Ol T rHE I'OOU. 

In the early times the county did not own a magnificent 
farm and a palatial home for the unfortunate poor ; they were 
kept by persons who would take them for the labor they 
could perform in addition to whatever compensation the 
county might pay them, bidding them off at public leltings. 
One of these auctions is referred to in the records of the Jan- 
uary session, 1834. 

" Now comes John Berry, one of the overseers of the 
poor of Anderson township, and reports that after due 
notice, he did, on the I 1th day of December, 1833, farm out 
to Natiianiel Chapman, Lydia Passons.a pauper, for the term 
of one year for $11.75, he being the lowest bidder." 

BUILDING OF ,\ I'OOU HOUSE, 1834. 

At the May session, 1834, of the County Commissioners 
Court, appears the record of the building of a poor house for 
Madison county, costing the princely sum of $20.00. 

" Now comes Joseph Shannon, and makes the following 
report, towit : To the honorable Board of Commissioners of 
Madison county, building of a house advertised on the 2(jth 
of February and sold on the 7th day of April 1834, to the 
lowest bidder, to-wit : Jacob Shaul, for |20.00, he giving 
bond and approved security to have the poor house finished on 
or before the 5tii day of May, on section 15, N. E. quarter 
town 19, N. R. 7«E. By order of the Board." 

Joseph Shannon, Agent. 

"Ordered that Jacob Shaul be allowed .$20.00 for build- 
ing a poor house ."" 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



AN EVENTFUL DAY, 



On the Instil of July. IS'JIj, many local happenlnys took 
place to make it memorable in Madison county history. At 
Anderson, on that morning about !l o'clock, Benton Rose and 
Andrew Hayworth, two visitors to the city in the search of 
emplovment, were run over by a Panhanille train near tiie 
Tenth street station and so badly mangled that Hayworth 
died on the same day, after being taken to St. Mary's Hospital. 
Rose was badly hurt antl died at the hospital on lulv the 80th. 
Hayworth was a married man and had a family at Liberty, 
Indiana, where his relatives all resided. His family were 
notified and his remains were removed thither for burial after 
an inquest held by Coroner S. C. Sells. The two men were 
on tlieir way to the station to board a train for Elwood. and 
\vere walking on the railroad track in a beating rain storm, 
with an umbrella carrieil down over their faces in such man- 
ner as to obstruct their view of an approaching train that was 
backing toward them. James Poland, a brakeman, was on 
guard at the rear end of the moving train and saw the men, 
and realized their perilous situation, and called to them at the 
top of his voice and did all he could to arrest the attention of 
the engineer but to no purpose, as the severity of the storm 
prevented the victims, as well as the engineer, from hearing 
his cries of warning, and before his eves he was compelled to 
witness the horrible sight of two fellow creatures being ter- 
ribly mutilated by the merciless wheels. Dr. Edward B. 
Chittenden was called and administered such medical assist- 
ance as was necessary, and assisted in tlieir removal to the 
hospital. 

On the same day John Meckle, an architect, in the 
employ of I. D. Bosworth's planing mill, had his hand horri- 
bly mutilated by a saw, nearly causing the loss of two of his 
fingers. 

About the same hour, Benjamin (jannaway, of North 
Anderson, while working at the Indiana Box Factorv, was 
struck bv lightning, but was not fatallv hurt. The bolt 



IIlSTt)l!V ()I .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 233 

struck him on the head and ran down the left side, burning 
the side of his face and breast. He was rendered unconscious, 
anil was taken to his residence near by, where he was attended 
bv Dr. II. E. Jones. 

A barn on the farm of Barne_y Rt-ddiii^ton. in Xorth 
Anderson, was on the same day struck bv lightning and con- 
sumed by fire. 

At Frankton the rains caused the streets to be lluuded, 
and manv of the cellars of the residences were filled with 
water. 

At Klwood tile heavy rains caused Duck creek to be 
swollen to such an extent that many houses were flooded, and 
some moved from their foundations, and many of the newly 
made brick streets were washed out and much damage done 
to property. 

\Vhite ri\er was higher than at any period since 11S84, 
and caused much an.xietv to the residents in "Park Place" 
as to the safety of their homes. 

At Elwooil a man of the name of Abraham Groover, in 
company with some friends who were swimming in the swol- 
len waters of Duck creek, jumped into the stream, and struck 
some hard substance, causing injuries frum which he came 
near losing his life. 

On the same day a young man by the name of John 
Wood, of LaFayette township, was drowned in Indian creek. 
He was the son of William Wood, a well-known farmer of 
lliat locality, ami was about fifteen years old. He was 
in company with some neighbor boys, and when they 
came to the stream which had become quite high from the 
heavy rains, he jumped in to enjoy a swim, and sank to the 
bottom and never came to the surface again. His body was 
reco\'ered the next day, about thirty rods from where he 
plunged in. 

Setli Wise, a bachelor, the son of .Susan Wise, li\ing 
about eight miles west of Anderson, on the Perkinsville roail, 
was found dead in a field on the farm of his mother. He was 
subject to epilepsy, and it is supposed he died in one of liis 
fits. This occurrence took place on the farm made famous in 
history by the residence thereon having been twice destroyed 
by cyclones, a full account of wiiich is elsewhere given. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



A Number of Plp:asant Reminiscences. 



SAVED FROM PRISON BY "TUIiXING JACK. 

One of the funny occurrences in the old Court House 
was a case in which a man was on trial for a criminal offense 
and his case had gone to the jurj- for the finding of a verdict. 

The case was one of some importance, and the counsel 
on either side had done their best in the trial and argu- 
ment in the case. There was much speculation after the jury 
hud retired as to the result. The jury hung for a day and a 
night without coming to an agreement, and this added to the 
anxiety of the situation. 

Joseph Jarrell, an old citizen, and one whom all old- 
timers will remember, who lived in Pipe Creek township, and 
who was a familiar figure around the Court House during the 
sittings of the court, was on the jury. 

John C. Jones, e.\-mayor of Anderson, who then lived in 
Boone township, was also a member of the jury. These two 
gentlemen were renowned " seven up "' players, and after the 
jury had exhausted all means to agree upon a verdict, it was 
determined that the case should be decided by Jarrell and 
Jones playing a game of three best out of five of '"old 
sledge.'" 

jarrell was known by the ''nick name " of " ]5ooty."' 

The game began and was evenly contesteil until it stood 
two to two, with even points, when " Booty '" turned Jack in 
the last deal, and won for the prisoner his liberty. 

Mr. Jarrell was a lieartv laugher, and was so overjoyed 
that he fell backward from a stool on which he was sitting, 
and laughed so hard that he could be heard several squares 
from the court house. 

The verdict was immediately made up and returned in 
open court, but it was kept a secret from the judge and mem- 
bers of the bar for manv months, as to how the decision was 
arrived at. 



IIIMOUV (IK MADISON LX)l'NTY, INDIANA. 285 

CAPTAIN W. R. MVEKS CALLED DOWN. 

In course of lite at the bar of justice there are as man}' 
episodes that are full of mirth as in any other vocation. 

Captain W. R. Myers, who was for many j'ears an hon- 
orable member of the Madison county bar, had his ups and 
downs, ins and outs, experiencing about the same routine 
that other lawyers have who have gained prominence in their 
profession. 

The genial Captain rather liked the funny side of a law- 
suit, and often engaged in many scenes during his practice 
that were laughable. 

At one time he was called to the country to try a case 
before a Justice of the Peace in Lafayette township, in which 
nearly half of the citizens of that locality were engaged on 
one side or the other. 

The "'Squire" was a sedate old gentleman with lots of 
goodness of heart, but a limited knowledge of the law. 

The case was a very important one and a jury was de- 
manded. The Constable was sent out over the township, 
and a jury of twelve men "good and true" were procured 
who were duly empaneled and sworn, and the trial began, last- 
ing until late in the night. 

The Captain made one of his finest efforts and felt sure 
from his standpoint that he had won an ea.sy victory over 
his opposing counsel. The jury, after receiving a charge from 
the [ustice, who delivered it in a most dignified manner, 
retired for deliberation. 

It was no time until they returned with a ^erdict against 
Captain Myers' client. This entirely unnerved the Captain, 
and he immediately made a motion to " poll ' the jury. To 
this the opposing counsel objected ; Myers insisted, when the 
court broke in: "Captain Myers, take your seat, I know 
these men and this jury ; they are my neighbors : they are 
honest men, they don't need any polling, and they're not going 
to be polled either, do you understand?" 

There was nothing left for the wily Captain to do but 
to quietly sink back in his seat and take his "medicine. ' 
The counsel on the other side enjoyed the fun at Myers' 
expense, and lost no time in telling it to his friends on their 
return to .Vnderson. 

Anotiier time when Myers was prosecuting attorney, he 
had a fellow before a jury for petit larceny. He was a most 



28<) niSTOKV OF MADISON COUNT'S', INDIANA. 

villainous looking man. with a countenance most repul.sive, 
and general make-up that would make an ordinary man 
shudder. 

In the trial the Captain doubted very seriously whether 
he hail m-ade a case. When the evidence was all heard. Cap- 
tain Myers arose in a very dignified manner and said : 

•' Gentlemen of the jury, you liave heard the indictment 
read, all the evidence in this case has been adduced. 

'• Now here is the defendant, look at him and draw your 
own conclusions." 

This was all the speech necessary. The defendant's coun- 
sel made a final efl'ort in his behalf, but to no avail. 

A look at the criminal settled the question, and a convic- 
tion was found. 

HOW .\ COl'KT (IFFICIAI. STOOD UPON HIS KKJIITS. 

People talk about the dignity of court officials of to-day. 
They seem to think there is too much red tape and useless 
formality about our courts of justice. They think tiie gooil, 
old fellows who held the reins a\vay back were not so formal ; 
that their manners were simplicity personified; that no sucii 
thing as leaning on the dignity of official position prevailed in 
the days of our fathers. This is a mistaken idea. One of 
those sedate old fellows, when he got into a position, took all 
the pains in the world to show it. It was his delight to let 
the world know that he was one of the great men of tiie coun- 
try, and it wouldn't do to '• monkev "' with the court in those 
days. If you did, you would get your foot in it. There was 
no delicacy with those old chaps about exercising their '• pre- 
rogatives."' "Ten, ninety,'' would not settle the bill : they 
would send vou to the bastile. 

As an instance, by referring to the old court records of 
September, 1882, it will be seen that one Daniel Harpold was 
one of the Commissioners of Madison coimty. It was then, as 
now, the duty of the sheriff to attend the sessions of the Com- 
missioners' Court. The court was not supposed to be in legal 
session without the sheriff's presence. 

" Good old Daniel," it seems, was one of the stifl'-backed, 
old fellows who wanted every thing done up according to law. 
lie presided in court like a king on his throne, and displayed 
all the dignity of a present-day judge of the Supreme Court. 
When the session was about to be convened, Daniel discovered 
that the sherifY was absent. Then Daniel " kicked." He 



IIISIOIIV Ol- M.VIHSOX COUNIV, INDIANA. 287 

would not set as a Commissioner in the absence of the sherifl". 
The plain letter of the law was that the sheriff must be there, 
and nothing else would do, so the court had to adjourn until 
the sheriff could be brought in. The followinfr order of :id- 
journment was made : 

" Daniel Harpold, one of the Commissioners of Madison 
county, now refuses to set as a Commissioner at this term, 
because the regular sheriff' of the county, or a legular deputy 
from the hands of the sherifl" is not present to attend to this 
Board. Henry P. Davis is, therefore, ordered by this Board 
to open this court and adjourn the same for the present, where- 
fore the said Daniel Harpold then took his seat as a Commis- 
sioner." 

If a County Commissioner of llie present day was to rear 
back on his dignity on such a \\ himsical cause as the above, 
he would be " dumped" at the ne.xt election. Xo, sir 1 the old 
patriarchs ha 1 as many whims and oddities as people of 
to-day. 

The more you look back into the olden times, the more 
you will see that human nature has always been the same. 
" Man," as Josh Billings has said, " has had one eye on the 
main chance and the other on the collaterals." Early customs 
dift'er somewhat from those of the present time, but the same 
principles and selfish motives lived in the breasts of those old 
fellows that do in those lii'ing now. The present generation 
is not wholly to blame for its short-comings, for they are 
hereditary and were handed down from the early settlers of the 
country. 

CONDE.MNED TO HE SHOr. 

The last Madison county Agricultural Society dates from 
1868. The first fair was held on the grounds in September of 
that year. James M. Dickson, James H. Snell, John F. Wild- 
man, Col. Wni. C. Fleming, William Crim, Dr. Joseph I'ugli 
and A. B. Kline were among the most important stockholders. 
A. B. Kline was secretary, James H. Snell, general superin- 
tendent and John P. Barnes, treasurer, which officers weie 
also members of the directory. At the first fair a great crowd 
was in attendance, and the whole snap was a howling success. 
The stock was away above par, and scarce in the market. 
During the progress of the fair a good, old, Pennsylvania- 
Dutch farmer concluded that he woulil save a quarter, and 
climbed over the fence. Some one saw him and reported him 
to the marshal, who immcdiatelv placed him under arrest and 



238 HISTORY OK MADISON COTN'TV, IXniANA. 

brought him before the directors on the charge of " beating 
his way in." The Board assembled in solemn session to try 
the oflTender. Kline was selected as judge advocate to try the 
case and determine what penalty should be imposed. Either 
the grand success of the fair, or some other cause, had braced 
Kline up to the full importance of the occasion. He ap- 
pointed ■• ]im " Snell to interrogate the defendant, who did 
his work well. Tiie evidence was all heard, and the judge 
a^ked the defendant if he had anything to saj' upon the subject. 

" Veil, Al., you know as I has knowed vou a long vile, 
and vou know I did not mean anv ting wrong. I vash not 
know dat I vash ' preakin' " through your rules, and I dink as 
you vash besser let this matter drop, and I pav my fare and I 
not do so no more." 

" Well,"' said Kline, " it is true, as you say, that you 
have known me for a long time, and I must confess tiiat, after 
our long acquaintance. I am greatly pained to be called upon 
to sit in judgment on this case against you. It is a serious 
charge, and while mv personal feelings are in your favor, and 
it pains me deeply to think you guilty of such an oft'ense, yet 
my official position will not allow me to swerve an inch to- 
ward my personal feelings in this matter. After hearing all 
of the evidence, the judgment of this court is that you are 
guilty, and your sentence is that you be publicly shot by a 
committee of the stockholders to be selected bv the marshal." 

The woe-begone look of the man would have been a tine 
subject for the pen of an artist. He thought his doom was 
sealed. After a piteous appeal to his friends on the Board, 
they interceded for him, and persuaded the court to suspend 
the sentence. He was released on his good behavioi'. and 
always paid his way into the fair thereafter. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



Two AwFii- Crimes 



THE AliBorr MIKDF.I!. 

I'hc following account of an earlv crime in Madison 
county has almost passed out of the memory of the oldest liv- 
ing inhabitants of the community. The details are furnished 
us by F. T. Lu>e, who obtained the facts from some old settlers 
many years ago, when he was publishing the Anderson 
Stoiii/ari/ , and we quote them as given to us : 




THE SCENE OF THE AliBOlT .MUKDER IN ISoU. 

■"In the early settlement of almost eyery comity in this 
State, as well as in others, there was more or less lawlessness, 
disrespect for the rights of others, and a general contempt for 
good order. Even to-day we see this evidence in many 
localities of the west, where robbery, murder, counterfeiting, 
etc., abound, and a general reign of terror predominates. 
Where there is no law there is little or no society, and the 
revolver figures more prominently before the public eye than 
do^the scales of justice. Until courts are organized and the 
proper machinery of the law is adjusted to the surroundings, 



240 HISTORY OF MADISON COLNIV, INDIANA. 

such will continue to be the state of atTairs in almost all new 
settlements. 

Madison count}- was not e.xempt from lawless characters 
in its early settlement, and between the years of 18^5 and 
1835 there were many strange characters residing within its 
boundaries — men who had ventured from eastern and southern 
localities to find an abiding place temporarily, it might be, to 
evade the strong arm of the law which was about to clasp 
them within its grasp. Fall Creek township in an early day 
was the home of a band of counterfeiters, who plied their vo- 
cation for some years until the law was put in operation for 
their benefit, when the business was broken up, and the band 
scattered. Pipe Creek township, in the first settling of the 
county, and for a few years afterward, was the abiding place 
of a nest of horse thieves, wiio followed their unlawful work 
in this and neighboring counties until matters became entirely 
too warm for them, and tliev abandoned the business. The 
descendants of some of these people reside there now. In 
other portions of the countv at that early period resided people 
who knew no law, and did about as they chose, until public 
sentiment and an advanced civilization compelled tiiem to 
leave. 

About the year 1880a family by the name of .Vbbott. con- 
sisting of a father, mother and two grown sons, from Ken- 
tucky, moved into the new and sparsely settled country. 
They settled or rather " squatted ' ' on what was long after- 
ward known as the Isaac Moss farm, some two miles west of 
the then village of Anderson. Their cabin was situated near 
the river bank, at the foot of the hill, on the north side of 
what is now known as the Perkinsville road. From the first 
it would seem they were more or less viewed with suspicion, 
although never appearing before a court of justice on any 
charge, and living in the locality for two years, subsequent 
discoveries indicated that tiie suspicions against them were 
well founded, and their hasty exit was not made any too soon. 
They cultivated a small patch of ground, and an occasional 
trader through the lonely locality would stop with them for 
the night. The Abbotts seemed to shun work, and yet ap- 
peared to possess a considerable amoimt of personal property, 
in the way of horses, hogs, sheep and such like, although at 
their firSt arrival few of these things were known to belong to 
them. The men would make quiet trips away from home, 
and be absent from two to three weeks at a time. Whither 



HISTORY OF MADISON COIINTV, INDIANA. 241 

they went on their business was unknown. In that eaily day 
every man was expected to know his neighbors for three or 
four miles around, how many plows, wagons or horses he 
possessed, how many acres he had in wheat or corn, how- 
man}' members of his family, where and when the next "meet- 
ing " would be held, and all the gossip afloat. But the Ab- 
botts Were reserved in that respect, and did not let the neigh- 
bors know any more of their business than possible, and al- 
though maintaining some show of sociability, were careful to 
keep their atlairs to a great extent to themselves. The truth 
seemed to be, and was the verdict generally of the neighbors, 
that the family was a household of thieves, but were commit- 
ting their depredations in distant localities. This seemed to 
account for the occasional new horse, a few sheep or hogs, 
which thev liad not purchased directly in the neighborhood. 
The suspicion continued to go from neighbor to neighbor that 
the Abbotts were " crooked" people, and dangerous to the 
community, although no overt acts could be charged to their 
account. 

Further along, however, as we shall see, an event occurred 
which seemed to confirm fully the evil impressions created 
against them and which caused their sudden flight to unknown 
parts very soon thereafter. 

A prominent highway of early days extending through 
several counties adjoining this was known as the ■' Strawtown 
road." It was probably the first wagon road in the county. 
Its terminus was at Greenville, Ohio, and extended west 
from there through Muncie, Anderson and Perkinsville to 
Indianapolis, while a branch of it was constructed northwest 
toward the Wabash. 

The ■•Strawtown road'" was the emigrant route to the 
West for many years, and thousands of people seeking homeg 
in the West in the early days of the State passed over it. What 
is now known as Eighth street in Anderson and the continua- 
tion of the gravel road to Perkinsville, was a portion oi the 
'• Strawtown road " of early times. 

During the summer of 1832, a gentleman from some 

point in Ohio started West on horseback over the route spoken 

of, determined on seeking a new home in the West. He moved 

by slow stages, stopping a dav or two at different points 

along the journey to inspect and prospect. He reached this 

county in ten or twelve days, and, passing through the village 

of Anderson, stopped in the evening at the Abbott home for 
16 



242 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 

the night, intending, as it was supposed, to continue on in a 
westerlv course the next day. He was never seen or heard of 
again. His intentions being when starting away to not be 
absent o\'er six weeks, his relatives at the end of tliat time 
began to fear that trouble of some kind had overtaken him. 
So strongly were they confirmed that at the end of two months 
they determined upon a trip to find him if possible, or if not 
seeing him to ascertain what had become of iiim. Going over 
the same route it was a matter of very little trouble to find 
many places at which he had tarried over night and where 
they accurately described the man and horse, and different 
matters pertaining to him were uniformly correct. The 
searchers moved along their journey quite rapidly, encouraged 
by the hope of soon finding him. Passing on the route they 
went on through Anderson and stopped at the Abbott home 
to make further inquiries. •• Yes, lie had stopped there," the 
inmates said and described him. '' He left early next morn- 
ing," the}- said, " expecting to go at least twenty-five miles that 
day." The two men continued on their wav west making 
their usual inquiries, but at no place after leaving the *\bbott 
cabin could thev hear anything concerning their friend. They 
coiitinued in searcli for several days in the countrv around 
Noblesville and Indianapolis, but finally abandoned it and 
passed back east having accomplished nothing. 

Neighbors who may have had certain fixed views regard- 
ing the disappearance of the stranger remained quiet. It 
should be remembered that those were the days when such 
things as detectives and telegraphs were unknown, and the 
opportunities and the class of persons necessary for ferreting 
out evil deeds and bringing criminals to justice were not nearly 
so favorable as in this day or age. An event, however, soon 
occurred that brought matters to a crisis and determined the 
suspected family upon an immediate flight. One morning 
the body of a man was found floating in White river only 
about a quarter of a mile below where the Abbotts lived. No 
one recognized the features in the neighborhood, and the 
Abbotts were as seemingly mystified as to who the man was 
as any other persons. After a few days the sensation over the 
discovery subsided to a great extent, many thinking that it 
was some stranger who had accidently fallen into the river 
and drowned. A few there were, however, who did not 
think just that way, and intimations of a murder were quietK- 
spoken of. The Abbotts seemed to have felt probably that it 



HISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 243 

would soon be laid at their door, and one night the family 
with all their goods and chattels quietly disappeared. Their 
absence was not discovered until two or three days, and no 
effort was made to pursue them, the neighborhood being grati- 
fied that they had left. 

The disappearance of the man who had stopped at the 
house, and tiie search fur him afterwards with no, intelligence 
regarding him seemed now to have been explained b}' the 
finding of the corpse floating in the river. The opinion rap- 
idly chrystalized that this mysterious family had murdered 
the stranger for his money and the property in his possession, 
and sank the body in the river, and their hasty flight seemed 
to confirm it. 

They were gone, none knew where, and no eftort was 
put forth to arrest them, and the affair in a few months passed 
from the minds of most of the people then residing in that 
locality. This was an event, it must be borne in mind, of over 
si.xtv vears ago. In this day of rapid transit and shrewd detec- 
tives, the suspected people could not have escaped. Every- 
thing relating to the affair would have been unraveled in a 
short time. For soine years afterwards many persons in pass- 
ing the road fronting the place would call attention to the 
cabin, which remained unoccupied, and with feelings of awe, 
avow that it was haunted, and that the spirit of somebody 
could be heard within its portals after night, and through this 
superstitious fear many avoided passing by there after dark. 
The cabin has long since gone to decay, and the people living 
in the vicinity were called hence long ago, yet the recollection 
of this mysterious family and the dark deeds attributed to its 
members were themes for discussion in the humble homes of 
the pioneers in the vicinity for many years thereafter." 

AN ATKOCIOl'S CHIME. 

Susan Nelson was the widow of William Xelson, who 
was for many years a resident of Anderson township, and who 
died in Anderson many years ago. On the 7th of September, 
188H, Mrs. Nelson left the city, going west on the Bee Line 
road on the evening train. During the day she called at the 
postotfice and left an order for her mail to be forwarded to 
Kansas City, Missouri. She also employed a drayman of the 
name of Swearingen who took her trunk to the depot, and 
said to him that she was going to visit her son, Jasper Nelson, 
who had written to her and informed her that he was very 



244 



HISTORY OF MADI.SOX COLXIY, INDIANA. 



sick. She informed Edward Dowm-v that she was leaving' 
Anderson never to return. She also talked to other people in 
the same strain about leaving Anderson. She was afterwards 
missed by her friends and no one knew of her whereabouts. 

In the following month of October after she had taken 
her departure, a man of the name of James Porter, while hunt- 
ing in the woods about three miles southwest of the citv of 
Terre Haute, and while in a lonelv portion of the forest, 
noticed his dog running to the side of a ravine with something 
in his mouth. lie called the animal to him and saw that he 





rEliliV .M.WIS, THE MIKDEKEK OK SUsAN NELSON. 

had a human skull. The afternoon was then drawing to a 
close, but he concluded to institute a thorough search into the 
matter, and see wiiat the discovery would lead to. 

.Soon he found another bone, and then another, until at 
last it appeared to him that probably some foul murder had 
been committed. Overcome with friglit and horror, he con- 
cluded to go to his home. On the following morning, assisted 
by some neighbors, he continued the search. This time a 
complete set of artificial teeth, and some female clothing, w'ere 
discovered. It was not long before the dead bodv of a woman 



IIIST01!\ OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 245 

^vas found hidden among the slirubberv and lea\es of the 
wood. 

Tlie coroner of \'igo count v was immediately notified of 
the afiair. lie promptly' arrived upon the scene, began an ex- 
amination, and held an inquest. Ei<;;hty-tliree cents in change 
was found in the dress pocket of the murdered woman. No 
clue, however, was obtained as to her identity. It was evi- 
dent that she had been murdered as her skull was crushed in 
as if by a heavy blow, and there were signs of a struggle in 
the underbrush. The jjhysicians wiio were examined as ex- 
perts gave it as their opinion that she must have been dead for 
five or six weeks. Considerable excitement was created bv a 
rumor that a girl at Saint Mary's College of the Woods, had 
been missing, and it was for a time thought that this might be 
her body, but an investigation soon put that theory at rest. 

The people in the vicinity of the murder, however, kept 
up the search, hoping that something might turn up by which 
the remains would be identified. Finallv. one day in some tall 
grass, a regiilarlv written, but blood-stained insurance policy 
issued by Bain iS: Harris, of Anderson, Indiana, was found. 
The policy was torn nearly apart in two places. The policy 
was made out in the name of Mrs. Susan Xelson, and was for 
-an insurance upon her household goods. This discovery fur- 
nished an excellent clue, and the detectives pro'ceeded at once 
to work upon the case. Every neighboring \illage was visited, 
and every livery stable keeper for miles around was spoken to. 
The detective came to Anderson, and assisted by Marshal Co- 
l)urn. whose energy was aroused b}' the knowledge of the per- 
petration of this crime, soon succeedtxl in establisliing the 
fact beyond a doubt that the murdered woman was Mrs. 
Susan Nelson, of Anderson. The detective with his assistant 
then went to the old brick house in which she had for a 
long time resided, situated on North Main street directly op- 
posite the present residence of Martin Gruenewald. 

A letter was found from her son, Jasper, postmarked at 
Brazil, Indiana, dated August 28, 188B. This was about two 
weeks prior to the time she had left Anderson. Bra/.il is only 
sixteen miles east of Terre Haute. This letter caused a great 
deal of comment, and suspicion was at once directed to her 
son as being the guilty party. He had for v'ears been rather 
prodig:d in his habits, and it was known that with all his 
faults that his motlier loved him dearly, and that he had a 
great influence over her. It was supposed that he had lured 



246 JIISTOUV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

her to Brazil or Terre Haute, and for the purpose of obtaiiiiiiir 
monej- from her. had murdered her, and then made his escape. 

Jasper Nelson was accordingly arrested at Cape Girar- 
deau, Missouri, on suspicion, and brought to ^\nderson for 
trial. Upon a full and complete investigation of all the facts 
stated by him as to his whereabouts at the time of the murder, 
the court was satisfied that lie was innocent of the crime, al- 
though inan}- persons have been convicted on less convincing 
evidence, lion. W. R. Mvers was his attorney and did 
valiant work in saving him from conviction. 

Suspicion pointed to one Ferry Manis. an ex-preacher of 
the gospel who resided near Frankton, in this countv, and 
who was known to have been a fre(|Uent visitor to Mrs. 
Nelson's house. About this time Manis was arrested and 
placed in the Madison county jail, for associating with prosti- 
tutes, and, during his imprisonment, his actions in some wav 
fastened suspicion upon him very strongly in relation to the 
murder of Mrs. Nelson. Among other circumstances it was 
shown that he had left Anderson about the time Mrs. Nelson 
did, and returned after an absence of four or five weeks, lie 
left without taking a trunk, and with but little monev, and 
returned with a trunk and plenty of funds in his possession. 
In a little while after his return he purchased a horse and 
buggy and a set of harness at a cost of .iSSOO. He gave as 
an explanation for his possession of the monev that •^225 of it 
was given him by his mother, and .|25 by Maggie Moore, a 
lady friend. A boy was produced who stated that he had 
overheard him arranging a ]3laii with Mrs. Nelson, in which 
it was agreed that they would go to Kansas City, and estab- 
lish a boarding house. This was another very suspicious cir- 
cumstance against him. 

The officers secured possession of the trunk brought back 
by Manis, and wiien interrogated as to how he came in pos- 
session of it. lie saiil that he bought it of a man in the I'nion 
depot at Indianapolis for ijili.OO : that the man was a stranger 
to him and had told him he was out of monev. The detectives 
kept at their work, and da)' by day more evidence was forth- 
coming, and the web was woven so closely about Manis, that 
finall3' an afhdavit was filed against him in \'igo countv for 
the murder of Mrs. Nelson. The grand jurv at Terie Haute 
took jurisdiction of the case, and an indictment was returned 
charging him with murder. He was placed under arrest, and 
taken to Terre Haute, and on a trial in the Circuit Court in 



IIISTOKV OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 247 

that county, he was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 
imprisonment for life in the penitentiary, and here he died 
within a period of two or three years after his imjjrisonment. 
It was known that when Mrs. Nelson left Anderson, she had 
in her possession o\er .$()()(), which she had drawn out of the 
Exchange Bank a day or two prior to her departure. There 
was no doubt at all as to the identity of the murdered wo- 
man being Mrs. Nelson ; portions of her clothing were pro- 
duced in court which her friends and relatives recognized ; 
and the set of artificial teeth, which were found in the woods 
were shown to have been made for her bv Dr. II. B. Reid, 
who appeared in court and identified them. It was also shown 
upon the trial that Manis and Mrs. Nelson were seen together 
in a lodging house at Terre Haute ; that he had hired a buggy 
and had driven awav with her, but had returned without her ; 
while there was no direct evidence to connect him with the 
crime, all the circumstantial facts in the case were very strong. 

The State of Indiana was represented at the trial by the 
prosecuting attorney at Terre Haute, and Wm. A. Kittinger, 
of Anderson. Mr. Manis was defended by Judge Mack, of 
Terre Haute. Mr. Kiltinger won fresh laurels in the man- 
agement of this case. 

Mrs. Susan Nelson will be remembered by the old citi- 
zens of Madison county as the sister of Frederick and Michael 
Bronnenberg, who have lived in this countv nearly all their 
lives. 

The connection of Perry Manis with thi.s crime was a se- 
vere blow to his famil}', none of whom had ever been accused 
or convicted of any crime. Manis, himself, was not consid- 
ered as having vicious habits, and, in fact, was, at one time, 
an itinerant preacher, who held religious meetings in the 
school districts throughout the count}'. It was claimed that, 
by his efforts, he made many converts to the Christian faith. 
The onh' thing of which he was accused, prior to this affair, 
was that he was a man of lewd habits, indolent, and disposed 
to associate with bad characters. In this respect he was alto- 
gether different from every one of his relatixes, who were all 
well-to-do and prosperous people. 



CHAPTER XXXII, 



Reminiscences and Otheh Miscellany. 



AN old-time shooting MATCH AND ITS RESULT. 

In the early history of many of the counties of Indiana, 
and, in fact, for many years afterward, " shooting matches," 
as they were termed, were a leading sport, or amusement, 
among a large portion of the people, and thev were generally 
attended by the male portion of the community for miles 
around. The best shots with the rifie were generally rewarded 
with turkeys, the " hind '" or '' fore " quarter of a beef, and, 
sometimes, money. Thev rarely failed to attract large crowds 
of men from the excitement and social enjoyment tliat attend- 
ed them, and, even 3'et, " shooting matches'" are occasionally 
heard of, but rarely, any more. 

One of these matches occurred in this county in 1847, 
that w-as attended, from what followed before the people dis- 
persed to their homes, with unusual excitement. Only a short 
distance west of the Mounds, near the bank of White river, on 
what is known as the Samuel Hill farm, where there was a 
distiller}', a match for shooting had been arranged and exten- 
sive notice called to it for some days before. It was in No- 
vember, on Thanksgiving Day of that year. 

The air was somewhat cold and the sky overhead dark 
and forbidding, but it did not fail to draw out a large crowd 
of people to witness the shooting, and fully two hundred per- 
sons were on hand, among them some of the best ''shots" of 
that time in the county. The crowd was feeling in the best 
of humor, and the sport proceeded along finelv for two or 
three hours after midday. 

Two young men. Cox and Tharp, were among those in 
attendance, but neither probably anticipated the dreadful 
tragedy soon to follow, or the hurried retreat and permanent 
exile of one of them from the countv. 

There had been some previous trouble between the two 
men, but not of such a nature as to suggest danger or death to 
either. Tliarp was tiie larger of the two, and inclined to be 



HISTORY OF MADISON COl'NTY, IN'niAXA. 249 

somewhat doiiiiiieeiing in his actions to his smaller opponent, 
Cox. Tharp had had some trouble during the progress of the 
match, and Co.x, it seems, had avoided his enemy by retreat- 
ing from him two or three times. Goaded at last, it would 
appear, when forbearance had ceased to be a virtue. Cox 
seized the rifle of a bystander, rusiied up to where Tharp ^vas 
standing witii liis right side fronting him, and raising it iiigh 
over his shoulder brought the barrel of it witii full force upon 
his head. Tliarp dropped to the earth as if shot, and never 
arose again. Immense excitement followed, of course. Botli 
men had friends on the ground, and threats from both sides 
were passed rapidly back and forth. Tiiarp was placed in a 
wagon, brought to his home in Anderson, but died during the 
night from the effect of tiie blow, iiaving never spoken. 

An examination after death showed a fractured skull, and 
that death ditl not come at once i> marvelous. Cox soon after 
crossed over to iiis iiome about a mile lo tiie northwest, and 
next morning \va'= arrested and placed in iail. As is usual in 
cases of tills kind some loud tiireats by a few friends of the 
dead man were indulged in, but the better sense of the com- 
munity prevailed, and tiie matter was given o\er to the grand 
jurv to investigate and report upon. Cox had many warm 
friends wlio considered tliat he had been imposed upon, and 
was not really responsible tor the untimely taking oft' of 
Tharp. 

The grand jury soon convened, reported an indictment 
against him for murder, and preparations began for his trial. 
The jail, an old log aft'air. was situated in the northwest 
corner of the square, its main entrance fronting to the south. 
The .Sheriff at that time was John II. Davis. 

And here begins a final feature of the affair altogether 
unanticipated, and which brought to it a termination much 
sooner than the general public had been led to suppose. A 
few friends of Cox were permitted to visit him every few days. 
They discussed quietly with him the probable results of his 
trial. It was feared by all of them that the best that he could 
hope for would by a long term of twelve or fifteen years in the 
penitentiary. They all feared a verdict, while they consid- 
ered that he had acted in self defense. Aftertalking the mat- 
ter over from every point it was determined that he should 
break jail and leave the county forever. He assented and he 
readily agreed to makg the attempt, and wiiich, as we will 
subsequently see. was crowned with success. Fi\e true and 



250 IIISTOUY OF .MADISON COUXTY, IXDIAXA. 

determined men were given the secret, and tliese five, it was 
said, brought it about. The strictest secrecy was enjoined upon 
all and the night was selected when he was to rush forth to 
freedom. During the occasional visits of his friends an im- 
press of the lock in beeswax was taken. This was used in 
patterning an iron key that would fit the lock. After it was 
finished it was found to work exactly. It unlocked the door 
to the jail readily. All was well thus far. The ne.xt thing was 
to select the night and make final preparations. 

One can fancy how the hearts of tliese fixe friends must 
have beaten as the hour drew nigh for Cox to come forth. 
The slightest mishap might upset all their plans and they 
themselves be locked behind the holts and of the same prison 
from which they were striving to liberate their friend. Cox was 
the owner of a fine horse, •" Selam," a good roadster, strong of 
wind and ''good bottom." He was to be used in carrying his 
owner away from trouble. -'Selam'" was brought to town one 
afternoon and thoroughly sliod for the journevat the blacksmith 
shop in the south part of the town near where the school 
building on Main street is situated. One of his friends went 
to the jail and told him to prepare to start that night at about 
the hour of 11 o'clock. Near that hour the five friends, one of 
them leading "Selam,'" approached cautiouslv and noiselesslv 
to the jail building from the west side of the square. 

It was cokl on the night in (|uestion, a slight snow was 
falling, the town was in deep slumber and onlv a faint, dim 
light could occasionally be seen from some building in the 
vicinity. 

Slowly and with cat-like tread the jail is reached, the 
door is unlocked and in low tones Cox is told to come forth, 
lie does so at once, and for the first time in weeks, breathes 
the air of freedom and after a hurried conversation regarding 
directions he mounts the faithful liorse. " Farewell, may God 
protect you" is heard, and a cordial final shaking of hands all 
aroimd and he is off" bidding farewell forever to Madison 
county. He moved in a westerly course. The night was ex- 
tremely dark, and was lighted onlv bv an occasional star 
from behind the dark passing clouds, but he moves on as fast 
as old " Selam ' could carrv him, animated no doubt by the 
fear that earl)- next morning ofhcers may follow and overtake 
him, and that he may yet be compelled to undergo imprison- 
ment behind the gloomy walls of the penitentiarv. He rode 
that night, it was afterwards ascertained, twentv miles before 



IIISTOKV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. :.'51 

stopping, crossing tlie river at Perkinsville, and proceeding in 
a nortli westerly direction. His first stop was in the nortliern 
part of Hamilton county at a farm house, where he remained 
until the afternoon, to feed and rest his horse. 

The next morning after his flight immense excitement was 
created in Anderson at the discover^' that Cox was missing. 
How it was done and who did it were puzzling tjuestions that 
every one was asking. Many were glad of it while others 
condemned the officers for their carelessness. Officers were 
.sent in various directions and posters sent describing the 
escaped prisoner. This was in the days before telephones, 
telegraphs, and railroads were known, and it was a mucii 
more difficult matter to trace and catch criminals than in this 
fast age. 

The night of the escape a heavj' snow fell and it was im- 
possible for sometime for tlie officers to ascertain in which 
direction he had gone, which was all the better for the fleeing 
man. Finally they got on the right course and traced Cox as 
far northwest as Logansport where it was found that he had 
crossed the Wabash river about the third day after leaving 
Anderson. After this nothing relialjle as to his course in 
lea\ing the Wabash could be ascertained, and, after a few 
weeks, pursuit was abandoned altogether. The friends of Cox 
mingled with the citizens of the town the day after the escape 
wondering (?) how it was done and condemning in no mild 
terms the want of vigilance on the part of the officials. One 
of these live men, who was generally suspected as an '• aider 
and abetter " in the liberation of Co.x, is yet among the living 
of Madison county, and as we observe his slow treading ste]is 
and bent foim as he passes along the streets, we fancy he- 
must, in his mind, recur to his part in the affair of near a half 
a century ago with mingled feelings of satisfaction to himself, 
if to none other, and what a thrill of excitement must occa- 
sionally pervade his thoughts as the stormy night, the ijuiet 
march to the jail, the appearance of Cox, and his cjuiet disap- 
pearance in the darkness all appear before him. • 

A plain marble slab, properly sculptured, onlv a few rods 
to the northeast from the main entrance to the Anderson 
cemetery marks the spot where repose the remains of Tharp. 
the unfortunate victim of a tragedy of so much excitement 
in the long ago, and here the winds of near a half centurv 
have sung their sad requiems over his grave. 

Some twenty-five years after the tragedy an old citizen 



252 IIISTOHY OK MAIJISOX COrXTV. INDIANA. 

ot Matlison coiintv, during u journey througli the west, in his 
route had occasion to pass through the west, part of Wiscon- 
sin, in St. Croix county-. Here in a small town he came un- 
expectedly across Cox, who had disappeared so suddenly in 
the winter of 1847. Both recognized each other at once and 
their greetings were cordial. Little or no reference was made 
to the trouble " back in Indiana," a t)uarter of a century be- 
fore, and Cox did not seem in the least flustered or nervous 
at meeting the individual that knew a full history of his former 
difficulty. He may yet be alive, but if >o, is no doubt gray 
and bent with the weight of seventy or eighty years upon him 
and as each annual occurring "Thanksgiving Day"' appears 
he would gladly blot from memory that of 1847. 

Captain A. I. Makepeace saw Tharp on the morning of 
the tragedy and tried to dissuade him from attentling the 
shooting matcii. 

A RED nor I'OLI 1IC.-\I, CAMPAIGN IX WHICH MICH I'.AD 
I'.I.OOD WAS OISPLAVED. 

The campaign of 1868, the first to take place after the 
close of the Civil war, was one that will long remain green 
in the memories of those who lived in this county and took 
part in it. There never has been one since that has been ac- 
companied with so much ill feeling, hot blood, or hatred, as 
that memorable political fight. The campaign started in early, 
and the battle raged fiercely until the last gun was fired. 
General Grant was the nominee of the Republican party, and 
Horatio Seymour the Democratic leader. Tiie Democrats 
started in by ratifying the nomination of Horatio Seymour for 
the presidency, in July, by the firing of cannon and speech- 
making in the Court House yard, on which occasion Jacob 
Hubbard, whiU- ramming a load in the cannon, had his arm 
blown off by a jjremature explosion, an account of which is 
elsewhere related. 

The Republicans had a well organized body of men in 
uniform, well drilled for political parade. " The Fighting 
Boys in Blue, "" at the heatl of which was Captain C. T. 
Doxey, who was then young, energetic and full of life, just 
fresh from the seat of war. The Democrats had the largest 
political uniformed club that was ever organized in the coun- 
ty, numbering one thousand strong. Captain B. B. Camp- 
bell was the commander. The organization was known as 
the •' White Boys in Blue."" This was one of the finest look- 



HISTORY OF MADISON' COUNTV, INDIANA. 253 

ing political clubs that ever marched through the city of 
Anderson ; their uniforms were blue pants, zoua\e style. 
wliite waists and blue caps. 

During the campaign Mrs. J. M. Dickson, who was one of 
Madison county's best Democratic women, presented the boys 
rt flag in a hand=ome speech from the veranda of her resi- 
dence at the corner of Fourteenth and Jackson streets, which 
was received with cheers and music. The boys carried that 
Hag from one end of the State to tiie other. The two political 
parties vied with each other in all public demonstrations, 
trj-ing to outdo each other in splendor and attractions. A 
great deal of bad feeling existed on both sides, but no serious 
results came of it until the closing days of the campaign. The 
Republicans had a grand "rally'' at Anderson. It was to be 
the last struggle of the battle. This was, perhaps, the largest 
jiolitical gathering that e\er occurred in this county. Everv 
Republican county withiii fifty miles of Anderson sent delega- 
tions to swell the crowd and overawe the Democracy of 
Madison county. During the day, as is usual, some of the 
boys drank fieely and became very loud. Xeal Daugherty 
was then a Democrat and was city marshal. He arrested 
several of the lads and placed tiiem in the "coop." The 
news spread like wild-tire. The Democratic city officials 
were arresting and incarcerating in jail the Republican boys. 
It was no time until the town was all shaken up w ith excite- 
ment. 

Wesley Dunham was then Mayor and James II. AlcCon- 
nell was city prosecutor. A rush was made for the Mayor's 
ofHce and a demand made for the release of the boys who 
had been placed in jail. Clubs, pistols and kni\'es were 
nourished over and around Mayor Dunham aiul Marshal 
Daugherty's heads and threats of all kinds of violence v\ ere 
made if the prisoners were not released. Mayor Dunham 
stood like a stone wall and faced the infuriated crowd, backed 
by the steady nerve of Neal Daughert}' and J. H. McConnell. 
He flatly refused to issue any order for the discliargc of the 
prisoners, as they were transgressors against the law and 
were arrested for that and not for any political reasons. Some 
one in the crowd cried out, " Rescue them! Tear down the 
jail! " In a moment the excited crowd rushed toward the old 
jail, at the corner of Ninth and Jackson streets. 

James II. Snell was then sheriff, and a braver man never 
lilled that office. He heard the crowd coming with a yell. 



254 HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

He took his place in tlie jail yard, and in a gentlemanly way 
ordered the crowd not to enter the premises, warning them 
that whoever did so did it at his peril. The crowd halted for 
consultation. About this time Captain W. R. Myers, who 
was then a Republican leader in MadisonI county, appeared 
upon the scene and took his station in the jail yard, and in a 
few well-timed remarks shamed the crowd out of any attempt 
to tear down the jail, telling them that the laws of the land 
had been transgressed, and there was no disposition on the 
part of the city officials to do anything but their dutv : that as 
soon as possible the transgressors should be taken before the 
Mayor and their cases lawfully disposed of. This speech had 
the effect to disperse the crowd, and saved the jail from being 
torn down, and, perhaps, the shedding of blood. 

Matt Tob'n then kept a saloon in the alley between 
Ninth and Tenth streets, south of Main. His place was raitled 
and cleaned'out. Pistols, knives and bludgeons were drawn 
on him, but he faced his assailants and showed them fight. He 
was not personally injured, but had a close call. 

Henrj' Bronnenbeig, the present County Commissioner, 
was in town on that day. Some one reported that lie had 
shouted for Jefl'. Davis. A rush was made for him, but 
Henry was too slick for them. He rode a gray mare tiiat 
could out run the m ind. He took toward home, hundreds of 
fellows on foot and horse back following him, jelling and 
shouting like Indians on the trail ; but to no purpose. Bron- 
nenberg sat on his racer, looking liack at his pursuers at in- 
tervals, sending back a shot from a revolver. Xo one was 
hit either by him or his pursuers. He crossed the river near 
Jackson's old mill that used to stand on the river near the 
crossing of the Pan Handle and Bee Line railroads, becoming 
lost to sight in the woods that was then along the river. Oliver 
Mv'ers, a brother of Captain Myers, was coming to town rid- 
ing a gray horse nearly the same color as Bronnenberg's. The 
crowd met him, and thinking he was Bronnenberg, coming 
back towards them, c:ime very near killing him before he 
could explain who he was. It took some tall talking from 
Mr, Myers to save his scalp, but at last he succeeded in get- 
ting them convinced that he was not the man they were after. 
Bronnenberg returned to the city in a short time, but was not 
molested. 

A. A. Hellwig, who was a leading Democratic politician 
at that time, was among others who had to keep shady on 



niSTOliV Ol' MAIHSON COUNTY, INDIANA. 255 

tiiat occasion, but got even by knocking tlown a fellow from 
IMiddletown and taking his badge from him. 

Tlie larger portion of those who wanted to take the town 
came from other counties, wliilst there were some in Ander- 
son who •■ egged "" them on. The best element did not ap- 
prove of it and denounced it. In that campaign Captain B. 
B. Campbell, who was at the head of the " White Boy.s in 
Blue," took his command to Indianapolis to a State raUv. 
While there they got into an altercation with the Republican 
authorities, and Captan Campbell, in defense of the rights of 
his men. drew his >~word anil struck one of his assailants o\er 
the head, giving him a severe wound. No man ever had 
command of a political club in this countv who had the per- 
fect control over his men and conimandetl their entire respect 
as did Captain Cami^bell. He could have led them into the 
depths of bloodv battle, lire or flame, and not a man would 
h.ive flinched. Time has changed and mellowed down those 
who yet live, who took part in that political fight. The 
manv neighbors who then h;iled each other for^ political 
reasons are the best of friends now. 

Captain Campbell and Major Doxej', the central figures 
in that exciting conflict, who used to walk on opposite sides 
of the street from each other — aie now the warmest of 
old cronies, often in a crowd together, talking, no doubt think- 
ing, about their foolishness in those by-gone days. 

Politics, as well as other things, have since then changed. 
Captain Myers is now one of the wheel hor.ses of the Democ- 
racy. W. A. Kittinger, then a Democrat, is a red hot Repub- 
lican. Xeal Daugherty, then a Democrat, is now a Republican, 
and so the world goes on. 

liUUKETT EADS A ONCE PROMINENT CITIZEN. 

Burkett Eads ^vas one of Madison comity's old-timers. 
He died in Anderson about the year 18(5(3, while filling the 
office of ccjuntv Recorder. He was born in \'irginia, where he 
married ; he removed to Kentucky, where he lived for a short 
time, moving to Henry county, and from thence to this county, 
where he spent the remainder of his days. In 1856 he was 
elected Sheriff, and in 18()4 became Recorder, which place he 
filled during the war. He was a sterling Democrat. There 
was no compromise in his make-up. Democracy was his only 
religion. During his term of office congress passed a law re- 
qi:iring all deeds and mortgages to be stamped with a one- 



256 HISTORY or MADISOX COUXTV, INDIANA. 

dollar revenue stamp ; it also required a certiticate of the 
officer taking the acknowledgement, that it was duly stamped 
according to law. It also gave the Recorder a twentv-five-cent 
lee for recording the certiticate. 

When a person brought in a deed to have it recordctl, 
Burkett would ask him his politics. 

" I am a Republican, sir ." 

'■ Well, the fee is one dollar and a half. If vou were a 
Democrat, it would oiilv he oik- dollar and a quarter." 

'• How is that ?" 

■' The government has passetl a law requiring me to re- 
cord this certiticate, that your deed is properly stamped. You 
have voted for this law, now you can pay for it." 

He had a nickname for every one. He imnu-diately 
named every stranger who came to town. He called Arm- 
strong Taylor •' Snakeroot :"' Richard Lake, he called "The 
Arabian Dick;"' Michael Doll, he called "Snake-head;'' 
Ephraim Doll, he called •' Blacksnake." 

During the war, wlien excitement ran high, a comjian}' 
of soldiers was passing through the town and undertook to 
take the place. They raided all the county officers, and put 
them all to flight except Burkett Eads, who entrenched him- 
self in his office, and showed fight; defying them, they passed 
on and let him alone. 

When he lived in Henry county it was at an early day — 
when people cut their grain witli a hand sickle. Burkett 
Eads had the distinction of being the fastest reaper in the 
county. His oldest son, Edward Eads, committed suicide 
beneath a large beech tree in Liberty township, Henry county, 
by shooting his brains out with a rifle, while out hunting, 
caused by melancholy from being jilted by his lady love. 

Burkett Eads died in a house opposite where Jolm 
Barnes now lives, on Central avenue, in ISIiO. from a stroke 
of paralysis. 

The widow Eads \\\ed there for many years after her 
husband's death, and died but a short time since. John 
Eads, his son. is yet living soutli of the citv ; he is a pros- 
perous farmer and brick manufacturer. Burkett Eads was, 
during his lifetime, one of the most popular and successful 
politicians who ever lived in Madison county; as honest as 
the day was long, generous to a fault, universally loved and 
esteemed by all, and leaving a host of friends to mourn his 
loss when he died. 



msldK'l Ol' MADISON COL'N'T-i', IXDIAXA. !'.)( 

Ex-coKONKR (;p:()K(;e Armstrong's expeiuence. 

Georjre Arin>tr()nn- was one of the char;icters of Madiscin 
county — a shoe-maker by trade, and an Irishman bv birtli. 
He read all the papers and was posted on the general polit- 
ical situation. He could often droji in a remark in regartl to 
tiie political situation in a caucus that would open the eyes of 
the '■ rinu; masters "' in local politics, coming as it did from 
one wliollj- unpretentious and unassuming. 

(ieorge had a bee ; it buzzed in his ear for a great many 
jears. He thought he was cut out for some ofHce. He often 
remarked that "many friends" had solicited him to enter the 
arena, but somehow lie could not get the consent of his mind 
to lea\e his business, but at last he concluded that Shake - 
spearc's'lines were true, which say : 

"There is a tide in the affairs of man 
Which taken at its flood, leads on to fortune." 

So. after much careful deliberation and advice from 
friends. (Jeorge announced himself a candidate for Coroner of 
Madison county. The campaign was a short, decisive one, and 
George got left. Did he kick.' No, you bet your life he diiin't. 

(jeorge Armstrong was a Democrat from away back. 
The principles of Democracy were woven in his make-up. djed 
in the wool, warranted not to fade. He ga\e the entire sum- 
mer following to the cause of the campaign. He made it his 
business to solicit votes for his successful opponent who had 
defeated him in the spring nomination. When the election 
came round, the entire ticket was elected and (ieorge was 
happy. 

Time rolled on until another nomination came on. 
George, not satisfied with his first venture, tried his luck again 
which resulted in his triumphant success. He was nominated 
and elected, filling the office to the satisfaction of his parl\ , 
until the time of his death when Dr. Spann was appointed to 
till the vacancy. 

^Vfter his election he was explaining to Jack Hunt and 

some friends how he came to be defeated the first tinu', and 

the cause of his grand success in the last contest : '"Ye say. 

the iirsth time 1 didn't fully understand desate amongst the 

])aple. I was after going out into Pipecreek township 

among the Fargesons and Leggs, and tellin' them T was a 

candidate for Coroner. And they said to me, 'And sure di(,l 

ye think we did not know it? What! man don't you know 
17 



258 IIISTCIRY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

you are t'oolin' away your time running over the country ? 
We are all for you.' And I saw a great many and they were 
all for me. vSo, by gara, I comes home and goes to work on 
the bench, sure that I was there. What d'ye think? When 
the namination came off I was not heard of, bv gara. Ye 
could put my vote through the eye of a nadle. Well, thinks 
says I, they'll not fool me tlie next time. So when I went 
for the namination the last time I went to get it. ^Vhin a 
man told me he was for me I didn't believe a d — n word of 
it, but rather counted him "ferninst" me. But vou bet y'our 
life I didn't let them send me home with mv ears full of 
tafl'v. I staid out in the countrv. and argayed with them and 
plead my cause to every Democrat in Madison county, until 
the last da}% and you see, man, what I done. I tell you 
politics is a desavin thing. A man whose word would be 
taken without swearing in court on any otlier subject, won't 
do to trust on oath in politics."' 

George was very nearly riglit about it. The man who 
-wins in a political race, must be wide awake and trust no one 
^vith his secrets, and use all kinds of schemes and de\ ices to 
pull the wool over the eyes of tlie people. 

Sl'ICIDE OF KDWAHU LEMON. 

On the .'jth of August in lSt<l. news reached Anderson 
from Neillsville, Wisconsin, that Edward Lemon, a former 
resident of this city, liad committed suicide. This was his 
third attempt, and it is said the third time is the ciiarm, and 
the saying was verified in this case. When the news reached 
this citj- that he had committed suicide, but few people who 
■were acquainted with the waggish wa3s of the deceased, gave 
the story anv credence, as they supposed that it was another one 
of his efforts to "sell" the people, for which he always man- 
ifested a desire, but telegrams and letters received in a few 
days thereafter, confirmed the report of tlie fact that lie had 
finally' terminated his life by taking laudanum. 

When he took the poison he went to the office of the 
Neillsville Press and extracted from tlie editor a promise of 
secrecy. He told his story of how he was about to end his 
life as the fatal draught had already been taken. The editor 
lost no time in sending for medical aid, which greatly incensed 
Mr. Lemon, for he said he was bound to go. He told the 
editor to write him up in fine style, and to say, " I died in the 
blessed hope of a glorious immortality.'" He also wanted 



HlsrOli'i 0|- jrADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 259 

something put in aliDiit climbing' the golden stairs, saying, 
"you know how to do it."' 

Tiiis talk on the part of Lemon led the physicians to 
believe that he was playing a joke, and nothing was done for 
him until he fell back in his chair, limp and helpless. 

Every one present did all he could to save his life, but he 
died at 2 :-5(t o'clock on the following morning. 

Only the winter previous Lemon had attempted suicide 
in Anderson and barely escaped death, and about three months 
before this occurrence he had made a similar attempt at Min- 
neapolis. From Garrett \\ . Brown, who was an uncle of the 
deceased, and who lived in Anderson previous to this time, it 
was learned that there was no particular clui' lo the cause of 
Lemon "s desire to end his life. He had on one occasion 
informed Mr. Brown that the reason that he had attempted 
to end his life was that he was constantly harrassed bv an irre- 
sistible desire for strong drink, and that rather than be a com- 
mon drunkard he would end his existence. He knew of sev- 
eral druuk;ird>. in Anderson and rather than become so loath- 
some as they were lo the public, he would end his life. 

Lemon was well known to the population of Anderson as 
^vell as to a large number of people throughout the country. 
He was bright and a natural wag; he was always getting oil' 
some practical joke. 

At the time he attempted suicitle in Anderson, he was 
taken to the Do.xev Hotel where he was attended by Dr. Will- 
iam Suman, who inserted a stomach pump for the purpose of 
pumjiing out the poison. While his friends were standing 
around tilled with the seriousness of the hour, and trying to do 
all they could to save the unfortunate man"s life. Lemon cried 
out, '■ Doc, wouldn't they be in a hell of a fix if a fire would 
break out now while you have got this engine down my 
throat ? "' This caused the persons assembled to indulge in a 
hearty laugh, even though the occasion was a very serious one. 

Dr. Suman succeeded in extricating him from his peril- 
ous condition, and on the next day Lemon was on the streets 
practicing his usual line of jokes as though nothing had oc- 
curred. His wit knew no bounds; he was a great mimic, 
and could imitate to perfection the voice of anv public speaker 
he had ever heard, also of birds and animals. He was a 
ready writer and his forte was really that of a funny man. 

He once wrote a '' take off'' on a swell reception given 
in Anderson, in which he laid the scene at his country home. 



260 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

called •' The Dainside Farm." in which he ridiculed some of 
the old-timers of Ander.son in elegant style. lie gave the 
description of the costumes of all those who were present, 
and the full details of this affair in such language and ^uch 
terse words that nothing eUe could have been done to m,;ke 
it more ridiculous. The reason for writing this article was 
that a gentleman well known in Anderson iiad given a swell 
reception, after which the afl'air was liberally written up for 
the Anderson J)c»tocrat, and among the guests were a great 
many people for whom Lemon did not ha\e the best of feel- 
ing, and therefore he had written this article as a "take off."" 
Mr. Lemon is pleasantlv remembered elsewhere in these 
pages. He. like all of us, had his faults, but had many virtues, 
\vhich, to a large extent, overbalanced all his shortcoming-.. 

A DESTKUCITVE STORll. 

One of the most de>tructive cyclones that ever visited 
Madison county occurred on Wednesday. May 12. lS8(i. The 
tract over which it passed was made almost a waste, being 
about a mile and a half wide and four or five miles long, ex- 
tending east and west. Great damage was done to the wheat 
fields, and other crops were laid waste. Llouses, barns and 
stables were moved from their foundations, shattered and 
unroofed, and some blown down. Large forest trees in 
great numbers were broken off and thrown together. Many 
fine orchards were ruined, and rail fences were blown to 
the four winds. A terrible flood of rain accompanied the 
.storm, covering the surt"ace of the ground to a depth of 
several feet. 

Among the buildings damaged was the Waggy school 
house, south of Anderson, which had its roof and gable 
blown oft'. On the farm of Samuel Cridge a large amount of 
timber and fences was blown down anil destroyed. I~)r. 
Robinson, who lived two miles south on the Columbus piKC, 
had a fine orchard entirely obliterated. J. D. WiUon. in the 
same neighborhood, had live hogs drowned, and the roof taken 
off his house. I'eter Miller. li\ing about two miles south of 
Anderson, had his stable blown down aiul all his fencing 
completely scattered. The residence of William llanm-son 
was considerably damaged. 

James Shinkle. of Anderson, who lived on \Vest Tenth 
street, had been to Xolilesville and was driving home. When 
near the residence of William P. Davis, west of Anderson, he 



niSIOK\' nl- MADISOX COTNTV, INDIANA. iJGl 

drove into a culveii tliat had bcc-n washed out, and one of his 
iiorses bv breakin<^ througii into it, was seriously injured. 
C^uite :i hir<fe excavation was made under the Pan Handle 
railway, near the Myers ford, the water causing the section 
hands lo work for the balance of the night and all of the next 
day in patching up the road so that trains could pass. In the 
house of John »\ldridge. on East Ninth street, in Anderson, 
the water stood to the depth of several feet in the first storv. 
A large three-story brick llouring mill at Pendleton, was also 
flooded with water, and under the pressure of the surging 
waves in Fall creek, the foundation crumbled and was par- 
tially washed away, d<jing much damage. 

This terrible storm will long be remembered by the in- 
habitants of Madison coimty, over whom it passed. At one 
time it seemed as if every one living within its course would 
meet with instant death. 

I<)si[ua's spr<;ECii. 

When the Flon. Ilcrv^' Craven was Judge of the JMadison 
Circuit Court there were many incidents occurred that would 
now seem at least odd in a court of justice. Craven was one 
of those men who was built with the rough side out. Every 
one who knew liini hclieved him to be an lionest man, how- 
ever much thev might have disliked his rough ways and un- 
couth manner on the bench. No one would ever have been 
s(, liold as to try to wrongfully sway his judgment. It would 
not have been safe. He, with all his gruff ways and outward 
signs of independence, was awav down, one of the most sensi- 
tive of men. He disliked to be criticised or talked about as 
much as any one. Dining his occupancy of the bench many 
of the attorneys got on tlu' '• otl" side '" of him, either from 
real or imaginary causes, many of them taking changes of 
venue from him as Judge. He soon caught on _to the fact 
that in many cases it was purely personal. In all such cases 
he woulil call Joshua Jones, of Tipton county, to try their 
cases. Joshua was not the most prol'ound lawyer in the 
world, but did not seem to know it. When he was called to 
try a case it had to tie tried at all hazard. Attorneys, jurors, 
citizens or tax payers could not head him oft". If the issues 
were not made up in the case he ordered the attorneys to at 
once join them, or have their cases dismissed. Tliey would 
many times squirm and plead for time, but it was "no go." 
Joshua was in command. The trial had to go or '' bust." 



262 HISTORY OF MADISON COU^••|^ , INDIANA. 

Judge Craven was generally a quiet spectator to Judge Jones' 
actions, and was nearly tickled to death to see Joshua ••twist 
their tails," as he termed it. 

One time Joshua was the attorney in a case before Judj^e 
Craven and a jury, in which Isaac Dehoritj', of Diickcreek 
township, was the defendant. Joshua was for the plaintiff m 
the case. He was doing his best for his client, from the fact 
that he had a dislike for the defendant, as' well as from legal 
reasons for winning his case. It was a long, tedious trial, there 
being many witnesses on both sides. The testimony rather 
preponderated on Dehority's side. Joshua felt that unless 
something was done almost superhuman lie must lose. So 
he made up his mind that he would make a heroic argument 
before the jury and possibl)' save the dav. The opposing 
counsel had made a stirring speech, summing up the evidence 
in direct bearing upon the issues of the case, when he gave 
wa,y for Joshua to close. He sailed in, in regular spread-eagle 
style, touching but slightly on the evidence, dwelling upon 
the fact that his client was poor, etc., to catch the .sympathv 
of the jury. The court was giving him all the string he 
wanted and finally he got to his fullest height. He swelled 
up and said: " Cjentlemen of the jury, where was Isaac De- 
hority, the defendant in this case, while my client was baring 
his breast to the storms of battle, fighting in defense of that 
old flag we love so well.' I sav, where was he? I'll tell vou 
where he was. He was lurking around home, basking his 
d — d rebel carcass in the swamps of Madison count v."' The 
Judge at this point broke in with, " (Jive 'em hell, [oshua." 

He spoke for an hour and half in this strain, getting tiie 
jury worked up to a pitch where e\idence, law or gospel 
would not have stood in their wav. tinallv bringing in a ver- 
<lict for Joshua's client. 

GEORCJE FP:SLER IX A DEMOCliAlIC CONVEX 1 ION. 

As far back as the oldest inhahilant can remember, the 
Democratic conventions for the purpose of arranging the pre- 
liminary work of the campaign, had been held in the old court 
house until it was destroyed by tire in December, 18S0. The 
coming of the time for the biennial mass meeting of the 
Democratic hosts, was anxiously looked forward to by a large 
number of the rural politicians ; in fact, their actions in the 
mass conventions were about all thev got out of politics. 
They made motions, oft'ered resolutions, made speeches and 



IIIsroKV Ol MADISON COUXl^'. IXIMAXA. 263 

got their names in the paiiers, ail of whicli was giory eiiougli 
to last them until the next campaign. 

Among the man}- who were prominent in these conven- 
tions, was (Jeorge Fesler, of Ovid. For vears he was a regu- 
lar attendant and took a prominent part in the deliberations 
of the conventions. He was in attendance at one of these 
meetings once when a general row was about to take place — a 
split in the convention seemed inevitable. Two factions were 
at war with each other. I'he committee on resolutions had 
come in to make its report and a storm of indignation came up 
from the audience. As each resolution was read, some one 
would arise and move to lay it on the table. Another resolu- 
tion would come and a like motion would be made. Long 
and spirited debates ensued in each case. Eagle flights of 
oratory were indulged in by Judge Pierse, J. M. Dickson, 
W. C. Fleming, Dr. J. C Cullen, Dr. T. N. Jones, and in 
fact, all of the local politicians. 

The lion. David S. (iooding was present, ready to ad- 
dress the convention as soon as an opportunity afl'orded. If 
there was a man on earth that George Fesler loved to hear 
speak, it was Judge Gooding. George was becoming tired of 
the '• monkey business" and wanted Gooding to have a chance 
to speak. Some one moved to lay a certain resolution on the 
table. A big fight was on hand, almost coming to blows. 
George raised up from his seat and shouted : 

" Messer Presitent !" The confusion was so loud that the 
president didn't hear him. " Messer Presitent, Messer 
Presitent ." Finally he shouted at the top of his voice, 
" Messer Presitent ," this time getting the chairman's atten- 
tion and was recognized. " Messer Presitent, in order to 
hurry up the proceedings of this convention, so that Dave 
Gooding can make a speech, 1 moves that ve lay all of the 
resolutions on the table and wote them all srue at once." 

This brought down the house and placed the tighting ele- 
ments in a good humor. Order was restored and the business 
soon dispatched. Judge Gooding made his speech and all 
went home happj-. 

A CLIEXT PLE.\DS (iUILI'Y AF'I'ER UK IS Al.(yiTTED. 

Many funny things take place during a lifetime in the 
])ractice of law. .V lawyer gets on the inside of many men's 
evil deeds, and knows the secret history of many men whom 
it would utterly destro}' if revealed. But no good lawyer — 



2()1 llISrOIJY OF MADISON COUNTS'. INDIANA. 

one who lives up to the rules of tlie practice, and who has 
a high regard for his position as a professional man, ever gives 
up the secrets confided in him. Information of a private char- 
acter imparted to an attorney at law, is much safer than if 
given to your wife. The discreet lawyer never tells his wife. 
It is generally understood that in criminal cases the defendant 
makes a " clean breast " of it. gives his attornej- everv detail, 
so that he actuallv knows whether his client is guilty or not 
guilty. 

In many cases lawyers stand before the jury with tears 
streaming down their faces, trying to convince the juiy of the 
innocence of their client, wlien, in fact, they know he is as 
guilty as sin. Once in a while you will find a fellow who is 
guilty, who persists to his attorney, as well as the outside 
world, that he is innocent. lie is often so serious about it that 
his attorney thinks he is an innocent, much-abused and perse- 
cuted man. 

An instance of this kind once occurred in the ^Madison 
Circuit Court. A man in the southern part of the county was 
indicted for stealing some clothing. 

He employed the Hon. J. ^V. Sansberry to defend him. 
Mr. Sansberry was then in his prime and stood at the head of 
tiie Madison county bar. He was always a sincere man. If 
he took a^notion that his client was actually not guilty, it was 
almost a personal matter with him in the trial of the case. 
Ever)' efl'ort was made, and nothing left undone to accomplish 
his ac<]uittal. 

In this case the man strenuously declared his innocence. 
His attorney thought he was innocent, as well as many others 
wiiu were acquainted with the circumstances. When the 
Sheriff went to serve process on the defendant, he wanted to 
put his- horse up and feed him. but the man denied liim the 
privilege, and would' not consent, under any circumstances, 
to allow his horse put in his stable. This made the Sheriff 
angry. When he brought the prisoner to .\nderson he related 
the circumstance to Mr. Sansberry, who thought it was 
strange, to say the least, and also thought his client had hurt 
his case by taking such a course with the oHicer. 

The fellow made a plausible excuse, fi.xing it up on his 
part. The time came around for his trial. An heroic de- 
tense was made for him. The jury took his case under adyise- 
m.ent, in due time returning a verdict of not guilty. He was 
once more a free man, with the stain of theft washed away. 



IMS1I)K\ i>l MADISON COISTY. INIMAVA. 2G5 

He again stood before the worlil as an lioiiest, uprlyht. (Jotl- 
fearing- man. His friends congratulated liim upon his acquit- 
tal. The jury was complimented for its good sense and 
sound judgment. After all was over, Mr. Sansberrv. in con- 
versation witli the client, asked him why he denied the Sheriff 
the courtesy of putting his horse in the stable. 

"Well," said the man, ''You see. I had the stolen clothes 
hiilden in the manger, and I was afraid he would lintl them." 
This knocked the attorney out. lie felt as if there was no 
cop.lidence to he placed in mankind. Many a guiltv man has 
escaped punishment by putting on a bolil face anil sticking to 
the plea of innocence. 

OI.D-TIMF. COI KI' li.Xl'EKIRNCES. 

In the long time ago it seems that the people ol' Madison 
county who dwelled in their log cabins and li\ed on "■ corn 
dodger,"' with all their ways of simplicity, were about as 
greedy for small crumbs thrown out of the county " crib " as 
the present generation. While their coin|iensation was veiy 
sm.ill as compared with what persons are paid at the ])resent 
time, there were about as many patriots ready and willing to 
serve as there are now in piojiortion to the population. There 
always was and always will be, around every county seat, 
about the same number of fellows who love to serve in the 
capacity of jurors and supernumeraries around the courts. 
There is a fascination about the proceedings of a court that 
takes hold of some fellows and never loosens its grip on them. 
The comforts of sitting in a jury box in a warm court house on 
a cold wintry day, as the wind whistles through the cracks 
and crevices around the temple of justice, listening to the tes- 
timony and weighing the evidence in a long and hotly con- 
tested case of Isastardy, rape or assault and battery, is some- 
thing that has always been a source of great gratification to 
many people. It is noticeable, too, that there is, and always 
has been, a certain crowd in all stages of the court proceeil- 
ings that are the favored ones. 

Among the " old-timers "" who had their share of the plum> 
picked out of the county orchard there were Saul Shaul. Will- 
iam Curtis, Daniel Harpold, Willis (i. Atherton, Jesse Shel- 
ton, Collins Tharp, Jesse Wise and manv others who held 
sway away back in the thirties. From the year ISijO to 1S4(>, 
their names appear on nearly every page of the old records in 
the capacity of Justice of the Peace, road supervisor, over- 



266 msTOuv oi madi^on coixty, Indiana. 

seer of tlie poor, bailiff, or in sbnic other capacity connected 
with running the" machine '' i]i county matters. Many other 
names also appear of men who. in later years, became popu- 
lar leaders in the fields of politics and business. At the March 
session. IS;];"), the allowance records show the following entry ; 

•' Ordered that the petit jur}- be allowed seventv-five cents 
each."" Among whom were Andrew Shanklin, John Moss, 
Jesse Wise and .Saul .'-ihaul. Andrew Jackson was allowed 
four dollars and a half for services as sheriff; Thomas K. 
Williams fifty cents for summoning witnesses before the 
Grand jury, and Charles D. Henderson and Alfred Kilgore 
were each allowed ten dollars for counsel appointed by the 
court to defend George McXew for larceny. Adam Winsell 
and Charles Mitchell were each allowed ten dollars as judges 
for holding said term of court. 

Among the names in the above list who afterward be- 
came men of atTairs, was Andrew Jackson, elected clerk of 
the Madison Circuit Court as long as he cared to have it : was 
State senator and a representative in the legislature, and a 
politician with a State reputation. He became oneof Madison 
county's political giants. 

Charles D. Henderson published the first Democratic 
paper ever printed in ^Madison county, and was a man of 
State prominence. 

Alfred Kilgore was one of Indiana's foremost lawyers, a 
brother of the late Judge David Kilgore, who was once Judge 
of tiiis circuit and a member of congress from this district. 

It has been suggested that a suitable monument ought to 
be erected to Chas. D. Henderson who now lies in an un- 
marked grave in Madison count}-, almost forgottem He was 
an intelligent, upright man in his time, and is worthy of 
some recognition by the present generation for his labors in 
the days gone by for the benefit of the people of this 
county. 

.\mong the many others wiio also had their names 
enrolled on the pages of Madison county history at that early 
day, are Henry Alderman and Brazelton Xoland who was 
once Treasurer of the county years ago ; and Palmer Patrick, 
of Fallcreek township, who helped to lay out and make 
nearly every road in Madison count}-, as the records show ; 
and Smitli Chambers, Robert Farnesworth and Ancil Rich- 
mond, who many years ago was Clerk of Madison Count)' ; and 
John Renshaw. who served as county Commissioner and 



I 



HISTORY OF .MADISON' COUNTS', INDIANA. '267 

assessor of revenue, for Anderson, Jackson and Pipecreek 
townships in J835; and Chamberlain Houston, as assessor of 
Adams, Union and Richland townships in tlie same year ; 
and Robert N. Williams as Clerk of the county during several 
years, about this period. 

These men are now gone. They have left their foot- 
prints on the sands of time. Their records have been made 
up and submitted to the Supreme Judge of all. We have no 
right to now pass judgment on their acts, whether right or 
wrong. It is safe to say they were, in the main, right; if 
they erred, they did it honestly. 

SM.M.L OK ITS AGE. 

Pat Skehan, the groceryman, whose jolly nature and 
robust form have been the pride of Anderson for almost half a 
century, has filled a place in Madison county, as well as a 
warm place in the hearts of its people. Every one knows him 
throughout the county. He has kept a grocery in Anderson so 
long that the oldest inhabitant cannot remember when he did 
not keep one. As well as family groceries, he has always 
kept a choice lot of liquors, and has enjoyed a good trade 
among the farmers. Among his many friends and ad- 
mirers was " Uncle Tommj- "' Thornburg. When Mr. Thorn- 
burg lived up on Killbuck, he always dropped into Pat's to 
warm his toes and chat awhile, and thought his visit to Ander- 
son was not complete unless he had seen Pat. One cold, win- 
ter morning, " Uncle Tommy "" came to town with his ears 
wrapped up in good shape. He naturally dropped into Ske- 
han's grocery to warm. Pat very cordiallv invited him back, 
gave him a chair near the stove and assisted him to take of\' 
his wraps, .\fter they had chatted for f|uite awhile. Fat 
excused himself for a moment, and soon returned with one of 
those small " thimble glasses '" filled with an '• eye-opener ' 
" Here, ' Uncle Tommy,' is some choice old rye, right from the 
blue-grass regions of Kentucky. It is hand-made, ayd I know 
of my own knowledge, that it is eight years old. Try it ; 1 am 
certain that it will be good for you this cold morning." " Uncle 
Tommy " took it and gave it a very close scrutinizing, turning 
it round and round in his hand, and finally quaffing it down at 
one swallow. 

" How old did you say it was:'" asked Tommy. 

" Eight years old I absolutely know it to be.'' 



26S IIISIOI!'!' OK MADISdN COIXTV, I N I>l A XA . 

" \'es. its pretty yood,'" said Tommy. " but verv --mall of 
its age."' 

It was no time until Pat had rt-plenislicd the Ljlas< and 
they both took a whifF together. 

TltR FENCE VIEWERS. 

The ordc ot things has been tiirneil artnuid since the days 
of our fathers, in regard to the stock law. Now there is no 
slock allowed to rim at large, or graze upon the " common." 
No fence of anv ]5articidar size, shjipe or dimensions is needed. 
In the "away back"' tlays it was diflfereiit ; people allowed 
stock of all kinds to run out, and graze upon the public land. 
It was common in those days to have a bell cow anil a bell 
weather. The bell cow led the procession of cattle, while the 
bell weather led the sheep. Every cow and sheep knew to 
what herd it belonged and would follow its leader to the end 
ol the earth. 

Sometimes people would not see their stock from early 
■spring till late in the fall. When winter approached, they 
generally turned out to hunt their herds and bring them in 
for winter feeding. People of that day were retjuired to keep 
up their fences to a regulation fixed by law. 

In oriler to properly enforce the law the County Commis- 
sioners of each county appointed fence viewers to view the 
fences in different townships, and report as to their condition. 
If you failed to have your fence up to the standard, and breachy 
cattle or horses got into your field, you could not collect dam- 
ages ; while on the other hand, if your fences were up to the 
regulation prescribed, you could recover damages by suit, if 
stock inJLH'ed your crops. The office of fence viewer has long 
been a thing of the past, yet there are men still living who 
have held that important office. At the January session, 18:^9, 
the Board of Commissioners made the following appointments : 

"It is ordered that James Noland and Evan Pugh, of 
Anderson township ; John McKinzie, of Greene to\vnship ; 
Charles Doty, of Fallcreek township; Moses Corvvin and 
Moses Shaul, of Adams township; Collins Tharp and Nehe- 
miah Layton, of Jackson township, be and the}' are hereby 
appointed fence viewers of their respective townships for the 
year A. D. ISl'U." 

It is said that the Board generally selected a tall and a 
fat nian in each township for this office. If the fence was so 
low that the tall man coulil walk a straddle of it, or the 



lUSI'OUV ()!• MAinsOM COirNFY. INDIAN'A. 200 

cracks so large tliat tlic I'at man coiiUl crawl tlirouij;h. then 
the fence was condemned. This oflice was generally thrown 
out to the workers in tiie out townships as a reward for jiarty 
services. It's a pity the office was aholisiied, as it would 
save cantlidates great expenditure of money, and have a tend- 
ency to keep party lines, as well as people's fences, in good 
condition. It is said thai L'ncle Jiiiiinv I lollingsworth. who 
is yet living, once held the office of fence viewer. It is safe 
to say that the fences in his township were up to the standard, 
for whatever he does, he does with all his might. 1 Ii" would 
let no guiltv man escape. 

THE " MILK-SICK." 

The lirst settlers of Madison and adjoining counties were 
not only confronted with innumerable hardships in clearing 
tlieir farms and securing necessaries for their suhsistence. but 
were compelled to endure much sickness during certain sea- 
sons, particularly spring and sunnner. Ague was the common 
ailment, .aid it was not unusual for an entire setl lement . ^ n' 
comirjunity, to he afflicted with it during the early spring. it 
was not dangerous, however, and very often yielded in a short 
time to the simple remedies ;idministered hv the pioneer 
mothers, their remedies consisting of teas maile of roots ;>.nd 
various kinds of bark from trees. 

The most fatal, and therefore the most dreaded, disease 
tliat made its appearance at an early day was a deathly sick- 
ness known as " milk poison,' or " milk-sick," The means 
for treating it corresponded \\\\h the other needs of the new 
country, and consecpiently the mortality among the settlers was 
often alarming. An animal afHicteil with it would become 
very sick and begin to tremble. This trembling woidd con- 
tinue until death relie\'ed its sufferings. All domestic animals 
were subject to the disease, particularly cattle, and died in 
great numbers every spring and summer wherever cert.ain 
conditions obtained until the country bticanu- better de\elo]ied, 
when it tinally disappeari'd. 

Persons who consumed the milk or butter, or ate the meat 
of animals subject to the disease were almost certain victims, 
I'hev were seized with nausea and \omited continually, 
\Vhiskv was the principal remedv, and when that failed to 
bring relief, the patient usualiv succumbed. There were 
many theories advancetl as to what caused the diseasf. .Some 
thought that it was communicatetl to stock Ihrougli vegeti- 



270 HISTORY OF MADISON COU.VTY, IXDIAXA. 

tion, others that it was induced by drinking water impregnat- 
ed with a mineral poison. A favorite theory attributed the 
cause to a poison distilled by a mineral and through a pro- 
cess of exaporation settled upon vegetation with the dew. It 
was claimed by this class that cattle or other stock that were 
kept penned up until after the dew disappeared of mornings, 
never became afflicted with the disease. 

JNIanv physicians who had taken a regular course of medi- 
cine, insisted that there was no such disease as milk-sick, that 
the disease so-called was inflammation of the stomach. The 
old-time doctors, however, and people generally, stoutly 
maintained the contrary, and advanced both evidence and 
argument that could not be refuted. Since 186G but few cases 
of milk-sick have been heard of in this or in neighboring 
counties. With the ditching and cultivation of the lands 
supposed to be inilicted with tlie disease, or its germs, it 
gradually disappeared. 

At the session of the legishiture of 1S72-7-!. -\. J. Rich- 
ardson, of Union township, had a petition presented to that 
body, asking that he be properly rewarded for disclosing the 
cause of milk-sick. The petition was introduced bv Hon. J. 
O. Hardesty, then representative from the counties of Madi- 
son, Henry and Hancock, but was not granted. Mr. Rich- 
ardson subsequently wrote a long article and published it in 
the Democratic Standard, in which he claimed that after 
much investigation and experimenting with certain kinds of 
vegetation he was satisfied that the disease was caused from 
the animals eating what is known as " white top " or snake 
root. It was not very long after the publication of the article 
that Mr. Richardson died. He was a gentleman of intelligence 
and at one time served the people of his township as Justice 
of the Peace. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



AnDKUSOX TowNsllll- I-I!OM ITS EARLIEST SETTLEMENT 

TO iTiK Present Time. 

Much li;is iu-ces=nrilv been saitl in previous pai^es con- 
cernint^ thi^ townsiiip, as it contains \\ itliin its boundaries 
tile seat of justice of the county. Bui it is our purpose to 
give here, and in tlie histories of the various townsiiips tliat 
follow, the lietails of sucii local matters as projierlv beloni;' to 
the townships alone. 

Anderson township has an area of 8(1 square miles, an 
acreage of 28,017, and lies a little south of the geographical 
center of the county. It is well watereci, and in the early 
history of the townsiiip was heavily timbered. ^^'hite river 
passes through the township, entering at about the center on 
the east, flowing in a north-westerly course through the 
county. Killbuck creek enters the tow'iiship on the north- 
east and empties into White river at Anderson. Green's 
branch also flows through a jjortion of the township. It rises 
three miles south-west of Anderson and empties into White 
river on the north-west, passing through the \vest part of the 
city. The surface of the township is generally level and 
fairly fertile, although in tlie latter respect it has no advan- 
tage over the other townships in the county. The history of 
the township is essentiallj- the history of Anderson, as it was 
at this place and in its immediate vicinity that the first set- 
tlers located, forming the nucleus of the present population. 

The tirst settlers made their appearance in the township 
in the year 1820. and the best information obtainable indicates 
that John Kerry and family were the lirst to locate at Ander- 
son. William Allen settled in the township two miles east of 
what was to become the seat of justice of the county, about 
the time that John Berry located here. Others soon fol- 
lowed, among whom were William Stogdon, John and 
Christopher Davis, Colonel William Young and his brother 
Isaac, William Curtis, Daniel Harpold, Samuel Kinnamon, 
David Williams. These pioneers were the lirst to locate in 



272 11IS^(1|{^ (II- .M.\I)l>()N LDlNl'i . INDIANA. 

Anderson and in its xicinity. A few years later jjcob 
Stover. Epliraim Ilughel. Jolm Rensiiaw, David Harris. 
Pliilip Siiinkle. Benjamin Sumpter ami Benjamin 1? idsjuiv 
settled in the township. - 

Till-: cnv Ol ANDERSON. 

The site upmi \\ hich Anderson is situated was originally 
entereil by William Conner, who subse<|uently sold it to John 
Berrv. Sometime during the year l!si>;!. Mr. Berrv sur\eved 
and laid out the original plat of the town and afterward. a> 
stated elsewhere in this work, donated a considerable portKin 
of it to the coimty in consideration of " -\ndersontown ' be- 
ing made the se;it of justice, which at that time was at Pendle- 
ton. The permanent seat of justice was located at the town 
of Anderson, anil public buildings were erected as we have 
seen, but it was iKjt until 182,s that the business of the county 
was transactetl here. From that vear until 1837 the town im- 
proved slowlv, the population at that time not exceeding :.'()() 
people. ]?ut from the smnmer of lSii7 the same spirit of en- 
terprise that had manifested itself throughout the State on ac- 
count of the internal improvements that were being j^rojected. 
aroused the peojjle of .\nderson to a realization of the possi- 
bilities of the place, and nothing was left luidone by them 
that would promote its welfare. The construction of the 
Central canal — a branch of the \\ abash iV Erie canal — an ac- 
count of ^vhich is given elsewhere in these pages, not onlv 
increased the population of Anderson greatlv, but gave l)usi- 
ness an impulse and quickened the energies of the pcopk- to 
a greater extent than had ever been experienced before. In 
fact, the town at this time enjoyed its first '■ boom."' Steps 
were taken to organize a town government in order that the 
general prosjierity might be better conserved and the peace 
and quiet of the communitv better maintained. The proposi- 
tion to incorporate the town met with consideralile opposition 
but at the session of the Legislature of l^i{f^-!50 an act was 
passed for incorporating the " town of Andersontown, in 
Madison county, containing S^A) inhabitants." The Countv 
Connnissioners at their January session, l^iiO. made tlu: fol- 
lowing order in regard to the matter: "Ordered, that an 
election be iield at the court house in .^aid town, bv the citi- 
zens of said town, on Monday, the 21st of January, instant, 
for the purpose of electing trustees and appointing ofticers to 
govern the town, and upon the citizens complying with tins 



I1IKTOI5Y OF MADISON COl'NTY, INDIANA. 27H 

order, the said town is hereby and thereafter to be considered 
an incorporated town." 

This order was complied with and a town government 
was established antl maintained until some time after work on 
the canal had been abandoned. When that enterprise was 
dropped by the State, the population diminished and business 
generally suffered in consequence. Following the collapse of 
the canal "boom" the town corporation as an organization 
lost its vitality in sympathy with the general decadence of en- 
terprise, and finally became inoperative. 

As time passed on it became more apparent to the leading 
citizens of the town that there should be some modification of 
the name as the " Town of Andersontown" was redundant and 
did not sound well. Accordingly Robert N. Williams and 
James Ilazlett, two of the most prominent citizens of the town 
and coimty, the former Auditor and the latter Clerk of tlie 
county at the time, petitioned the legislature of 1844-5 for a 
change of the name. The petition asked that the name of 
" Andersontown "' be changed to Anderson, which was granted, 
and from that time on the name of " Andersontown "' does not 
appear of record although the old-timers for years afterwards 
seemed to prefer the name to that of Anderson. 

Anderson's first conflagi<.\tion. . 

Shortly after midnight on the 12th of No\ ember, 1851, 
Anderson was visited by its first disastrous fire. At that 
time nearly all the workshops, offices and stores in the town 
were situated around the public square. They were few in 
number, but fully ade<iuate to the necessities of the times. 
The south side of the square contained more business rooms 
than any of the others, perhaps. Situated on that side and 
on the southeast corner was the frame fan-mill shop of Thomas 
L. Sherman and Adam Wolf; just by its side stood a little 
frame cottage, formerlv the residence of Alfred Makepeace, 
but unoccupied at the time ; the next building was a three- 
story frame, in the lower room of which was a clothing 
store owned by Joseph Fulton ; one of the upper rooms was 
occupied by Seth Smith and William R. ONeil as a law 
office, another by James Kindle, as a shoe shop ; Adam Reed, 
a hatter occupied the next building, where he manufactured 
hats and dealt extensively in peltries, which in that day con- 
stituted no small portion of the exports from the township 

and county. By the side of Reed's place of business was a 
18 



274 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

frame building occupied by Dr. Townsend Ryan, with a stock 
of general merchandise. The next building was the Myers 
" tavern," a two-story log house owned and occupied by 
" Uncle Billy " and " Aunt Julia " Myers of happy memory. 
This hostelry stood about where the L. M. Cox building is 
now situated, and just south of it, facing on what is now 
Meridian street, was a large barn or livery stable run in con- 
nection with the tavern. These were the only buildings on 
that side of the square and they were ent'rely consumed. 

The fire originated in the fan-mill shop, and was sup- 
posed to have been the work of an incendiary. The flames 
spread so rapidly that witii the meagre facilities for figiiting 
them were soon communicated with the other buildings along 
the " row.'" The entire population of the town gatiiered at 
the scene of the fire, and rendered all the assistance possible 
in removing the contents of the buildings on that side of the 
square. Considerable property was destroved besides the 
buildings, and as tliere were no insurance companies in those 
days doing business in Anderson, the loss was total. Besides 
the property destroyed tiiis fire was the cause of three deaths, 
as it is claimed that Setii Smith, William R. O'Xeil and 
James Kindle, each of whom died shortlv afterward, and 
within a few weeks of each other, in attempting to save tiieir 
property inhaled the flames or hot air to sucii an extent that 
they could not survive its effects. Mr. Smith was a gentle- 
man of fine scholastic attainments, and the father of 
Thomas E. Smith, the well known commission merchant of 
Anderson. Mr. 0"Neil was also a man of aljility and a 
fine lawyer. Mr. Kindle was a kindly hearted gentleman, 
whose untimely demise was mourned, not only by a numerous 
relationship, but bv a large circle of friends. 

Anderson's second boom. 

With the completion of the Indianapolis & Bellefontaine 
railroad to Anderson, business was again revived, new enter- 
prises were started, and tiie town began to grow rapidly. 
The necessitv for a town government once more began to 
manifest itself, and on the evening of the 25th of April, 1858, 
a public meeting was held at the court house for tlie purpose 
of taking steps to that end. The late Samuel Myers pre- 
siiled at the meeting, and P. H. Lemon officiated as secretary. 
John Davis explained the object of the meeting and stated the 
advantages of a corporate government. Dr. Townsend Ryan 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTV, INDIANA. 275 

offered a resolution in favor of incorporation, which was 
adopted, and on motion of M. S. Robinson a committee, con- 
sisting of John Davis, Townsend Ryan and Col. Ninevah 
Berry, was appointed to fix the boundaries of the corporation. 
Armstrong Taylor was also appointed to take a census of the 
town. 

Following this meeting a petition was presented to the 
County Commissioners, asking that an election be held " to de- 
termine whether Anderson should be incorporated as a town 
under the laws of the State of Indiana, or not." The petition 
was granted, and the records show that an election was held 
on the 28th of June, 182i5, at whicli thirty-six votes were cast 
in favor of, and one against incorporation. James \V. Sans- 
berry, Burket Eads and S. B. Mattox acted as inspectors of 
the election. This corporation, or town government, lasted 
until 1805, when citizens of the town .began to agitate the 
question of a city government. After the matter had been 
thoroughly canvassed, and very generally received with favor, 
an election was held on the 28th of August, 18(55, within the 
limits prescribed for the new corporation for the purpose of 
determining the question. There were 217 votes cast at this 
election, 207 of which were in favor of a city government, and 
10 against the proposition. After conforming to the neces- 
sary formalities of the law with reference to the organization 
of cities, the citv government of Anderson was organized by 
the selection of the following otlicers : Mayor, R. X. Will- 
iams ; clerk, C. D. Thompson ; treasurer, Joseph Fulton; mar- 
shal, M. X. Harriman ; city prosecutor, E. V. Long; council- 
men — first ward, John D. Mershon and Stephen Xoland ; 
second ward. E. B. Goodykoontz and George Xichol; third 
ward. Wineburn R. Pierse and Benjamin Sebrel. 

Xot withstanding the fact that party lines were drawn 
very closelv in Madison county at that time, politics cut no 
figure in the election of Anderson's first city officers. R. N. 
Williams was elected to the office of Mayor without opposi- 
tion, he being one of the oldest and best known citizens of the 
citv, and besides amply qualified for the ofiice. It is noted 
here that these officers were the first and last elected in the 
city of Anderson without reference to political predilectioiis. 

CITY OFFICIALS OF ANDERSON, PAST AND PRESENT. 

Mayors, Robert X. Williams, 1805-66: J. C. Jones, 
18G0-68; Weslev Dunham, 1808-70; C. S. Martindale, 



276 HISTOHY OF MADISON county. INDIANA. 

1870-72; William Roach, 1872-74; William L. Brown, 
1874-7(5; Byron H. Dyson, 1876-78; James Hazlett, 1878-80; 
Wesley Dunham, 1880-84; J. F. McClure, 1884-92; J. H. 
Terhune, 1892-05; M. L. Dunlap. 1895. Mr. Dunlap is the 
present Mayor. 

Clerks, C. D. Thompson, A. D. Williams (appointed 
March 19, 1866, vice Thompson resigned) ; B. B. Campbell, 
from 1866-8; John L. Forkner, from 1868-71 : A. C. Davis, 
from 1871-2; C. A. Henderson, from 1872-4; J. M. Jackson, 
from 1874-6; F. N. Pence, from 1876-S; James Mohan, from 
1878-80; J. H. McMillen, from 1880-2; William Bohind, 
from 1882-4 ; Edmund Johnson, from 1884-6; John Baker, 
from 1886-8; Philip Briggs, from 1888-90; Frank Kpply. 
from 1890-5. Mr. Epply was re-elected in 1895 and is the 
present incumbent. 

Treasurers, Joseph Fulton, from 1865-8; E. R. Char- 
man, from 1868-70 ; Isaac C. Sharp, from 1870-2 ; Armstrong 
Taylor, from 1872-84; A. J. Hunt, from 1884-90; William 
Fulton, from 1890-4; Charles Kemmery, from 1894. Mr. 
Kemmery is the present incumbent. 

Marshals, M. N. Ilarriinan, from 1865-7; J. A. Thomp- 
son, from 1867-8 (appointed vice Harriman resigned); Cor- 
nelius Daugherty. from 1868-70 ; John Flahaven, from 1870- 
2; David T. Thompson, from 1872-3; O. P. Stone, from 
1878-4 (vice Thompson resigned); Cornelius Daugherty, 
from 1874-8; Alfred Coburn, from 1878-82; Augustus 
Heagy, from 1882-3 ; Amos Coburn, from 1888-4 ( vice Heagy 
resigned); Theodore Zion, from 1884—5; Patrick O'Mara, 
fyom 1885-6 (vice Zion resigned) ; Edward Downey, from 
1886-8 ; Warren Copper, from 1888-93. During Mr. Cop- 
per's second term the office of marshal was legislated out of 
existence by the legislature and the present police law adopted. 

The policing of the city is now in charge of a Board of 
Commissioners composed of three members appointed by the 
Governor as follows: George T. Beebe, D. F. Mustard and 
R. P. Grimes. Mr. Beebe is president of the Board and 
Charles L. Sherman is secretary. The first secretary was J. L. 
C rouse. 

The Anderson police force is composed of one captain, 
one sergeant, and six patrolmen. The first captain of the force 
was George Welker, who resigned in 1895. He was suc- 
ceeded by Amos Coburn. who is the present head of the de- 
partment. 



inSTOIiV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 277 



-ME.MIJERS OF THE COMMON COl'NCII,. 

Anderson is divided into three wards or councilinanic 
districts, each of which is entitled to two representatives in 
the city council. The ward boundaries as originally estab- 
lished have been changed but once since the orgnization of the 
city goveriinient. Up to the discovery of natural gas in 1887, 
the corporate lines had not been changed, but since that time 
owing to the rapid growth of the city, several changes have 
been made. The ward boundaries were changed for the first 
time in 1893. The following in their order are the names of 
those who have served in the common council : 

First ward, J. D. Mershon, Stephen Noland, V. Kirlin, 
E. G. Elliott, Patrick Kelley, David C. East, C. D. Thomp- 
son, Charles T. Doxey, \V. A. Hunt, Jonathan l?inns, J. W. 
Pence, L. M. Cox, Henry J. Bronnenberg, J. H. Dolman, 
J. C. Hedrick, R. J. Walton, H. C. Ryan, Henry Adams, 
John Agnew, J. F. McClure, F. C. Gedge, Ross Longworth, 
Stephen Funk, Edward Swann, W. H. Stanton. 

Second ward, E. B. Goodykoontz, George Xichol, H. D. 
Thompson, William Crim, C. A. Dresser, W. F. Pence, W. 
M. Wagoner, C. S. Burr, Townsend Ryan, Henry H. Conrad, 
John Lavelle, C. B. Cooper, J. B. Taylor, Dr. Jonas Stewart, 
H. C. Ryan, J. L. Forkner, C. K. McCullough, W. W. 
Wooley, George Matthes. 

Third ward, W. R. Pierse, Benj. Sebrell, G. W. Kline, 
J. Saunders, G. W. Swallow, A. A. Siddall, J. P. Barnes, 
Michael Ryan ( 10 years), C. D. Thompson, B. G. Ackerman, 
A. A. Helling, .Samuel Kiser, Frank Stone, William Cronin, 
Louis Biest, Dr. G. F. Chittenden, I. E. May, J. H. McMil- 
len, C. V. Griffith. 

CITY ATIOUNEYS OF ANDERSON. 

The following are the citv attornevs of Anderson in their 
order : 

E. \'. Long, P. D. Kemp, J. A. Harrison, J. H. McCon- 
nell, Sansberry & Goodykoontz, Richard Lake. A. S. Mc- 
Callister, Richard Benson, David Kilgore, Lewis C. Burk, E. 
P. Schlater, T. B. Orr, J. F. McClure, Robinson & Lovett, 
Frank P. Foster. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



Anderson Township Continued. 



CITY CIVIL ENGINEERS. 

From 1805-OiS the city had no civil engineer, but in tiie 
spring of the latter j'ear, W. G. Ethell was selected by the 
council for that position and he performed its duties for a 
period of ten years, or until 1878, when he was succeeded by 
A. D. Williams, since wliich the position has been held by the 
following persons: Henry Rawie, C. S. Slayback, E. M. 
Culp, Harry Rogers. 

CITY SCHOOL BOARD. 

The first City School Board was organized in 1866 by 
electing R. N. Clark president, P. Kirlin, secretary, and X. C. 
McCollough, treasurer. The subsequent presidents of the 
Board have been : C. Kirlin, G. W. Kline, D. \V. Swank. 
James Battreall, B. H. Campbell. S. \L Keltner, C. W. 
Prather. A number of these gentlemen served in this office 
several terms. 

TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES. 

The following are the names of those who liave served as 
trustee of Anderson township from 1859 to the present time. 
Previous to that time the office was not in existence. The 
first trustee elected was Daniel Gundcr. Then followed in 
their order, Alfred Rulon, E. J. Walden, R. D. Traster, Sam- 
uel Myers, S. M. Hodson, E. J. Walden, B. B. Campbell, 
Thomas P. Kelly. Mr Kelly served as trustee for seven 
years, and was succeeded in 1896 by the present incumbent, 
Mr. George W. Shreeve. 

ANDERSON POSTOFKICE. 

The first postoffice was establisiied at Anderson in 1881, 
and the first postmaster was Robert N. Williams, who being 
both Auditor and Clerk of the county at that time, kept the 
office in the Clerk's office. There was but one mail route 
through the township. This route extended from Indianapolis 



IIISTOIJV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 270 

to Noblesville, and from that place to Perkinsville, thence to 
Anderson, New Castle and Richmond. Among the first mail 
carriers was Martin L. Bundy, who is still living and enjoy- 
ing not only the comforts of a happy home at New Castle, 
Indiana, but the respect of those who know him everywhere. 
There were no stage or mail coaches in this part of the State 
at that time, and the mail was carried on horseback, two trips 
a week being made by the mail carrier. Mr. Williams was 
succeeded as postmaster by Col. Ninevah Berry in 1889. Col. 
Berry is entitled to the credit of introducing the free delivery 
system in Indiana, as it is said that he carried his office around 
in his hat, and whenever a letter came for a citizen of the 
town all that was necessary to get the same was to hunt up 
the Colonel who would produce the letter from his hat. 

Richard Lake was the next postmaster, and for a while 
kept the postoffice in the building occupied by Adam Reed, 
on the south side of the square, which was burned in the con- 
flagration of 1851. With the change of the national adminis- 
tration, Townsend Sharp succeeded to the office. He in 
turn was succeeded by George W. Bowen, and he by John 
II. Davis, who served but a short time, when owing to the 
sale of a store by Davis to Colonel Berrj', the latter became 
postmaster again. Joseph Fulton followed Colonel Berry, 
and held the office for a period of eight years, or during the 
administrations of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, with 
the exception of a few months, during which time a Mr. 
McCallister had charge. With the election of Mr. Lincoln 
to the presidencj-, W. II. II. Lewis, editor of the Madison 
County Republican, was appointed postmaster and served 
four years, when H. J. Brown, who was also an editor and 
formerly proprietor of a paper called T/ie Loyal American, 
was appointed to the office. Brown ^vent into office in April, 
1865, and retired in July, 1878, Stephen Metcalf, editor and 
proprietor of the Anderson Herald, having been appointed to 
succeed him. Mr. Metcalf was the first postmaster to intro- 
duce lock boxes for the benefit of patrons of the office. They 
were placed in the office December, 1878. Mr. Metcalf re- 
tired from the office in Tuly, 1885, having served seven years. 
He was succeeded by John W. Pence, who was appointed by 
Grover Cleveland. Mr. Pence served a little over three 
years, when, owing to a long-cherished desire to make an 
extended visit to Europe and the Holy Land, he retired be- 
fore his commission expired, and H. J. Daniels was appointed 



280 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

by President Harrison to administer the affairs of the office. 
The impetus given to business following the discovery of 
natural gas increased the labors of the office proportionately, 
and in September, 1890, the free delivery system of letters 
was established. Postmaster Daniels appointed Charles Stew- 
art, J. J. Bravy, R. P. Falknor and J. R. Morey letter-carriers 
for the four districts into which the citj' was divided. 

The population of the city was increasing verj* rapidly 
at this time and shortly after these letter carriers were 
appointed it became necessary to appoint two more, and 
Theodore Zion and Albert Campbell were appointed. Mr. 
Daniels served until April 1st, 1893, when Dale J. Critten- 
berger, editor of the Anderson Daily and Weekly Democrat, 
took charge of the office under an appointment made by 
President Cleveland, he having succeeded Mr. Harrison to 
the presidency. Mr. Crittenberger was and is a stalwart 
Democrat who believes in the doctrine that "to the victors 
belong the spoils." He also believes that a man who holds 
a political office and is required to give bond for the discharge 
of its duties should be permitted to surround himself with 
assistants who not onlv hold the same political views that he 
does, but who are personally agreeable. The letter-carriers 
appointed by Postmaster Daniels, knowing that Mr. Critten- 
berger held these views and not being in sympathy with him, 
(excepting Albert Campbell) tendered their resignations soon 
after he took possession of the office. They were succeeded 
by the following force of carriers appointed by Postmaster 
Crittenberger: Clarence Richwine, John L. Fraley, W. E. 
Swann, John C. Cory, Charles D. Hunt, Timothy Carey, 
Edward R. Call, Edward Wells, Albert Campbell and 
Thomas Campbell, the latter a substitute. Mr. Crittenberger 
appointed Mr. ^^'alter Isanogle deputy postmaster. 

THE POPULATION OF ANDERSON. 

The population of Anderson in 1830 was loO (estimated) ; 
in 1840, as shown by the census, 350; in 1850 it was 882; in 
1860 it was 1,168 ; in 1870 it was 3,126 ; in 1880 it was 4,126 ; 
and in 1890 10,741. The estimated population at the present 
time, including North Anderson and Park Place, is £2,000. 
This estimate is based on the school enumeration, and is re- 
garded as conservative. The growth of the city has been next 
to marvelous, yet none the less substantial in its character. 



I 



I 



HISTORY Ol- MADISON COUNTY, INDIAXA. 281 

ami will keep on increasing, doubtless, lont^ after the cause 
that induced it has ceased to exist. 

THE HOTELS OF ANDERSON. 

The tirst hotel, or ''tavern," in Anderson was conducted 
by John Berry, the founder of the town. His " tavern " was 
situated near the center of the west side of the square, and was 
constructed of hewed logs. It was a two-story building and 
afl'orded accommodations in the way of provender and beds 
that were the boast of the proprietor. The lawyers who 
'■rode the circuit'" in those days stopped at this " tavern " 
during their staj- in Anderson, and enjoyed its generous hos- 
pitality. Here, after court had adjourned for the dav, tlie 
judge, lawyers, and frequently the litigants, would assemble 
and " spin yarns '" until " bed time." An amusing incident is 
here appropriated from Hon. (). H. Smiths " Early Indiana 
Trials and Sketches "" concerning this tavern and its pro- 
prietor : 

" The thousand and one amusing incidents that occurred 
on tiife circuit, with tiie bar, will never find tlieir wav to paper. 
I may be excused, however, on account of the parties, for res- 
cuing one of them from the common fate. James Whitcomb, 
Calvin Fletcher, Harvey (iregg and Hiram I?rown, of the In- 
dianapolis bar, ' put up," as we sav in the West, at the tavern 
of Captain John Berr}-, at Andersontown. Whitcomb was a 
perfect gentleman in his person and dress. He must shave 
every morning and put on a clean shirt ; but as it was difficult 
to get washing done on the circuit, he put several clean shirts 
in his portmanteau and carried a nigiit-shirt to sleep in, always 
changing as he went to bed. Mr. Fletcher was a great wag, 
continually annoying Mr. Whitcomb, and sometimes others, 
with innocent tricks. 

Captain Berry prided himself upon his tavern, and would 
often boast that there might be better houses in New York, so 
far as the table was concerned, but as to his beds they could 
not be excelled in tiie United States ; tiiat he had been to the 
great Astor House, before he opened, to see how things were 
done. He had not been at the table a minute before they pre- 
sented his bill, and an impudent waiter asked him if he 
would have tea or coffee, and when he told him he would take 
tea, he asked him what kind of tea ; he said 'store tea, to be 
sure.' The Captain had traveled the whole length of Broad- 
way on Sunday, was invited into church while the organs 



282 ]IISTOKV OK -MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

were playing, but excused himself on the ground that he never 
danced, and if he did, he would not dance on Sunday. A 
single word against his tavern, his table or his lodging rooms, 
was taken by the Captain as a great insult, and immediately 
resented without regard to persons. Fletcher knew the Cap- 
tain well. They were intimate friends. Taking the Captain 
to one side Fletcher said, 'Do you know, Capt. Berry, what 
Mr. Whitcomb is saving about your beds?' 'I do not — what 
did he say.-' 'If you will not mention my name, as vou are 
mv particular friend, I will tell you. "L'pon my honor I will 
never mention vour name — what did he say-' 'He said your 
sheets were so dirty that he had to pull off his shirt every 
night and put on a dirty shirt to sleep in.' 'I'll watch him 
to-night.' Bedtime came. Captain Berry was looking through 
the opening of the door when Mr. Whitcomb took his night 
shirt out of his portmanteau and began taking off his day 
shirt. Captain Berry pushed open the door, sprang upon 
Whitcomb and threw him upon tiie bed. The noise brought 
in Mr. Fletcher and the other lawyers, and after explanations 
and apologies on all sides the matter was settled. But Mr. 
Whitcomb, years afterwards, as he told me, found out what he 
suspected at the time, that Mr. Fletcher was at the bottom of 
the whole matter."' 

Captain Berry kept " tavern " for a number of years, but 
finally retired and engaged in other business. 

The next '■ tavern keeper" in Anderson was William, or 
" Uncle Billy,"' Myers, as he was affectionately called by those 
who knew him. His first •' tavern " was a two-story log- 
house, situated on the south side of the square. This building, 
as we have noted elsewhere, was burned in 1851. The day 
upon which the " tavern "' burned, Mr. Myers purchased ,i 
building where the Columbia Hotel now stands, of John W. 
Thornton and converted it into a public hostelry. He re- 
mained here for a number of years, subsequently purchasing 
a two-story brick house on the east side of the square, of~Rob- 
ert Wooster. This house stood where the Kaufman & Davis, 
or old Gruenewald building, now stands, and was known 
as the ''Myers House." He and his esteemed wife, "Aunt 
Julia" Myers, remained here until enfeebled by the weight of 
years, they disposed of their property and retired from busi- 
ness. In connection with the hotel business, Mr. Myers 
traded e.xtensively in furs, the forests in this part of the State 
at that time abounding in certain species of fur-bearing 



< 



HISTORY OI- MAniSON COUNTY, INDIANA. 2S3 

animals. It is related that on one occasion he bought a black 
coon-skin for which he paid an extra high price. He felt very 
proud of this rare pelt, and boasted of its possession to every- 
body he met. He had as boarders at the time a number of 
young men who enjoyed a joke, particularly of the practical 
kind, and they came to the conclusion that they would play a 
prank on the old gentleman in which his black coon-skin would 
cut an important figure. He kept his peltries in a small room 
just off the " bar-room," and the voung men waited an oppor- 
tunity and purloined the valued pelt. Soon after a man ap- 
peared at the tavern and asked Mr. Myers if he was still buy- 
ing furs, and upon being informed that he was, produced a 
black coon-skin. Mr. Myers soon came to terms with the 
man and the rest of the day was spent in expatiating upon the 
beauty of his two black coon-skins. In a day or two after- 
wards another man came along and offered a black coon-skin 
to Mr. Myers who was only too eager to buy it. This scheme 
was worked on the old gentleman a number of times and there 
is no telling how often he would have bought that coon-skin 
had it not been intimated to him that his boarders had been 
playing a trick upon him. He was very angry for awhile 
after discovering how he had been deceived, but finally got 
over it and acknowledged that it was a prett}- good joke even 
if he did get the worst of it. 

Levi Antrim was another early " tavern-keeper," and 
was probably the first proprietor of the " tavern " on the east 
side of the square known subsequently as the Myers House, 
lie afterwards occupied a building that stood about where the 
residence erected by the late A. D. Williams on South Me- 
ridian street now stands. Mr. Antrim, like many other old- 
time landlords, loved his toddy and frequently became intoxi- 
cated. A story is told by the old-timers to the effect that on 
one of these occasions he traded or sold a shot-gim to one of 
his boarders, who, it appears, was indebted to him for board. 
During the trade Antrim and his boarder had some sharp 
words concerning the unpaid bill, when the former, suddenly 
becoming confused as to who owed the bill, said to the 
boarder: "Well! d — d it, you take the gun and let it go on 
the debt if it is satisfactory to you!" As Antrim figured 
himself indebted to his boarder, his proposition was of course 
accepted. Mr. Antrim removed from Anderson a few years 
previous to the breaking out of the war of the rebellion. 

The first pretentious hotel building in Anderson was 



28i HISTOHY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

erected in 1852 by Alfred Makepeace. The building was a 
three-story brick, located on the southwest corner of Ninth 
and Main streets, and in its day was one of the best known 
and most popular hotels in Central Indiana. The names of 
all the proprietors who dispensed good cheer in this hotel can- 
not be recalled, but among the number were Henry \'. De- 
hority, Henry W'hitmore, J. P. Crampton, A. W. Sullen- 
berger, I'^rederick Cartwright and W. O. Terry. 

Through strong competition, bad management and other 
causes perhaps, the property declined and after the death of 
Mr. Makepeace in 1^75 the building was torn down and the 
present business houses that occupy its site were erected. 

The '• Burk Allen House" was also a popular hostelry in 
its day. The building occupied the present site of the 
Columbia Hotel and was the same that had been occupied by 
William Myers previous to his purchase of the famous old 
" Myers House," on the east side of the square. Mr. Allen 
changed the name of the hotel and provided entertainment 
for the traveling public for many years. A number of pro- 
prietors had charge of the property at different times, John 
Ross and Benjamin Sebrell being among the best known 
of the number. The property was finally bought by G. 
R. Griffith, who managed it with great success for a period 
of twenty years. In LSTT Mr. Griffith built a three-story 
brick addition to the frame building and in 1875* sold the 
frame to Miles Rozelle, who moved it to the south-east corner 
of Main and Eleventh streets, where it was used as a tene- 
ment house until the fall of 1895 when the old land-mark was 
torn down in order to give place to a brick business block. 
Mr. Griffith sold the brick hotel to Charles T. Doxey, who 
enlarged and improved the hotel and christened it the 
Columbia Hotel. Henry Perrett had charge of the property 
for a number of years, but conducted it more as a boarding 
house than a regular hotel. The property is now being suc- 
cessfully managed by Joseph Sharp. 

THE NEW GRIFFITH HOUSE. 

This hotel is situated on the southeast corner of Meridian 
and Tenth streets, and was built by George R. Griffith in 1880. 
Mr. Griffith managed the property and business up to within 
a short time before his death, which occurred on January 1, 
1895, liis son C. V. Griffith, succeeding him. This hotel is 
widely known and enjoys a large patronage. It is now being 



I 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 285 

managed by Messrs. C. V. Griffith and C. M. Weklian. both 
of whom are acquainted by experience with the art of cater- 
ing to the palate of the traveling public. 

THE DOXEY HOUSE. 

This hotel is situated on the north-east corner of Main 
and Xinth streets, and was erected by Colonel T..X. Stil- 
well in 1869, at a cost of about !f8(),000. It was formally 
opened to the public as the " Stilwell House," in 1871, John 
Elliott being the first proprietor. lie managed the hotel for 
two years, at the expiration of which time Morrison & Petitt 
took charge of the property. They were succeeded by George 
R. Griffith, wiio occupied the property for four years with 
varying success. lie was followed by Thomas Baker, H. J. 
Brown and others. 

The property was sold to N. C. McCullough on the 14th 
of April, 1875, by the administrator of the Stilwell estate, 
and in 187<i it was purchased by its present owner. Major C. 
T. Doxey. 

The office of the hotel was originally on the second floor 
which was reached from the front entrance on Ninth street by 
a winding stairway, but in 1892 Major Doxey remodeled the 
building, and added all the modern improvements necessary to 
render its appearance not only attractive, but its accommoda- 
tions first class. The property was then leased to William 
Leffler, who, after managing it with varying success for about 
a year, disposed of his interest to the present proprietors, W . 
II. Van Orinan & Sons. 

This hotel back in the '70s was the scene of many of the 
most brilliant social events that have ever taken place in 
Anderson. Balls, receptions and social parties have been 
given here, that in point of elegance have never been sur- 
passed in central Indiana. 

THE HOTEL WINDHOIt. 

This hotel was built in the year 1878, by Cal Lee. It i> 
situated on the north<vest corner of Meridian and Seventh 
streets, is three stories high and has thirty large well fmnished 
rooms for the accommodation of guests. Mr. Lee was the 
first proprietor, but only for a short time, as he leased the 
property to \V. O. Huston three months after it was thrown 
open to the public. The hotel has been under the manage- 



236 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, IXDIANA. 

merit of many proprietors, the present proprietor being Mr. 
Alfred Cox. 

THE IIOTEI, ANDERSON 

Was erected in 1892, by Hon. J. W. Lovett and Dr. H. E. 
Jones. The building was not intended originally to be used 
for a hotel, but after it was completed its size and location, 
together witli other advantageous circumstances, induced its 
owners to change their plans with reference to its use, and it 
was converted into a place of entertainment for the traveling 
public. It is situateil on the west side of Meridian street, is 
three stories high with mansard roof, and architecturallv one 
of the handsomest buildings in the city. It has had several 
proprietors, the first being T. .S. Buckley. The present pro- 
prietor is Joseph Ilennings. Besides these hotels there are the 
Spencer House, the Florintine, Hiclvey House, Hotel Madison, 
and Harter House, all of which afford comforts and accommo- 
dations that recommend them to the public. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



TfiE Ciiiiisi'iAX Societies ok Anderson — Past and Pres- 
ent TllKIli ( )liGAXIZAT10N XuMRER, EtC. 



Cliiistianity made its way into Anderson townsliip with 
the advent of the first settlers, and long before a church had 
been erected religious services were held in the log cabins of 
those who had brought with tiiem into the wilderness the faith 
of their childhood. ''The groves were God's first temples ," 
and no better illustration of this fact can be cited than the in- 
troduction of Christianity into Madison county The early 
sower who went forth to sow the seed of the gospel encount- 
ered difficulties and hardships that appear in this day almost 
insuperable. Mounted on a horse he traveled " the circuit ," 
stopping at the "cabin in the clearing ," with the lonely wood- 
man in the primeval woods by " the paths traversed by few " — 
wherever there was a soul in need of spiritual refreshment — 
to inculcate the doctrine of salvation. Their's was a calling 
fraught with privation and danger. But they went forth 
without purse or scrip, letting each day provide for itself and 
hoping for no other reward than the plaudit of the approving 
Master. "Well done thou good and faithful servant.'" 

The pioneer ministers in Madison count}' were Metlio- 
dists, and to this fact is doubtless attributable the large and 
influential membership of that denomination. A number of 
families of Methodist predilections had settled at Anderson, 
and the first M. E. church was organized in 1827. Anderson 
at that time belonged to the Indianapolis circuit, which was 
subsequently changed to the Fall Creek circuit and afterwards 
to the Madison circuit. Previous to this, meetings were held 
at the homes of Elias Hollingsworth, Collins Tharp, William 
Curtis, and others. James Havens was the presiding elder. 
Rev. Havens was not an educated man and his piety was as 
rugged perhaps as his person, which was not very prepos- 
sessing, to say the least. He was a fiery talker and pursued 
sinners with a tongue that never wearied in the use of flam- 
ing metaphor — often using language that was taken as per- 



288 msTOisv of madison county, Indiana. 

soiial by persons who were '■ out of the fold." It is said that 
in one of his camp-meeting efforts near Pendleton at an early 
day, he drew- a vivid picture of a sinner that offended one of 
his audience. Some time after the meeting was over the of- 
fended man met Havens riding along a road and stopped him 
with a salutation that left no doubt in the mind of the rev- 
erend gentleman that the man intended to assault him. The 
man appeared to be very angry and ordered Havens to dis- 
mount, saying that he owed him a tiirashing for alluding to 
him in his sermon at the camp-meeting and that he proposed 
to pay him. Havens endeavored to placate the man, whom 
it would be appropriate to call Dennis, but he would accept 
no explanation. Nothing would satisfy iiim but a fight. Ha- 
vens realized that he could not avoid an encounter and asked 
the man if he would give hiui time to pray before he fought. 
Permission was given and Havens dismounted, iiitched his 
horse to a sapling, and kneeling on the greensward offered 
up a ferveut prayer to the Lord to remember him in the strug- 
gle he was about to engage in for His sake. After his sup- 
plicatiou he rose and said to the man : 

"You will bear witness that the fight we arc about to 
engage in is not of my seeking and that I fight vou under pro- 
test. The fight may be unequal, as you are somewhat larger 
than I, and I ask you to promise mc that when I ' holler 
enough ' vou will desist from fighting anil let me go." 

The promise was made and tliey went at it. Both were 
hardy, muscular men and capable of dealing good, strong 
blows. Havens displayed as much spirit and energy in the 
fight as he did in his sermons, and the result was that he soon 
had his adversary down and crymg " enough." But Havens 
kept right on regardless of his cries until he had given him as 
sound a thrashing as one man dare give another without 
becoming a homicide. After the man got on his feet he said 
to the victorious preacher, " I thought we agreed that when 
one of us "hollered enough' the other was to quit fighting?" 
" My friend," said Havens, '• I do not know what you thought 
concerning this business we have just been engaged in, but 
wiiatever your thoughts maj' have been they were evidently 
wrong. I suppose you were so sure of whipping me that 
you did not consider it necessary to e.xact any promises ; 
you made the promise but I said nothing about letting vou off 
if you cried ' enough.' I gave )-ou just what you richly 
deserved, and now hope that you may repent of your sins and 



niSTORV OF JIADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 289 

be suveii." The story of tliis fifjht went round '' the circuit," 
and no doubt had a sahitary effect, as no man ever had the 
temerity to attack Rev. Havens afterwards for what he said 
about sinners. 

Notwithstanding the M. E. church had been organized 
in 1827, it was probably not until 1839 that the society had a 
place of worship of its own. Collins Tharp, in that year do- 
nated a tract of land to the society for a cemetery and church. 
This tract of land was used for many j'ears as a place of burial, 
but is now the site of many pleasant homes. It is situated 
immediately west of Delaware street, between Eleventh and 
Twelfth streets. A church was begun on the land soon after 
the donation was made, but was never entirely completed, and 
after being used as a place of worship for several years was 
sold to J. E. D. Smith, \^ho converted it into a carpenter 
shop. It was afterwards consumed by Hre. 

In 1849, the society which had been holding services in 
the school house and other convenient places, purchased two 
lots on the north-east corner of Meridian and Eleventh streets 
of R. N. Williams upon which a frame church, 86 x 50 was 
erected, at a cost of !fl,200. A small parsonage was subse- 
quently erected just north of the church. This church was 
used by the society until 1870. when it was sold to D. W. 
Swank, who removed it to the south-west corner of Meridian 
and Ninth streets, where it was converted into business rooms. 
Early in the summer of 1886 it was consumed by fire. 

THE FIRST M. E. CIHIJCM. 

This edifice, which stands on the north-east corner of 
Meridian and Eleventh streets, was erected in 1870, at a cost 
of many thousands of dollars, and at the time it was built was 
the largest in the city. It has a lecture room, also a number 
of class rooms in the basement and an auditorium above that 
can accommodate six hundred people. 

With the increase of pojiulation in Anderson the acces- 
sions to this denomination have been so large that two ciiurches 
besides the First M. E. church are now reijuired to accommo- 
date the membership, namely, the Noble street and North 
Anderson M. E. churches. The Methodists also have two 
missions, one in each of the additions known as Hazlewood 
and Shadcland. 



290 HISTOHY OF MADISON COUNTV. INDIANA. 

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

Following the Methodists in this part of the county were 
the Catholics, priests of that church having visited Anderson 
as far back as 18H7. Masses were first said by Father Francois 
and Hacquelin, in a log tavern at the southeast corner of Cen- 
tral avenue and Ninth street, mention of which has been made 
elsewhere in these pages. They came from Logansport to 
look after the spiritual needs of the Catholics employed on the 
canal. They were succeeded by other ]iioneer priests, and in 
1857, Father Clark came to Anderson, and for a while cele- 
brated mass in the court house. In 1.S5S, the foundations of 
St. Mary"s church were laid on the site of the present magni- 
ficent temple of worship, at the northeast corner of Fletcher 
and Eleventh streets. The building was not completed until 
LS(')4. Father Clark was succeeded by Father Fitzmorris, 
who had charge of the Catholic congregation until 1860, 
when he was succeeded bv Father McMahon. This priest is 
still remembered by the older members of the church and citi- 
zens generally, as a man of many marked traits of character. 
He was relieved by Father Crawley in 18(5(5, and subseiiuently 
joined the Fenians in their ill-advised and disastrous raid into 
Canada that j'ear. He was captured and thrown into prison 
^vhere he remained for some' time, no little diplomacy being 
emplo3'ed to secure his release. 

In 1S70 the lot at the northeast corner of Fletcher and 
Eleventh streets, just opposite the old church, was purchased, 
and on the 4th of July, 1875, the corner stone of a new place 
of worship was laid. The building was dedicated on the 
29th of May, 1877, and services were held there until the 
completion of the present noble temple, when it was con- 
verted into a school building and has since been used as such 
exclusively. In the meantime Father Craw'ey was suc- 
ceeded by Father Weichman, a joung priest who rendered 
himself popular with all classes of people, not only on ac- 
count of his ability and eloquence as a speaker, but for his 
many genial qualities. He came to Anderson in 1884 and 
was relieved in 1891 by the present pastor. Rev. J. D. 
Mulcahey. Immediately following the discovery of natural 
gas in Anderson the membership of the Catholic church grew 
very rapidly, and soon after Father Mulcahey was installed as 
priest he began taking steps toward the building of a new place 
of worsliip that would be commensurate with the number and 



I 



4 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 291 

importance of his congregation. The place selected upon which 
to erect the new edifice was the site of the first Catholic 
church, in which the parochial school had been held for a 
number of years. This building was torn down, and the 
work of laying the foundation of the new edifice was begun. 
The corner stone was laid on the Stth of July, 1893, with ap- 
propriate ceremonies and on the tith of October, 1895, the new 
temple was dedicated. 

This occasion will long l)e remembered in Anderson, as the 
ceremonies were conducted by the bishop of the diocese, as- 
sisted by a corps of clergymen, and accompanied bv a civic 
demonstration, that for pomp and splendor has never been 
equalled in the city's historj'. Excursion trains were run on 
all the railroads, and thousands of people, including many 
military and other organizations connected with the church, 
visited the citv to witness the ceremonies and take part in the 
pageant that followed. 

This temple was erected at a cost of .tll.OOO, and stands 
as a monument both to the untiring christian zeal of Father 
Mulcahey, who so ably officiates at its altar, and the liberality 
of the Catholic congregation in Anderson. It is easily the 
largest and finest church edifice in the city. 

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

This society was organized at Anderson in September, 
1851, through the instrumentality of Rev. Edward Schofield, 
and numbered but eleven members at the time of its organiza- 
tion. But the membership was active and zealous, and in 
1855 a brick church 3(5 x (50 feet was erected on Meridian 
streets, between Tenth and Eleventh street, where the Hurst 
block now stands. The building cost $2,500. In 1872 it ^vas 
sold to the Baptists and not long after the Presbyterians 
erected their present handsome church at the south-east corner 
of Jackson and Ninth streets. The ground upon which the 
ciuuch stands was donated by the Hon. James Hazlett. The 
pastors have been Revs. Edward Schofield, J. S. Craig, A. S. 
Reid, W. M. Grimes, W. J. Wood, W. H. Zeigler and S. N. 
Wilson, the last named being the present minister in charge. 

THE disciples' CHURCH. 

The Disciples" Church, or Church of Christ, was organ- 
ized about the year 1858, through the agency of Elders 
lumeson and Xew, of Indianapolis, who came to Anderson 



292 HISTORY OF MADISON COl'NTY, INDIANA. 

and vicinity during the '50s and held meetings at various 
places, but principally at the " Chestnut Grove school house," 
one mile east of the " Crossing."' The first members here 
were Burket Eads, John Kindle, Joseph Sigler, John R. 
Stephenson and William Mustard, the last two named being 
the only surviving members of the original organization. In 
1861 a permanent house for the society was built at the north- 
west corner of Main and Thirteenth streets, and in 18G2 
Joseph Franklin, a resident of Covington, Ky., received a 
call from the congregation to locate here and look after its 
spiritual needs which he accepted. Elder Franklin remained 
as pastor of the church until 1874, and during the time was 
instrumental in adding a large number of names to the roll of 
the church membership. He was assisted at times in his minis- 
terial labors by his father. Elder Benjamin Franklin, who was 
admittedly one of the ablest exponents of the Disciples' faith 
of his day. The church is in a flourishing condition and 
steadily increasing its membership. A number of able min- 
isters have occupied the pulpit of this church since it was 
erected. The present incumbent is Elder W. M. Harkins. 

THK B.M'TIST CHURCH. 

This society had an organization in Anderson in 1871, be- 
ing composed of members of the Baptist denomination resid- 
ing at Chesterfield, Pendleton and this city. In 1872 the 
building committee of the church purchased of the trustees of 
the Presbyterian church the latter's place of worship on Me- 
ridian street. The Baptists were few in number, however, ant! 
being unable to meet the payments on the building it finallv 
reverted to the trustees of the Presbyterian church. After 
giving up their place of worship the Baptist society had no 
permanent house in which to hold its meetings and the or- 
ganization languished. In 18'.'0 a successful eft'ort was made 
to reorganize the church by Rev. J. W. Porter. Meetings 
were held in Oriental hall and other places and the society 
prospered. In 1808 the society began the erection of a place 
of worship at the southeast corner of School and Fourteenth 
streets. Work on the building progressed slowly and it was 
not until May of the present year that the building was dedi- 
cated. The society no\v has a membership of 150, and 
through the efl"orts of the present popular pastor, I'. M. Mc- 
Guire, is gradually becoming one of the strongest denomina- 
tions in the city. 



I 



HISrORV OF MADISON COl'NTV, INDIANA. 293 

THE CHURCH OF GOD. 

In the suinnier of 1881) Maria W'oodwortli, a trance evan- 
gelist, made her appearance in Anderson and held a series of 
meetings under a tent at the fair grounds. She subsequently 
removed her tent to Ruddle's grove, across the river, where 
she continued her meetings with wonderful success. Her 
preaching and methods appealed to the emotional nature of 
her hearers and the result was that 106 persons who had been 
converted through her efforts were baptized at the close of the 
meeting. The scene of the baptism was at the bridge across 
White river near the cemetery, and thousands of people as- 
sembled to witness the unusual occurrence. The morning the 
converts were baptized they assembled at the tent in the grove 
and at the appointed hour marched to tiie river with hands 
joined and singing with the greatest fervor one of their re- 
vival hymns. The scene was impressive in the extreme to 
all who believed in such manifestations of religious rapture and 
was likened by them to the scene that occurred at the Pente- 
costal feast. Soon after the close of this remarkable meeting, 
at which more that two hundred had professed religion, the 
new converts organized a society known as the Church of 
God, purchased a lot at the north-east corner of Hrown and 
Fourteenth streets and began the erection of a place of wor- 
ship. This building was completed and dedicated in 1887, 
the president of the eldership of the Church of God being 
present and delivering the dedicatory sermon. The first regu- 
larly appointed minister was the Rev. Spiher, who was fol- 
lowed by Mrs. Frank Shelly. The minister in charge at pres- 
ent is Elder W. R. Covert. 

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CIIIHCII. 

The organization of Trinity I'^piscopal church in Ander- 
son is due to the efforts of Rector J. 11. McGlone, who came 
here in 1890 and at once began the work of organizing a so- 
ciet}' of Episcopalians. There were Ijut few members of this 
denomination in the city at that time, but he called them to- 
gether and announced his purpose of organizing a church. 
This was done, and the first meetings of the congregation were 
held in the Doxey Opera House, which was subsequently 
burned. Meetings were also held in the Olympic Theatre 
building. In the meantime a lot was purchased by the trus- 
tees of the church at the southeast corner of School and Thir- 
teentii streets and in June, 1891, the corner-stone of Trinity 



294 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

Church was laid. The work, which was under the immediate 
.supervision of Rector McGlone, was not permitted to drag 
and in September of the same year the building was com- 
pleted and, there being no debt hanging over it, consecrated 
with appropriate ceremonies by Bishop Knickerbacker. A 
handsome rectory \vas also erected at the same time thechurch 
edifice was being built, and like it, when completed, was free 
of debt. Considering his small congregation, the smallest in 
the city and poorest, perhaps, so far as worldly possessions 
are concerned. Rector McGlone deserves great credit for the 
successful accomplishment of this work. Without his activ- 
ity, perseverance and good management the work would no 
doubt have failed. He is still the rector in charge and one of 
the most popular ministers in the city. 

HOPE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 

This society was organized on the 22d of November, 
USUI, with eighteen members. Rev. \V. C. Gordon was the 
first pastor, and remained with the church until 1<S98, when 
he was succeeded by the present pastor. Dr. A. H. Ball. The 
first year after the organization of the church, meetings were 
held in the (Olympic theater. They were subsequently iield in 
a Ijuilding on Chase street until the completion of the new 
ciiurch. the corner-stone of which was laid August 1(5, 1S04. 
This building stands at the south-east corner of Chase and 
Tenth streets, and is one of the handsomest places of worship 
in Anderson. The building was dedicated .September S, 1^95, 
Dr. Crum, of Terre Haute, deli\ering the dedicatory address. 
The first trustees were E.J. Buftington, \V. B. Cutter. J. C. 
Van Riper, E. R. Cheney and H. P. Coburn. 

THE UNITED nRETHREX CHURCH. 

In the autumn of 188U, Rev. J . T. Roberts, a voung theo- 
logical student of the United Brethren faith, organized the 
present society of that denomination wiiich now has a home 
at the corner of Sansberry street, near Eleventh street. Tiie 
society was organized at Westerfield's hall on north Main 
street, and meetings were held there and at other convenient 
places until December, 1892, when tiieir church was completed 
and dedicated. 

DUNKARD CHURCH. 

This churcii was erected in 1892 under the auspices of a 
few members of this particular sect. They iiave no regular 
minister, and services are held only occasional!}'. 



HISTORY OF MADISON- COUNTV, INDIANA. 295 

LUTHERAN CHURCH. 

The Liitiieran cluirch was organized Febniarv 1, 18U3, 
by the Rov. W. J. Finck, and the lirst meeting; of the society 
was held in a small building on West X'inth street. Property 
at the north-east corner of Fourteenth and Dolman streets 
was subsequently purchased, where services have since been 
held. The congregation is composed of sixty members. It 
is the intention of the memljership to erect a new place of 
worship in the near future. 

THE FlilENDs" (.IlUHCIt. 

On the loth of January, 1894, a small number of Friends, 
or Qiiakers, under the leadership of the Rev. W. S. Wooton, 
organized and founded the Friends' church. The first meet- 
ings of the Friends were held in the second story of a fraine 
building on West Tenth street. The society after^vard pur- 
chased the residence at the north-east corner of Fourteenth 
street and Central avenue, where services have since been held. 
The congregation is composed at the present time of 100 
members. 

THE SPIRITUALIST SOCIETY. 

The present organization of Spiritualists in Anderson 
dates from January 15, 189:?. The Spiritualists of the city and 
vicinity, however, had lield meetings in the Westerfield hall 
on North Main street, and at private residences many years 
ago. under the leadership of the late Dr. John \V. Wester- 
field, who, although not a lecturer nor medium, was very 
active in promoting the cause of \yhat is now known as 
Modern Spiritualism. On the above date a number of be- 
lievers in the doctrine organized a society by electing a Presi- 
dent, Secretary and a Board of Trustees. Dr. G. N. Hilligoss 
was chosen President. Immediately after the organization 
had been effected, ground was purchased at the north-west 
corner of Thirteenth street and Madison avenue, and the erec- 
tion of a Spiritualist temple was begun. The building was 
completed and dedicated in the summer of 1892, and is one of 
the neatest places of worship in the citj'. The society has a 
large membership and is in a nourishing condition. The 
present President of the society is Mr. Alexander P. McKee. 

SECOND M. E. CHURCH. 

What is known as the Second M. E. church was organized 
by the colored members of the Methodist denomination in 



296 IIISTORV OF MADISOX COfXTY, INDIANA. 

Anderson in 1873. A small frame building situated on Dela- 
ware streets between Eleventh and Twelfth streets, was pur- 
chased and converted into a place of worship. Services are 
held regular!}' every Sunday. The congregation is composed 
of about thirty members. 

AFRICAN M. E. CHURCH. 

This society was organized about the vear 1890, and in 
1896 the membership built a place of worship on South 
Sheridan street. The building is ample for the accommoda- 
tion of the congregation, which numbers about thirty mem- 
bers. It is one of the prettiest edifices of its kind in the 
city. 

RAl'TIST CHURCH (COI.OREd). 

The colored members of the Baptist denomination organ- 
ized a society of about thirty members in Anderson in 1892, 
and subsequently erected a small frame church on South 
Sherman street. Services are held regularly cverv Sunday, 
and the society is in a flourishing condition. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



In Which Some Account is Given of the Benevolent 
Orders of Anderson — Their Ni'mber — Growth 
— When IxsTinTED, Etc. 



K. .t A. M. 

There are but few secret fraternities of importance in ex- 
istence that are not represented by a Iod<;e in Anderson. Since 
the discovery of natural ^as. and the u;reat influx of strangers 
caused thereby, the number of beneyolent orders and secret 
societies, has increased very rapidly, indicating that the social 
relation, so far as its promotion can be affected by secret 
orders, is not neglected. 

For many years the Masonic and Odd Fellows were the 
onl\' secret fraternities in the city, and both orders had a large 
and influential membership. The former order was the first 
to estalilish a lodge here, one having been organized June 1, 
184',l. This lodge — Mount Moriah — held its first meetings' 
in the old court house that stood where the present one is lo- 
cated, but sid)sequently met in a room on the third tloor of the 
United States Hotel building, mention of which is made else- 
where. The first officers were; Henry Wyman, W. M. ; 
Adam Reed, S. W. ; Robert Wooster, J. W. ; Townsend 
Ryan, S. D. ; Burkett Eads, J. D. ; Richard Lake, Sec. ; G. 
T. Hoover, Treas. There were elements of discord and dis- 
content in the lodge, it appears, and in January, 1855, the 
charter was surrendered. It was restored, however, in the 
summer of the same year, and the lodge was reorganized. The 
growth of the lodge, for many years, was not unusual, and it 
experienced its seasons of activity, as all similar organizations 
do in the course of their existence. But a few years previous 
to l!S()5the membership of Mount Moriah began to increase to 
such an extent that it was deemed advisable to organize an- 
other lodge. Accordingly a charter was asked and obtained 
of the Grand Lodge of the State on the IGth of September, 
1865, for the organization of Anderson Lodge No. 114, F. & 



25(8 niSTORY OF MADISON county, INDIANA. 

A. M. II. J. Blacklidge was the first Worshipful Master of 
the Lodge. 

This lodge maintained a separate existence, but met in the 
hall of Mount Moriah lodge for a number of years, when both 
organizations were consolidated. From tiie date of the or- 
ganization of Mount Moriah lodge up to April, 189G, the Ma- 
sonic fraternity in Anderson had no permanent home and the 
meetings of the order were held at various places, the last 
hall occupied by the lodge previous to the dedication of tiie 
new Masonic temple on Meridian street being the third story 
of the building at the south-east corner of Main and Eighth 
streets, which for many years was known as Union hall. 

.\NDERSON' CO.M.MANDERY K. T. 

This organization was granted a dispensation May 15,1SS4. 
J. E. Redmond was elected Eminent Commander: W. T. 
Durbin, Generalissimo, and G. D. Searle, C G. On April 
29, 1885, a charter was granted by the Grand Lodge. The 
first officers of the commandery under the charter were ^^'. T. 
Durbin, E. C. ; G. D. Searle, G. : James Wellington, C. G. 

Anderson Commandery is one of the finest of its kind in 
the country. Since its charter was granted its membership 
has steadily increased until it now numbers 137 Sir Knights, 
many of whom reside in difierent parts of the county. It is 
one of the organizations of which, not only the citizens of 
Anderson, but of the cour.ty, are justly proud. One of its 
members, the Hon. W. T. Durbin. has the distinguished honor 
of being the present Right Eminent Grand Commander of the 
State. 

The present oflicers of Anderson Commandery are Jos. L. 
Schalk, E. C. ; George B. Wheelock, G. ; Edward R. Prather. 
C. G. A sketch of this commandery will be found else- 
where. 

THE NEW M.VSONIC TEMPLE. 

Ground was broken for this stately edifice in March, 1895, 
the corner stone was laid by J. A. Thompson on the 21st of 
May following, and on the 2i]d of ^larch, 1896, it was form- 
ally dedicated. The building is four stories high, the front 
constructed of stone and the architecture both graceful and 
artistic. The rooms devoted to lodge purposes are finished 
and appointed in elegant style, particularly the main hall, 
which is one of the finest in Indiana, if not in the entire coun- 
try. The ceiling is arched and a pretty gallery extends along 



IllsroiM' (IK MADISON COl'NTV, INDIANA. 1^09 

tilt- north, south and west siiles of tlie liall and at an elevation 
that alTord.s a line view, to those wiio occupy it, of all that 
is going on below. .V spacious bani[uet hall is situated in the 
second story, where the order can entertain its guests, in that 
sumptuous style for which it is so justly noted, without incon- 
venience or unnecessary expense, as a kitchen supplied with 
.1 range and all other appliances and utensils necessary to a 
well-regulated culinary department is situated upon the same 
floor. The rooms upon the first or ground floor are used for 
business pur]50ses, and the froni rooms of the second story for 
offices. The building was erected at a cost of .'j!40, ()()(). ft 
is the finest in the county and members of the Masonic fra- 
ternity are justified in feeling proud of it. 

OKDER OF THE EASTERN STAR. 

A lodge of this branch or degree of ^Masonry was first 
established in Anderson many years ago, and flourished for a 
while, but finally passed out of existence. On the H5tli of 
April, 1804, a new lodge was organized, of .whicli ISfrs. W. 
A. Kittinger was elected Worthy Matron. The order is, at 
the present time, in a prosperous condition. 

THE 1. (1. o. F. 

Anderson Lodge, No. Uil, Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, was instituted on the ISth of April, 185:5, and was 
the first lodge of that order organized in the county. The 
first officers of the lodge were, (j. R. Diven, X. G. ; R. N. 
Clark, V. G. ; A. M. Williams, .Sec. ; William Wilson. Treas., 
all of whom have been called to their reward. The first lodge 
hall was situated in the second story of the old court house, the 
same occupied by the Sons of Temperance. This latter order 
at that time flourished in Anderson, but long since passed out 
of existence. The Odd Fellows previous to l^^(■)7 had no 
permanent home, but in that year they joined with the own- 
ers of the lot where the present Odd Fellows' block is situated 
and erected a building, the order owning the third story. 
This building, along with others on tne " West Side," burned 
on the 27th of May, 1875, but was rebuilt in the autumn antl 
winter following. The hall of Anderson lodge is well adapted 
to the purpose for which it is used, being centrally located, 
ample in size, well ventilated and possessing other advantages 
that render it one of the best lodge rooms in the State. It is 
also the home of .Star Encampment No. 84, I. O. O. F., and 



300 inSTOKV OF MADISON COrXTV, IXDIAXA. 

Daughters of Rebekah. Anderson Lodge, No. i;il, lias been 
honored twice in its history by the Grand Lodge of tiie State, 
two of its members having been chosen Grand Master, 
namely : The Hon. W. R. Myers and the Hon. M. A. Chip- 
man, the latter being the present incumbent of that ofHce. 

Witliin Star Encampment was organized a uniform 
rank, known at the time as the '• Uniformed Patriarchs "' that 
became famous in the "80s on account of its proficiency in 
military tactics. An account of this once famous company's 
achievements in drill contests will be found elsewhere in tiiis 
\\ ork. 

I. o. R. M. 

Ononga Tribe, Inijjroved Order of i<ed Men, was organ- 
ized in 1,S74, with twenty-two charter members. The tribe 
was not \ery prosperous for some time after it was organized, 
but in 1877-88 there were a great many accessions to the 
membership, and the order to-day is the strongest in point of 
numbers in Anderson. From Ononga Tribe have sprung a 
lodge of the Daughters of Pocahontas, and Mingo and 
Kamula tribes. Mingo was instituted October 19, 1892, and 
Kamala October 18, 1893. Both tribes have a large and active 
membership, and are in a prosperous condition. The Red 
men of Anderson and Madison countv, like the Odd Fellows, 
have been honored by having one of their number chosen by 
the Grand Lodge of tiie State as its chief oflicer, the Hon. 
Alfred Fllison. ex-judge of the ^Madison Circuit court, ha\ ing 
been elected to the office of Great Sachem of Indiana. 

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. 

There are two lodges of this order in Anderson, and the 
membership of both is large and influential. Anderson Lodge, 
No. 106, was instituted January 2(5, 1883, with twenty-one 
charter members. It now has a membership of 200 Knights 
and is steadily growing. A uniformed rank was organized 
in the summer of 1889 composed of thirtj'-two members. 
This is one of the finest organizations connected with the 
order in the State, but of late has not been very active. An- 
derson Lodge owns its own Castle hall, one of the largest and 
handsomest in the city. This hall occupies the third story of 
the Donnelly block on Meridian street, between Twelfth and 
Thirteenth streets, and was dedicated with great ceremony 
November 23, 1894. A grand banquet followed the ceremo- 
nies at which Judge Alfred Ellison acted as toast master and 



IllSTOKV OF MADISON COIN'T^', INDIANA. 801 

pmniinenl members of the local lodge delivered appropriate 
addresses. 

Banner Lodge, No. 41(), K. of P., was iiistituteil on the 
17th of April, 1895, with eighty charter members. The 
lodge now has about 135 members, and is in a satisfactory 
condition, financially and otherwise. The meetings of the 
lodge are held in the Elks' hall, at the northwest corner of 
Meridian and Eleventh streets. 

KNICiHTS OF THE GOLDEN E.\GLE. 

This lodge was instituted in Anderson on the ]f-!th of 
January, IMKK with sixty-eight charter members. It is be- 
nevolent and fraternal, and is gradually increasing its mem- 
bership, which at the present time numbers seventy in good 
standing. There is also a lodge of " The Ladies of the Golden 
Eagle." which is largely composed of the wives, daugh- 
ters and sisters of the members of the Knights of the Golden 
Eagle. Ladies whose husbands are not members of the order 
are eligible to membership in this order, however. The lodge 
is known as " Hope Temple Lodge, No. 3, Ladies of the 
Golden Eagle. " Both lodges meet in the same hall which is 
situated in the third storj' of the Newsom block on Meridian, 
between Seventh and Eighth streets. 

THE OHDER OF ELKS. 

Anderson Lodge, No. 2(KI. B. P. O. E., was organized c)n 
the 30th of June, 1891, with thirty-one charter members. The 
ceremonies of organization and initiation were performed in 
Odd Fellow's Ilall and immediately following the exercises a 
banquet was spread on the stage of Doxey Music Ilall. The 
lodge has about one hundred active members and is in a verv 
prosperous condition. The idea of establishing a lodge of 
Elks at Anilerson originated with R. 11. Cokefair, C. K. Mc- 
Cullough, and H. B. Ileineman. The meetings of the lodge 
are held in IClks" Hall, situated in the third story of the Halter 
block at the northwest corner of Meridian and Eleventh 
streets. 

KNIGHTS OF THE M.VC'CAHEES. 

Anderson Tent, Xo. 39, Knights of the Maccabees, was 
instituted at Anderson December 18, 1890. with forty charter 
members. The Order is social, fraternal and beneficial. The 
membership is not increasing as rapidly perhaps as in other 
organizations, for the reason that no special effort has been 



302 JIISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

made in that direction. The lodge has at the present time, 
fifty members. 

TIIK TRIBE OF BEN HUR. 

Idernee Court, No. 2(5, was organized March 25, 1895, 
with seventy-five charter members. The meetings of this 
lodge are held in the same room occupied by the Knigiits of 
the Golden Eagle. The lodge is gradually increasing its 
membership. 

INITED AMERICAN MECHANICS. 

A lodge of this order was instituted at Anderson on De- 
cember 19, 1894. with forty-three charter menibers. It is so- 
cial and benevolent in its character. The meetings of this 
lodge are also held in the hall of the Knights of the Golden 
Eagle. 

MODERN WOODMEN OK AMERICA. 

Oak Leaf Camp, No. 8690, was organized in March, 
1S9G, with twenty charter members. The membership is 
steadily increasing. The ineetings of the order are held in the 
Newsom block on Xorth Meridian street. 

WOOD.MEN OF THE WORLD. 

Hemlock Camp, No. 18, was organized March 7, 1892, 
with eleven charter members. The order is fraternal and 
benevolent. The meetings of the Camp are held in the Han- 
cock building, on West Ninth street, between Meridian and 
Jackson. 

J. o. u. A. M. 

Anderson Council, No. 5, Junior Order American Me- 
chanics, was organized in June, 1891, the charter being granted 
on the 17th of that month and year. The lodge organized 
with thirty-eight charter members. The organization is in a 
healthy condition and growing. The Daughters of America 
are a branch of this order and have a lodge which meets in 
the J. O. U. A. M. hall, in the Hancock block. 

EQJLITARI.E AID UNION. 

.Vnderson L'nion, No. 548, was organized October li5, 
1895, with twelve charter members. The lodge now has a 
large membership and is growing rapidly. The order is 
social, fraternal and beneficial. The lodge meets in the Han- 
cock building. 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 303 

KXIGHTS OF IlOXOn. 

A lodtre of this order was established in Anderson May 
is, 1875, with eighteen charter members. The lodge at 
present is in a prosperous condition. Its meetings are held 
in the Leib block, on the corner of Meridian and Tenth 
streets. I'p to the present time $^;5, ()()() in benefits have been 
paid to the relatives of deceased meniliers of this lodge in 
Anilerson. 

A. o. II. 

Anderson Division, \o. I, Ancient Order of Hibernians, 
was organized September 7, IStll, with eighteen members. 
The society now has fiftv-two active members. The society 
also has a number of honorary members, who are entitled to 
the social pri\ileges of the lodge room onlv. The meetings 
of the society are held at ]iresent in the basement of the 
Catholic Church. 

CMIIOI.K KNIGHTS OF .\MERIC.A. 

St. Marj-'s Hrancii. No. (146, was instituted in March, 
1801, with twenty-one charter members. The membership, 
as the name of the order indicates, is confined to Catholics. 
'1 he lodge is in a \ ery prosperous condition and is growing 
rapidly. St. Mary's Commandery, No. 640, C. K. of A., 
was organized June 8, 1895, with thirty-six members. At the 
present time the roll bears the names of fifty-seven Knights, 
and the membership is rapidly increasing. It is conceded 
that this commandery is one of the finest in tiie State, both 
as to appearance and proliciencv in militarj- maniruvres. 

KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF IIONOK. 

A lodge of this order was instituted at Anderson, Sep- 
tember 22. J81I4, with twenty charter members. The meet- 
ings of the lodge are held in Cook's hall, at the northwest 
corner of Main and Twelfth streets. 

A. o. F. 
Court Hazlewood, No. 7720, Ancient Order of Foresters, 

was iastituted with charter members. The lodge has 

a large membership and is in a prosperous condition. The 
lodge meetings are held in Kirkliam's hall, Ilazelwood. 

SONS OF ST. GEORGE. 

Red Rose Lodge, Xo. , Sons of St. George, was in- 
stituted with charter members. The membership of 



304 HISTORY OF MADI.SOX COINT^', INDIANA. 

this lodge is composed verv largely of natives of England. 
The meetings of the lodge are held in Kirkhain's hall, Hazel- 
wood addition. 

KNIGHTS OF THE ANCIENT ESSKNIC ORDER. 

A lodge of this order was instituted at Anderson. Au- 
gust 23, 1895, with fifty-two charter members. The order is 
social, fraternal and benevolent. The meetings of the lodge 
are held at the Elks" hall at the north-west corner of Meridian 
and Eleventh streets. 

THE DRUIDS. 

A lodge of this order was instituted in Anderson, Tulv 
22, 1896, but owing to a lack of interest on the part of the 
membership in its success, was shortlived. After several 
meetings had been held it became apparent that the lodge 
could not succeed, audit was taken by consent that the charter 
should be surrendered. This was accordingly done and the 
lodge passed out of existence. 

ORDER OI- I.INCOl^N. 

Anderson lodge, No. 5, Order of Lincoln, was organized 
September 22, 1896, with thirty charter members. The order 
is social, literary and patriotic. The lodge has forty members 
at the present time, and is in a prosperous condition. The 
tirst officers of the organization were. Dr. F. J. Hodges, presi- 
dent ; J. C. Teegarden, secretary, and H. C. Ryan, treasurer. 

G. A. R. 

Major May Post, Grand Army of the Republic, was or- 
ganized September 18, 1883, at the court house with seventv- 
one charter members. The meetings of the post were held in 
various halls for a number of years, but in 1895, an arrange- 
ment was effected with Major Charles T. Do.xey which se- 
cured a permanent home for the organization as long as it ex- 
ists. The post hall occupies the entire second story of the 
building situated at the north-west corner of Central avenue 
and Xinth streets and is one of the most commodious in the 
city. It was completed in May, 1890, and while affording tiie 
local G. .\. R. an asj-lum of which the membership can feel 
justly prouil. \\ ill stand as a monument to the generosity of 
Major Doxey. 

Besides the foregoing fraternal and benevolent orders, 
there are many other important organizations of a religious, 



niSTOHV OF MAniSON COUNTY, INDIANA. 805 

social, literary and militarj' cliaracter. Among these are the 
Colnmbia Rifles, or Company C, of the Indiana National 
(jiiard : Major Doxey Camp, Sons of Veterans ; the Anderson 
Club, Columbia Club, Fortnightly Club, Epworth League, 
Y. P. S. C. E., Y. M. C. A., Edgerlie Chib, Clio Club and 
Anderson Athletic Club. 

In closing this chapter the fact is noted that Rev. J. A. 
McGlone, the popular rector of Trinity Episcopal Church is 
connected ofhciallv with seven of the foregoing secret orders 
and with a number of others in an unofficial capacity. He is 
also at the head of the organized charities of Anderson where 
his efforts in behalf of the worthy poor ha\e been in the high- 
est degree praiseworthy and successful. 



20 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 



The Manukactories of Anderson — Their Number and 
Character — When Located — Number of Opera- 
tives Employed, Etc. 

As stated elsewhere tlie count}- of Madison, until the dis- 
covery of natural gas, was noted principally for the quantity 
and quality of its agricultural and other farm products. Up 
to that time but few manufactories had been established in the 
county, and Anderson being the seat of justice and enjoying 
better shipping facilities than any other town in the county. 
had a majority of them. 

The first manufacturing establishment erected at Ander- 
son was a saw-mill and "corn-cracker .'" This mill was built 
by David Williams in l>s;{l)and was situated on White river just 
north of the Big Four and Pennsylvania railway crossing. The 
coiicern was purchased bv Andrew Jackson and enlarged and 
improved from time to time until it became the principal mill 
in this part of the county. It was known as " the Jackson 
mill ," and before it was destroyed by fire, in 1877, did a large 
business. The last proprietor of the mill was David B. Jack- 
son, a son of Andrew Jackson. 

About six vears after the Williams mill was built, Joseph 
Mullinix erected a corn mill on White river two miles west of 
Anderson. This mill was situated on the present site of what 
for a long time has been known as the '• ]\Ioss Island Mills ," 
so called on account of the island formed bv the " race " and 
river, and from the further fact that James Moss owned the 
propertv for manv vears. The mill has been owned and im- 
proved bv many proprietors in its time and has done a large 
local business, quite a village springing up around it, but of 
late vears the property has been neglected and is at present in 
a dilapidated condition. 

In 1840 Willis G. Atherton and sons, Mortimer and Ran- 
som ^'. .\therton, erected a sawmill near a large pond situ- 
ated about a quarter of a mile southeast of the Hazen nail- 
mill on Arrow avenue. This was the first steam mill in the 



iriSTOIlY OI' MADISON- COUNTY, INPIANA. 307 

county and supplied all the sawed timber used in the con- 
struction of the Bellefontaine (Big Four) railroad from Pen- 
dleton to Muncie. The mill was operated successfully for a 
number of years, when it passed into the hands of persons 
who neglected to keep it in repair and finally was destroyed 
by an explosion. 

In 1857 Alfred Makepeace erected a large steam grist-mill 
at the north end of Central avenue, the building being the 
same that is now owned and operated as a brewerj' by T. M. 
Norton & Sons. This mill was supplied with the best mill- 
ing machinery obtainable at that time, but from various causes 
proved a bad investment. The machinery was subsequently 
disposed of and the building sold to T. M. Norton, who con- 
verted it into a brewery, which, from an unpretentious begin- 
ning, has become one of the largest and most successful indus- 
tries of its class in the State. 

The Killbuck mills were built in l!S(Jl' by \\'illiam Sparks 
and Albert A. Siddall. The mills are situated on the north 
bank of White river and near the mouth of Killbuck creek, 
the latter stream furnishing the power with which to run 
them. A sawmill, built by Mr. Sparks in ISOd. once stood 
just west of the grist-mill and was run in connection with it. 
These mills did a profitable business at one time, but with the 
building of steam mills in almost every locality in the county, 
trade declined and the sawmill was abandoned. The mills 
are now owned by John Peacock and Emory W. Clifford. 

The tannerv business was an important industry at an 
early daj- not only in Anderson but in almost every village in 
the countv, as hides and peltries were about the only articles. 
or products, that could be sold for cash. 

It was in 1880 that the first tannery was built in .Vnderson. 
The building and vats were located on the south side of East 
Ninth street between Central avenue and Fletcher street. 
John Wiley and Edmund West were the propiietors of the 
establishment and ditl a profitable business in a small way. 
The property changed hands in the course of time and was 
finally abandoned when another tannery was built at the south- 
east corner of Meridian and Eleventh streets by Elon Merrill 
and Frank Sparks. This establishment also changed hands a 
number of times and was last operated by Miles Rozelle. The 
old tannerv on East Ninth street had lieen re-established in the 
meantime and sold to Mr. Rozelle and when the tanneries in 



308 iriSTOIlY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

this part of the country could no longer compete with the larger 
concerns in the east, was again abandoned. 

The first and onlj- pretentious manufactory located in 
Anderson at a comparativelj- early day (1855), was the Keiser 
foundry and machine works ; not pretentious on account of 
its magnitude, but its importance to the community. This 
factory was located in a small frame building, on the north- 
east corner of Main and Tenth streets, but was afterwards 
moved to a brick building erected for the purpose on north 
Main street, and operated by Messrs. Geo. Keiser, Benj. Al- 
ford and J. N. Hill. Grain drills were manufactured extens- 
ively for awhile, but strong competition of larger concerns 
throughout the country, lack of capital and other causes, 
gradually drove the young industry to the wall. Mr. Alford, 
who is still living in the city, was superintendent of the 
molding department and was the first person to make an iron 
casting in the county. Mr. Hill is still engaged in the man- 
ufacturing business in the city. Mr. Keiser, deceased, recently 
at Muncie, where he at one time owned and successfully 
operated a manufacturing establishment. It was not until 
the '6()s, however, that any considerable number of manu- 
factories were located in Anderson, and of these enterprises, 
which probably did not exceed ten or twelve in number during 
the decade that followed, but two or three are now in opera- 
tion. Of the factories that were established and did a large 
business during the time mentioned, but which are now 
almost forgotten, may be mentioned a chair factory- at the 
north-west corner of Meridian and Eleventh streets. This 
factory was established in 1871 by E. M. Jackson and E. B. 
HoUoway, who had formerly been engaged in the marble and 
monument business. The factory was originally operated as 
a bent wood works, but was afterward merged into the Eagle 
Chair Company, and for several years did a profitable busi- 
ness. It was during 1865 that James Quinn & Sons, H. 
W. and A. J., built a carriage factory on North Meridian 
street, where they manufactured and sold high grade buggies 
and carriages for a number of years. The main building of 
this factory was subsequently converted into a livery stable, 
and is being used as such at the present time. 

The Anderson Hub and Spoke Factory was another 
enterprise that flourished back in the "()0s. This factory was 
built by J. B. Anderson, Dr. G. F. Chittenden and H. C. 
Cisco, in 18(i8, and was located on the east side of Meridian 



IIISTOHV OF MAmSON COl'NTY, INDIANA. 309 

Street, between Fourth and Fifth streets. Hubs, spokes and 
otlier supplies used in the manufacture of wagons and car- 
riajjes, were manufactured extensively, the output of the fac- 
tory being shipped to all parts of the country. In 1873 the 
company was reorganized, L. J. Burr purchasing a controlling 
interest, perhaps, in the stock. This industry ceased opera- 
tions in ]88fi and the buildings were abandoned. 

Another industry that did an extensive business a quarter 
of a century ago, but which has since passed out of existence, 
was the pump works of Platter, Foreman & Battreall. They 
manufactured a porcelain-lined pump, which found ready sale 
in central and northern Indiana, southern Michigan and 
western Ohio. In .season it required a number of wagons to 
distribute their pumps over the territory mentioned. This 
factory was located in the building erected by (Jeorge Keiser, 
on Nortli Main street, for a foundry and machine shop. The 
building is now used as a stable by the Anderson Transfer 
Company. 

HEADING AND ST.WK FAC'l'ORIp:S. 

In 1870 C. T. Doxey located a heading and stave factory 
on the east side of Main street, just south of the Big Four 
tracks. This was the first factory of the kind operated in the 
countv and was destined to have a fateful historv. On the 16th 
of November, and only a few months after it was built, the 
boiler exploded, demolishing the building and killing two of 
the hands. Clay Ciodwin and Stephen Sullivan. It was re- 
built and on January 3, 1873, was destroyed by fire. It was 
again immediately rebuilt on the same site and run until 
April 20, 187-'), when it was once more consumed by fire. 
Notwithstanding the losses resulting from these disasters, Ma- 
jor Doxev again rebuilt the factory and continued to run it 
until the spring of 1877, when it was sold to II. J. Bronnen- 
berg. who continued to operate the plant until 1884, when he 
sold it to J. L. Kilgore. The capacity of the plant was in- 
creased by additional buildings and machinery being added 
by Mr. Kilgore, who continued to operate it until 1895, when 
it was closed down on account of the scarcity of timber in 
this part of the country. The machinery was subsequently 
shipped to a factory at Paducah, Kj-., in which Mr. Kilgore 
is interested. 

The amount of heading and staves manufactured at this 
factory tiuring the time it was in operation was enormous. 



310 HTSTORV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

A large number of liands was employed and a vast suni of 
money was expended for timber and labor annually. 

Two other heading and stave factories were operated near 
"The Crossing," but not until some time after the Doxey fac- 
tory was built. One of these factories was situated just cast 
of " The Crossing," and was originally built tor a sawmill 
and excelsior works, but was purchased by J. J. Ralya and 
converted into a stave manufactory. This factory was subse- 
quently purchased by Henry and Frank Adams, who run it 
until recently, when it was closed down. The other factory 
was run by J. L. Kilgore in the old packing house just west 
of "The Crossing,"' at the junction of Ohio and Columlius 
avenues. The building where this factory was operated was 
built in 1861 by Warren Ellis & Co., pork packers, of Boston, 
Mass., and was used as a packing house up to 1874, when the 
company failed. The slaughter house was situated on wiuit 
was known as " the old Pugh farm," a half mile east of the 
packing house, and the slaughtered animals were hauled in 
wagons from the former to the latter house, where they were 
cut up and packed for the Eastern market. This company in 
its day disbursed large sums of money in Anderson and Madi- 
son county. The packing iiouse still stands and is owned by 
ex-Governor Claflin, of Massachusetts. 

The first grain " warehouse" erected in Anderson and the 
county was built by Leever & Morris in 1853 and was located 
just north of the Big Four railroad where the present passenger 
depot stands. It was owned by many different persons in its 
time the last being E. J. Walden. It was destroyed by fire in 
1875, but was rebuilt and again burned. 

In 1855 Atherton & Sons erected a warehouse and elevator 
on East Fifth street and just west of the P. C. C. & St. L. 
tracks where they bought and shipped grain until 1858, when 
the property passed into the hands of J- G. and T. X. Stilwell. 
It was afterwards owned by James Hazlett and William Crim 
who operated it until 1867 when it was sold to Carl & Son, x'sho 
converted it into a grist mill. It has changed hands many 
times and is now owned by James Wellington and Joseph 
Schalk. It is supplied with the latest and best processes for 
manufacturing flour and does a large local and export business. 

In 1865, B. Noland, H. D. Noland and Stephen Xoland, 
composing the firm of B. Xoland & Co., built a grain warehouse 
on the East side of the P. C. C. & St. L. railroad, near " The 



IIISTOK'S OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 811 

Crossing." The company handled grain until the autumn of 
1868, when the building burned and was never rebuilt. 

What were known as tiie Dickson mills, afterwards 
burned, were built by James M. Dickson in 1874 and were 
located where the Hickey House now stands. 

In 1875 E. J. \\'alden erected a two-story frame elevator 
east of Main street and immediately north of the Big Four road 
where he handled grain for one season, when he leased the 
property to \V. C. Fleming. Mr. Walden and C. T. Doxcy 
afterwards formed a partnership and took possession of the 
property doing business under the style of Walden & Doxey. 
In 1877 Mr. Doxey retired from the firm and was succeeded by 
Samuel Pence, the firm becoming Walden & Pence. This firm 
did a large business, handling 100,000 bushels of wheat and 
150,000 bushels of corn in 1878. The elevator was afterwards 
destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt. 

Of the old manufacturing establishments that are still 
being operated are the following : 

The Mathes wagon and carriage manufacotry established 
in 18G8 by George Mathes; the Iloosier planing-mill, estab- 
lished in 1808 b}' Samuel Templeton, Jonas Raber, Frederick 
Engle, Henry Kessler and Stephen Market, and run under the 
firm name of Templeton, Raber & Co. ; the Armstrong planing- 
mill, built in 1868 by William Wright and Xathan Armstrong 
at the south-east corner of Meridian and Sixth streets; the 
Anderson foundry and machine works, originally kno^vn as 
the Michner Machine Works, and erected at the north end of 
Jackson street by a corporation of which D. W. Swank was 
president and J. W^. Westerfield secretary and treasurer ; the 
grain cradle works and snath factory, established by William 
Wagoner and Thomas C. Fisher, in 1867, and situated, origi- 
nally, in the building now occupied b}' the Bulletin Printing 
Company, but subsequently' removed to the south-east corner 
of Milton and First streets; tlie Hill boiler and machine 
works, erected in 1870 by J. N. Hill on Sixth, between Meri- 
dian and Jackson streets; the Bosworth planing-mill and sash 
factory located on South Jackson street. 

NEW I-ACTOKIES. 

An account of the discovery of natural gas at .Vnderson, 
and the steps taken to secure tiie location of factories and 
other industrial enterprises are given elsewhere in this work. 
The following are the results : 



312 HISTORY OF MADISON COLXTY, INDIANA. 

The first manufactury located was the Loiigsworth Han- 
dle Factory. Then came the Truss-hoop Factory ; Fowler 
Nut and Bolt Works, now operated by the Schofield Co. ; 
the Anderson Flint Bottle Works : the American ^Vire and 
Rod Mill ; Knife and Bar Works; American Straw-board 
Works ; J. W. Sefton Manufacturing Co. ; Pennsylvania 
Glass Factory; Hoosier Glass Factory; Cathedral Glass 
Works ; Pennsylvania (Quartz Mill ; Gould Steel Works ; 
Crystal Ice Works; Union Window-Glass Factory; Hazen 
Wire Nail Mill ; Columbia Encaustic Tile Works; Anderson 
Paper and Pulp Mills; Arcade File Works; North Anderson 
Window-glass • Factory : Woolley Machine Works; Victor 
Window-glass Factory; Anderson Iron anil Bolt Works; 
Indiana Box Factory; Anderson Forging Co.; Buckeye Man- 
ufacturing Co. ; Barber Bed SpringCo.; Gentzen Art-GlassCo. ; 
Wright Shovel Works ; National Tin Plate Factory; Cans- 
field Stationery Co. ; Sheppard Canning Co. ; Fred Myers 
Planing-Mill ; L. D. Adams Planing-Mill ; Raible & Snyder 
Box Factory ; the Springer Planing-Mill. 

These factories, together with the minor manufacturing 
concerns, have about ifi.OOO.OOO invested, and employ i{,OCK) 
operatives to whom thousands of dollars are disbursed each 
week. 

From the foregoing it can be easily seen why the small 
country town of a few years ago has become a manufacturing 
center: a thriving, bustling city of l'l,042 inhabitants. 

What will the city be in wealth and population fifty years 
hence? 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 



Anderson' Banks. 

Anderson lia> three regularly organized banking institu- 
tions, and all that can be said in commendation of one 
applies with equal force to all. While they are managed 
upon conservative principles, the strictest business methods 
are employed in their transactions with the public. While 
many similar depositories throughout the State and country 
were compelled to close their doors during the financial panic 
of 1893-4, the banks of Anderson withstood the shock, 
promptly meeting every demand that was made upon them. 
Thev are financiallv sounil anil cniov the public confidence in 
the fullest degree. 

THK citizens" hank 

^^'as organized in 1855 bv the late Neal C. McCullough and 
Judge Byron K. IClliott, and is the oldest banking institution 
in Madison county. Judge Elliott retired from connection 
witii the bank in 1S('>;'. In 1ST9 the bank was reorganized, 

C. K. McCullough and W. T. Durbin being admitted to 
partnership. D. F. Mustard was also admitted as a partner 
in 1881, but three years later retired, and, in connection with 
A. J. Brunt and others, purchased the Madison County 
National Bank. This bank was organized originally by f . E. 
Corwin, J. II. Terhune, L. J. Burr, N. R. Elliott and other 
capitalists, and was known as the "Madison County Bank." 
It afterwards became a National bank, but after doing busi- 
ness several years, went into liquidation and resumed as a 
private bank. It was consolidated with the Citizens" Bank 
in 1886, Messrs. Mustard and Brunt becoming members of 
the firm. Mr. Neal C. McCullough, the head of the institu- 
tion, died in 1888 and his interest was continued by the 
estate, perhaps the largest and most valuable in the county. 
The bank is now under the management of W. T. Durbin, 

D. F. Mustard. J. W. Pence, C. K. McCullough, the 
McCullough estate, J. II. Terhune, F. R. Brown and R. F. 



814 HISTORY OI- MADISON' CnVSTY, IXDIAXA. 

Schenck. The capital stock of the bank is !fl5<l,()(H) and the 
surphis lis, 000. Aside from the capital invested by the mem- 
bers of the firm, they represent large property interests, and, 
as the bank is not incorporated, are individuallv liable to 
depositors to the extent of their possessions both in money 
and property, excepting the amount set off by law. 

NATIONAL EXCII.VXGE BAXK. 

In J8(i6, William Crim & Co. organized the Exchange 
Bank of Anderson, with Joseph Fulton as cashier. The 
bank was located in a building owned by the late Rob- 
ert Adams, and was situated where the Phcrnix block now 
stands at tiie north-west corner of Main and Eighth 
streets. In 1881 the bank was reorganized. H. J. Daniels, 
John L. Forkner and T. J. McMahan, being admitted to tlie 
membership. In 1884 the Hon. J. W. Sansberry purchased 
Mr. Daniels" interest, the latter retiring from the tirin and 
purchasing an interest in the Citizens' Bank. The Citizens' 
and Madison County ]:{anks having been consolidated, the 
Exchange, in 188(5, removed to the former quarters of the 
Citizens" Bank at the north-east corner of Main and Ninth 
streets, where it is now located. In 1802. the bank was or- 
ganized under the National banking law and is now operated 
under the name and style of "The National Exchange Bank, 
of Anderson." The present officers are, T. J. McISIahan, 
president : C. \V. Prather, vice-president ; J. L. Forkner, 
cashier, and James \V. Sansberrv, Tr., assistant cashier. In- 
cluding the officers of the institution, the directory is composed 
of James "W. Sansberry, Sr., B. W. .Scott, J. F. Wild, C. W. 
Prather, J. W. Sansberry, Jr., J. L. Forkner and T. J. Mc- 
Mahan, all of whom are safe business men and numbered 
among Anderson"s most reliable and influential citizens. The 
capital stock is !|!100,000; surplus and profits, |15,0(A». The 
bank does a large, safe and profitable business. 

AXDEU.'^ON B.VXKIXG COMI'AXV. 

This bank was organized in February, 18i)0, and imme- 
diately sprang into prominence as a safe and reliable financial 
institution. The stockholders are, Dr. B. Baker, W. H. 
Quick, Jesse L. \'ermillion, George F. Qiiick, Harrison Cana- 
day, U. C. Vermillion, S. E. Young, J. A. J. Brunt and H. 
J. Daniels. The active managers are, II. J. Daniels, Jesse 
L. Vermillion and George F. Qiiick. The capital stock of 



1 



HISTOltV ()!• MAUISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. o 1 5 

this institution is $125,t)00. The individual members of the 
bank have hir<re holdings in real estate, the aggregate amount 
exceeding 4,300 acres of the finest and most valuable lands in 
Madison countv. The hank has been successful in its business 
from the day it opened its doors, and is regarded as one of 
the soundest repositories in central Indiana. 



CHAPTER XXXIX, 



St. John's Hospital. 



Through the philaiithrophy of John Hickey, Esq., a na- 
tive of County Wicklow, Ireland, but a resident of Anderson 
since 1853, the city is indebted for one of its noblest institu- 
tions — St. John's Hospital. This a.sylum for the afflicted was 




JOHN HK'KEV, KS(). 

founded in 1894, the deed to the property having been made 
on the 31st of March of that ^-ear by Mr. Hickey. or " Uncle 
John '" Hickey. as he is affectionately called by all who know 
him. The conveyance is made to " the trustees of the corpo- 
ration of St. Mary's Academy, for the use and benefit of the 
.Sisters of the Holy Cross." and specifies that in the event it 
should ever become necessary to dispose of the property the 



1 



IllSldHV OK MADISON COUNTY, IXPIANA. i517 

trustees shall invest the proceeds of the sale thereof in other 
property within or adjacent to the city. This contingency 
may never arise, however, as the property is eligibly situated 
for the purpose to which it is devoted, being the old Ilickey 
homestead, between Jackson and Brown streets, in the south 
part of the city. The frame residence was used as a hospital 
until the present brick building was completed in the spring 
of ISUii. This building is two stories high and 1)5 feet long 
by ()5 feet wide. It is constructed in such a manner that the 
additions contemplated in the original plans will, when made, 
enhance its attractiveness as well as enlarge its conveniences. 
A number of public-spirited citizens, svmpathizing with the 
object and appreciating the eflforts of the Sisters of the Holy 
Cross to erect a suitable building in which to carry on the 
beneficent work of ministering to the wants of the sick and 
afflicted, made generous donations of materials and money to 
that end and now have the satisfaction of knowing that but 
few cities in the country of the population of Anderson have 
a better equipped or better managed ciiarity of its kind than 
St. John's Hospital. The institution is superintended liy Sis- 
ter Victoria, a devout Christian and most gracious woman, 
assisted by six Sisters of the same order. The doors of St. 
John's Hospital are open to all who are sick, without regard 
to race, color or condition in life. Its impartial charities are 
bestowed upon all who seek them, and if necessary without 
money and without price. If Mr. Hickey should leave no 
other monument or work to perpetuate his memory, this noble 
institution will be sufficient. His name will be iilentified with 
its benefactions as long as it endures. 

Among those who contributed generously to the building 
of this institution were Major C. T, Doxey, A. J. Brunt and 
Hon. yames W. Sansberry. 



CHAPTER XL. 
AxDEiiSox Cemeteries. 



With the settlement of Anderson a public cemeterj- or 
bur\-ing ground became necessary. At the March session, 18'52, 
of the County Commissioners they made the following order 
with reference to the matter ; •• Oidered, that William Curtis, 
agent of ISIadison County, for Andersontown, the seat of jus- 
tice of said county, do make and execute to John Berry, in con- 
sideration of a certain lot of ground by said Berry transferred, 
for the purpose of a burying ground, a deed for Lots No. 15 and 
IC), in the south-east square of Andersontown." And again 
at the January session, 1834, it was, "Ordered, that Joseph 
Shannon be, and he is hereby appointed county agent for the 
seat of justice of Madison Count), and that he is iiereby in- 
structed to receive a good deed of John Berry for a burying- 
ground, agreeably to said Berry's undertaking, and also to col- 
lect the amount of donation subscribed thereon." 

It does not appear of record that Mr. Berry ever executed 
a deed as required by the county Board, but the ground desig- 
nated by him was used for years by the citizens of Anderson 
and surrounding country as a place of interment. This ceme- 
tery was situated at the east end of Tenth street on a hill 
studded with graceful forest trees. It was used for many years 
as a burial-ground but was finally vacated, the remains of those 
buried there being reinoved to a cemetery laid out by Collins 
Tharp on a strip of land lying just west of Delaware street be- 
tween Eleventh and Twelfth streets. In 1867-8 the hill upon 
which the first cemetery was located was removed by the P. C. 
C. & St. L. Railway Co., in order to obtain gravel for its road- 
bed and the partial remains of a number of persons who had 
been buried there and forgotten were hauled away and dumped 
along the line of the road as so much dirt. 

In 1863 it became apparent that a larger cemetery was 
necessary and the Anderson Cemetery Association was organ- 
ized. Ground was purchased across the river north of the city 
and the Tharp cemetery was abandoned. Those having friends 



I 



lIISTOliV OF MAniSOX COIXTV. INDIANA. 819 

buried there remo\ed tlieir reiiKiins to tlie new place of sepul- 
ture. The first interment in the new cemetery was tiiat of 
James iVI., infant son of Mr. and Mrs. William Crim, and the 
grave was dug by James liattreall and Bryant Taylor. The 
child died in August, 186H, of the dread disease, diphtheria. This 
disease became epidemic that year in Anderson and the idols 
of many households were stricken before it ceased its ravages. 
In ISIJT the Catholic church purchased the ground on South 
Brown street since known as St. Mary's cemetery and subse- 
f|uentlv consecrated it as a place of burial. The first person 
buried in this cemetery was Michael, infant son of Mr. and 
Mrs. ^lichael Carmody. 



CHAPTER XLI. 



The Public Schools of Anderson, Citv Axn Township, 
Past and Present — Their Numher — Cost ov 
Maintaining; Them, Etc. 

The history of the i^ublic schools of Anilcrson aiul ,\nder- 
son township is in niLinv respects essentially the history of the 
public schools throuj^hout the county. In a previous chapter 
the progress made by the public schools in general has been 
given and it is only necessary here, therefore, to mention such 
matters of interest as relate to the schools of Anderson in 
particular. 

The first school in Anderson township was taught by 
Richard Treadway in 1888. The school house was made of 
logs and was situated on what is now known as Central ave- 
nue, between Tenth and Eleventh streets. Col. Ninevah 
Berry subsequently taught school in this house. A few years 
later a subscription was raised and a frame school house was 
erected near the northwest corner of what are now designated 
as Delaware and Eleventh streets. This building was used for 
several years as a school house, but was afterward remodeled 
and converted into a residence. It still stands and is one of 
the oldest frame buildings in Anderson. The first teacher 
who taught in this building was .Samuel Brattan. He was 
followed by Seth Smith, Jones R. Daily and others. The 
first professional teacher to practice his profession in Ander- 
son was O. P. Stone. He came to Anderson in 184(5, and 
taught regularly until 18ri8. The Hon. James W. San.sberrv 
also taught school about this time. Other old-time teachers 
were Messrs. S. W. Hill, Pentecost, Hoxhurst, I. N. Terwil- 
liger and Misses Hudson, Bowman and Burns. 

In 1828 the Legislature passed a law authorizing the 
erection of county seminaries at the public expense and in 1849 
a two-storj' brick seminary was erected on the site of the pres- 
ent building at the corner of !Main and Twelfth streets. The 
building was forty feet square with an east and west hall ex- 
tending through it. The ground was donated for school 



IllsroitV OF MADISON LOINTW INDIANA. i]2l 

purposes by Newell Williams and ^Viulrew Jackson. I'liis 
building was destroyed by tire in 185(3 and another was erected 
on its site, w-hich in the course of time (1889) was torn down 
to be replaced by the present edifice, which was known as the 
High School building until 1890, when the- imposing structure 
which now stands between Twelfth and Thirteenth street.s 
and just east of School street, was erected. In 18(58 a two- 
story brick building was erected by the school trustees at the 
north-east corner of Seventh and Milton streets. The trustees 
at that time were N. C. McCu Hough, Dr. B. F. Spann and 
C. Kirlin. This building was used for school purposes until 
1895, when it was torn down and the- present spacious build- 
ing erected. 

From 1802—5 Joseph Franklin had charge of the public 
school, there being but one in Anderson. In 1868 Mr. Frank- 
lin erected a frame building on the west side of Delaware 
street between Eleventh and Twelfth streets, where he con- 
ducted a graded school successfully for several years. He was 
assisted by Miss Genevieve Robinson, who had charge of the 
primary department. From 1868 to 1871 , the schools were 
superintended successfully bv Charles Hewett, T. C. Davis, 
II. M. Rust and W. R. Myers. From 1871 to 1878 there were 
no superintendents. In 1878 the schools were reorganized 
and J. X. Study was appointed superintendent. It was dur- 
ing this year that the Anderson High School was organized. 
The enumeration at that time was 1,033, and the school en 
rollment 640. Five years later the enumeration was 1,208 and 
the enrollment 902. The trustees at this time were, James 
Battreall, W. R. Myers and Dr. C. S. Burr. The first class 
was graduated in 187() and consisted of four young ladies. 
The commencement exercises were held in the old Union Hall 
at the south-east corner of Main and Eighth streets. Mr. 
Study resigned the superintendency in 1877, since which time 
R. I. Hamilton, A. J. Dipboye and J. S. Carr respectively, 
have been appointed to the position. Prof. Carr is the pres- 
ent efficient superintendent. He is assisted by Mrs. Sarah 
Tarney Campbell. 

In 1874 but twehe teachers were required in the public 

schools and there were only thirty-one pupils enrolled in the 

High School. This year (1896) the total enrollment of the 

public schools is 3, OSS of which 264 attend the High School. 

The number of teachers required is fifty-eight, and next 

year sixty-five will be employed, so rapidly has the school 
21 



822 HISIORV OF MAniSOX COUXTV. INDIANA. 

population increased. This 3'ear the sum of $3,250 was 
paid to tlie teachers every school month. Besides the 
buildings already mentioned, three others have been erected 
since 18SK), namely, the Hazelwood building in 1891 ; the 
Central avenue building in 1892; the " Columbia "" in 1893. 
Another handsome edifice is now being erected on Columbia 
avenue, wiiich, when completed, will make seven model 
buildings. The estimated cost of these buildings is placed at 
•'i>178,CK)0. It can be safely affirmed that no citv of equal size 
in the State has better school accommodations, or better 
schools for that matter, than Anderson. Nothing has been 
spared to place the schools upon a high plane of excellence, 
and the success that has attended the efforts of the officers and 
teacheis in this direction is not only a matter of gratification 
to the friends of education, but merits the highest praise. 
The Board ot Trustees at present is composed of Messrs. S. 
M. Keltner, C. ^\'. Prather and George Q_uick. the latter 
gentleman succeeding Mr. \V. T. Durbin. who was promi- 
nently connected with the Board for several years and took 
an active part in providing adei[iiate school accommodations 
for the youtii of the city. 

TOWNSflll' SCHOOLS. 

Tile number of persons in Anderson township entitled 
to the privileges of the schools outside the city is, at this time, 
990. The township owns fifteen buildings, all of which are 
brick, and employed eighteen teachers the past j-ear. The 
enrollment in the township schools is steadily increasing, and 
next year twenty-one teachers will be employed. The schools, 
both in the citv and township, have been well managed, and 
to the credit of all concerned, are in a flourishing condition. 

PAROCHI.XL SCHOOLS. 

The first parochial school in Anderson was taught by Mrs. 
Maggie Ryans, //rcMohan, in 1858. The school was taught in 
the small Catholic church that stood where the present church 
is located. Mrs. Ryan was succeeded by John Finley, who 
taught until 186(5, when he left Anderson to join in the Fenian 
invasion of Canada. Mrs. Patrick Skehan. nee Collins, and 
Maurice Ferriter afterwards had charge of the school. The at- 
tendance at this school has gradually inci^eased until the en- 
rollment now numbers 200 pupils. The church recently va- 
cated at the south-east corner of Fletcher and Eleventh streets 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 323 

has been converted into a school building and is used exclu- 
sively for that purpose. The scliool is in charge of si.x Sisters 
of the IIol)- Cross. Only the primary branches are taught. 

ANDERSON LIHRARY. 

In 1879 a joint stock library association was organized by 
the public-spirited citizens of the city under the act of 1852 as 
modified by the act of 1873. Shares were issued at $5 each 
and a considerable sum of money was raised. Books were 
purchased and many donations of various kinds of literary 
works were made by friends of the cause, and for a while the 
library prospered. But in the course of time interest in the 
library began to decline and it was finally closed to visitors. 
In the winter of 1888 the noted temperance lecturer, Francis 
Murphy, came to Anderson and held a series of meetings, and 
at the last meeting of the series, which was held in the Doxey 
opera house, he inaugurated a movement that resulted in the 
re-establishment of the old library upon a permanent basis. 
A new association was formed and the books belonging to the 
old library were transferred to the new organization. Suitable 
rooms were rented on the north side of the public square, many 
new and valuable books were bought and M. Milburn, Esq., 
\vas appointed librarian. In 1891 the library board effected 
an arrangement with the city whereby the latter assumed con- 
trol of the library and proceeded to levy a tax for its support. 
The library now has between four and five thousand volumes 
and is largelv patronized. The rooms are situated in the 
Newsom block on North Meridian street and furnished in 
such a manner as to present an inviting appearance. Miss 
Anna B. Myers is librarian. 

ANDERSON NORMAL UNIVERSITY. 

This institution was founded by W. M. Croan and form- 
ally opened on the evening of August 29, 189(3. The univer- 
sity occupies the second and third stories of the Opera House 
block, situated at the north-east corner of Main and Eleventh 
streets, and on the above occasion was visited by hundreds of 
Anderson's best citizens, who were no less gratified than sur- 
prised that an institution of its character and magnitude had 
risen in their midst almost unobserved. No appeal for finan- 
cial assistance was made to the general public to establish this 
institution, and whatever prominence it may attain will be 
largely, if not wholly, due to the indefatigable efforts of its 
founder. The faculty is composed as follows : 



324 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

President, Win. M. Croan ; Higher Mathematics and As- 
tronomy, George H. Colbert; Pedagogy, J. C. Black; Lan- 
guage, J. P. Mullin ; Literature, Lottie N. Mullin ; Principal 
Commercial Department, J. Goodwin Perkins; Geography 
and Mathematics, E. E. Copple ; Chemistry and Pharmacy, 
W. C. Rousch ; Penmanship, Ellsworth L. McCain ; Mu- 
sical Director, Chas. Nelson; Elocution and Delsarte, Laura 
Quick ; Voice Culture, Grace S. Langell ; Conductor Band 
and Orchestra, Jas. F. Wysong ; Shorthand and Type- 
writing. Louis J. Weichman ; Military Science, Kenneth M. 
Burr; Law, John E. Wiley; Fine Art and Drawing, Mar- 
garet Beachley. 

SOME OI-D VILLAGES VICTORIA. 

Only the old-timers and those who are familiar with the 
early records of the county, are aware of the fact that the site 
of Anderson is not the only one that was ever platted for a 
town in Anderson township. In 1838, while the construc- 
tion of the Indiana Central canal was in progress, John 
Renshaw platted a town site across White river, where the 
Anderson cemetery is now situated. A log cabin was erected 
and the " town " was called Victoria. But work on the 
canal was abandoned and the hopes that had been indulged 
in by Mr. Renshaw with reference to his town perished with 
the collapse of that great public enterprise. He subsequently 
disposed of the land where the town was located, and Vic- 
toria was forgotten. 

ROCKPORT. 

This was another canal town that was located in Ander- 
son township. It was laid out in July, 1839, by J. W. Alley 
and was situated two and a half miles west of Anderson on 
part of the land now owned by J. W. Sausbery, Sr., and 
used by him as a stone quarry, the quarry having been de- 
veloped many years after the town site had been platted. 
Rockport was on the south bank of the canal, and near the 
Strawtown road, or what is now known as the west extension 
of Eighth street. Rockport boasted of several houses at one 
time, but they have long since disappeared. 



At the crossing of the Big Four railroad and the county 
road, running west from the McCullough farm, near the 



insTOHV OK MADISON COl'XTV. INDIAN'A. 825 

residence of Alexander Bell, in the south part of Antlerson 
township, was onee the village of t)niaha. 

Eli Gustin operated a saw mill and George Darrow, late 
of Denver, Colorado, hut at this writing at Montpelier, Indi- 
ana, was a merchant and kept a store there. It was a thriv- 
ing little place, and served as a trading point for the neighbor- 
hood. 

There is nothing now left to tell where this town was 
situated, except a vacant piece of ground and a pile of ashes, 
and the decaying sawdust where the mill once stood. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

TiiK Andeksox Strekt Railway Company. 

Soon utter the discovery of natures great fuel at Ander- 
son it became apparent that the population would greatly 
increase and that the cit}', in order to keep pace with other 
enterprising and progressive towns, would have to be supplied 
with a street railway system. Several individuals, as well as 
companies, had taken a survey of the field and discussed the 
matter both with private citizens and the city ofiicials, but 
nothing tangible resulted until August 19, 1887, when the 
City Council granted a charter to Seldon R. and D. C. 
Williams, of Lebanon, Tenn., through the efforts of D. C. 
Chipman, their associates, successors and assigns for twelve 
years, authorizing the construction and maintenance of a 
street railway in Anderson. Some time after the granting of 
the charter the work of constructing the track was begun. 
Meridian street was selected as the thoroughfare through 
which the railway should be constructed, the terminal points 
being the Big Four and Pan-Handle depots. The passenger 
depot of the Pan-Handle was at that time located on North 
Main street in the building now used as a freight house. 
Certain inducements, however, were offered the Messrs. 
Williams to change the proposed route of the road in order 
to accommodate the patrons of the leading hotels, and this 
was accordingly done. The track of the railway, as originally 
laid, extended from the Big Four depot north on Meridian street 
to Tenth, east on Tenth to Main, north on Main to Ninth, 
west on Ninth to Meridian, north on Meridian to Fifth, east 
on Fifth to tlie Pan-Handle depot. The point of transfer 
then as now was on Ninth street between Meridian and 
Main streets. 

The road was completed on the morning of the (>th of 
September, 1888, and that evening street cars were run for 
the first time in Anderson. This was an occasion for much 
congratulation and rejoicing among the people, who turned 
out en masse to witness the novel spectacle — street cars 



HISTORY Ol' MAnlSON COLNTY, tNl)lA.\.\. 827 

running llnough the streets of Anderson I The rolUng stock 
of tlie company consisted of two c:irs with a seatintc capacity 
of about twenty people each. A span of diniinuti\e mules sup- 
plied the motive power. On the evening the road was opened 
for traffic tiie citv oflicials together w itli a number of promi- 
nent citizens and the Riverside Park Hand (the only' musical 
organization of its kind in the citv at that time) were invited 
to take the first ride over the road. The band occupied the 
first car, and as the wheels began to turn in response to the 
etTorts of the horses (for this occasion onlj-) it struck up an 
inspiring air, the small hoy shouted and the people gener- 
ally who thronged the sidewalks along Meridian street joined 
in congratulation over the fact that Anderson was the first 
and only city in the gas belt provided with a street railway. 
The driver of the first car was Robert E. Burke, at this time 
a resident of Iowa. His uncle, Newton T. Burke, furnisheil 
the teams for the ■•excursion."' 

Branches were subsequently constructed from the main 
line to the north -w est part of the city, Ilazelwood addition and 
the Crossing, but owing to inefficient service were not very 
largely patronized : in fact, the ■' rapid transit " furnished by the 
'• mule system,'" as it w-as called, was regarded as being some- 
what of the nature of a joke. It is related that one of the car 
drivers, who also acted in the capacity of conductor, was so 
exceedingly polite and humane that instead of employing his 
whip when the mules manifested a disposition to stop and 
take a nap while making a " run,"' he would urge them on 
with such expressions as, " I wish you would go on. Now, 
please do go "long." etc. 

In 189l' the Anderson Electric Street Railway Company 
was organized, and on the 80th of May of that year the city 
council voted the company a right of way to the streets of 
Anderson for a period of thirty years. The Anderson Street 
Railway Company had. in the meantime, disposed of its fran- 
chise, rolling stock and other property to the electric com- 
pany. Following the action of the council granting a thirty- 
year franchise, the new company re-constructed the road. 
The old iron rails, of which the tracks were constructed, were 
taken up and heavier iron was put down; the system was en- 
larged by the extension of tiie old lines ; a large electric power 
house was erected ; new cars were purchased, as well as a 
complete eiiuipment of such electrical machinery and appli- 
ances as were necessarv for a first-class street railwiiv- 



S28 UlSTOHy OF MADISON COINTV, INDIANA. 

As the time approached for making a trial trip over the 
road with the electric cars great interest was manifested by 
the people, a majority of whom, perhaps, had never seen a 
car run by electricit)'. This interesting and important event 
■occurred at 2 o'clock p. ni., on March 12, 1892, and from 
that time on Anderson has boasted of a street railway system 
as good as the best in the country. In this, as in many other 
important matter.s, Anderson was the first city in the Indiana 
gas field to introduce electric cars. It is a fact worthy of 
mention that the Anderson Electric Street Railway Co. is 
composed exclu.sively of local capitalists. It is also proper to 
state that Philip Matter, of Marion. Ind., who is largely in- 
terested in Anderson real estate, and the Hon. C. L. Henry 
were the original promoters of the electric street railway sys- 
tem, and that they introduced electric cars and run them 
over the tracks of the old company before the city council 
granted them a franchise for the use of the streets. Mr. Mat- 
ter subsequently disposed of his interest in the road to Mr. 
Henry, L. M. Cox, and others. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 



Anderson Fire Depauiment. — Water Works and 
Sewerage System. 



ANDERSON KIRE DEPARTMENT. 

Prior to tlie year 1S(3',(, ^Vnder.son ^vas without any organ- 
ized fire department. About the year 1870, Hon. Charles T. 
Doxey and Mr. John P. Barne.s who were members of the city 
council advocated the purchasing of u fire engine. Their 
efforts resulted in obtaining a Silsbv engine at a cost of seven 
thousand dollars. At that time there were no public wells or 
cisterns within the city limits by means of which the engine 
could be tested, and it was therefore taken to the river bank 
in the rear of where Pierse's saw mill now stands. It was 
here fired up, and at once it displayed its ability to cope with 
fire in magnificent shape. 

A laughable occurrence took place in which Mr. Barnes 
\\ :i!- the object of a good deal of merry-making. Two horses 
were iiitched to the engine, and Mr. Barnes assumed thechief- 
tancy by mounting upon the seat by the side of the driver. 
The horses were sent at full gallop down North Main street, 
and when in front of the present residence of Charles T. 
Doxey, tlie front wheel struck a stone in the street, and Mr. 
Harnes was thrown into the front yard. The horses were 
going at such speed that no attempt was made to stop them 
until they reached their destination at the river, and Mr. 
Barnes came a few minutes later on at a tlead run to again 
assume his command of the embryo fire department. 

After this test had been made it dawned upon the citizens 
and taxpayers tliata large outlay of money would be necessary 
to supply the city with cisterns, horses, and other paraphernalia 
for putting tlie steamer in use. Inconsequence of this state of 
afTairs an injimction was applied for in the Circuit Court, and 
the City Council was restrained from purchasing or paying for 
the engine out of the city funds. The machine was run into 
a building owned by Wagner & Fisher on West Plight street, 



S80 IlISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

which is now occupied by the Daily Bulletin. Here it re- 
mained locked up under the order of the Court until a final 
decision was made in the matter. The case was tinali)- taken 
to the Henry County Circuit Court, and tried at Newcastle on 
a change of venue when the Court decided against the purchase 
of the engine, and thus ended Anderson's first attempt to es- 
tablish a fire department. 

The next adventure in this line was in the year 1876 when 
the Hon. James Hazlett was mayor, and H. H. Conrad a lead- 
ing member of the City Council, who both favored the organ- 
ization of a fire department. After much agitation, a com- 
mittee consisting of all the members of the council and the 
mayor was appointed for the purpose of purchasing a tire en- 
gine. This committee purchased at a cost of si.K hundred dol- 
lars a small hand engine which did service for quite a while 
in connection with a hook and ladder apparatus. 

The first fire to occur after the purchase of the hand engine 
was at the residence of the Hon. Howell D. Thompson on 
North Meridian street. When the engine had been hauled to 
the place of the fire, it was discovered that there was no cistern 
handy, and the hose was, therefore, attached to a well, and in 
this condition it was unable to cope with the flames and the 
residence was almost totally destroyed. 

The Citv Council erected a shed on the first alley east of 
the public stjuare on East Eighth street where the fire apparatus 
was kept under the protection of William Black at a cost of 
twenty-five dollars per year. 

The little hand engine later on redeemed itself to a certain 
extent bv at one time saving the east side of the public square 
where a fire broke out in the cellar-way under the (Jruenewald 
block. 

During the construction of the Anderson water works in 
1886, the organization of a volunteer fire department was 
again agitated by a number of persons petitioning the City 
Council to that effect. Fifty-seven names were secured. A 
meeting was called and a committee was appointed, promi- 
nent among whom were C. K. McCullough and Mr. Bart 
Proud. After a thorough canvass of the citj-, another meet- 
ing was called on the 18th day of August, 188(3, in the mayor's 
office at the corner of Main and Eighth streets at which time 
the following named gentlemen enrolled themselves as volun- 
teers: Amos Coburn, C. K. McCullough, Bart Proud, S. A. 
Towell, Jesse Talmage, John Ewing. Charles Alford, Charles 



HISTORY l)F MADISON COUXT^', INDIANA. '.','->l 

Perrett, James Hartley. Frank Mvers. Charles Iluljbarcl. 
Thomas J. Xichol, Samuel Taylor, Frank Craven, Peter 
Miller, Val Roll, "Snub"' Shavvan, Dr. Bin Reid, David 
Cook, Charles Kline, Eugene Groves, Frank Van Pelt, John 
Spence, John Phipps, Samuel Bass, Charles Bacon, Philip 
Hollingsworth, Ira Keeley, Marion Gustin, Caleb Shinkle. 
Perry Falkner, \V'illiam Carmody. Benjamin Roadcap, Erns- 
tus Delia ven, II. II. Conrad, Lorenzo Moore, Wallace Black. 
Arthur Branson, John F. McClure, Michael Moriarity, Henry 
Burke, James Randall, James Bradley, Gabriel Hodge, Wm. 
Talmage, Albert Battreall, John Snyder, John Teepe, Frank 
Thompson, John Kenton. John Shinn, Frank I'>thel, foseph 
Rasin, Patrick O'Meara, Seth Cook. Ed. Wilcox, and Albert 
Clay. 

At this meeting rules, regulations and by-laws governing 
the department were provided and adopted, and the organiza- 
tion w^as accomplished by the election of Amos Coburn as 
chief; C. K. McCullough, assistant ; S. A. Towell, secretary; 
Bart Proud, captain Hose Company No. I : and Jesse Tal- 
mage, captain of Hose Company Xo. l'. John Ewing was 
elected captain of the Hook and Ladder Companj-. 

The equipment at that time consisted of two hand reels, 
hook and ladder truck and one thousand feet of hose in addi- 
tion to the hand-engine. Rooms for the headquarters were 
secured in the basement of the court house. Regular meet- 
ings of the department were held on the first Friday evening 
of each month. Demands were made on the city council for 
more and better equipment, and soon the fire "laddies" were 
furnished rubber coats, hats, boots, etc. 

The first fire to occur after the organization of this depart- 
ment took place at the residence of Dr. \^'illiam .\. Hunt on 
South Jackson street, in December, 188(3. The weather was 
intensely cold, the thermometer marking 17 degrees be- 
low zero, and there was at that time also a heavy coat of 
snow upon the ground. When the signal of fire was given, 
not only the department responded, but nearly the whole pop- 
ulation was on hand to witness the first fight made by the 
volunteers, and to see the new water works, which luul just 
been completed, tested. 

Many mistakes were made, the most serious of which was 
in attaching the hose to a hydrant some distance from the fire 
and the man at the hydrant turning the water on in full force 
before the hose had been unwound, which caused them to 



382 HISTORY OF .MADISON COr.VTY, INDIANA. 

burst and a dL-liiije of water was poured out upon the streets, 
causing tlie hose to whip around like a monster serpent in the 
street, tiirowing the water in every direction and drenching 
tiie people on the sidewalks, as well as the members of the de- 
partment. As soon as the mistake could be remedied an at- 
tachment was made to another hvdrant and the fire was soon 
under control, and a portion of the Hunt residence and the 
building owned by Richard Lake, adjoining, were saved. 
While .some were ready to criticize the department, the gen- 
eral feeling was that the boys did valiant service, and their 
mistakes were soon forgotten and forgiven. 

The citizens took great interest in the fire department 
and a banquet was given to the members thereof, which gave 
them great encouragement, and the department started out 
anew in great spirits. The city council soon realizeii that the 
department must be provided with better ecjuipments, and 
they were accordingly furnished with better hose and other 
appliances and were allowed two dollars each for every fire 
they attended. In the spring of 1SJ<7 Chief Coburn resigned 
and Samuel .\. Towell. was chosen in his place. In 1888 two 
horses were purchased and Edward Wilcox was placed on 
regular pay as driver. 

In 1880 three additional men. Charles Alford. Charles 
Perrett and Philip Hollingsworth. were put on pay at forty 
dollars per month, and the chief's salary was made one hun- 
dred dollars per annum. The old reels were now converted 
into a one-horse reel, and two horses were purciiasetl for the 
department. Prior to this time the liverymen of the city fur- 
nished the horses to pull the hose wagons. 

In the vear 1890 the (jamewell fire system was introduced, 
and the handsome Ituilding was erected which the city now 
occupies at the corner of Eighth and Central a\enue. A 
modern hose wagon was added to the department which had 
nio\ed into new he.iilquaiters at the city building. Two ad- 
ditional men were added to the force, and the pay of the 
members \vas fixed at $45 per month, and the salary of the 
chief was also advanced. 

In 1890, the department was, on motion of John L. Fork- 
ner. councilman from the Second ward, converted into a full 
paid department with thirteen members. Station Xo. 2 was 
established, and a building erected at the corner of Seven- 
teenth street and Madison avenue. 

No department in Indiana has a better or clearer record 



IlIST<)U-\- (IK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 333 

thai) tliat enjoyed by the Andeisoii force. The only death 
that has occurred .since the organization of the department 
was tiiat of Samuel Taylor. 

■■ Sam" and "Bob'" were the pioneer tire horses, and 
nobler ones never ran under harness in answer to an alarm. 
Thev were scarcely looked upon by the l)ovs as dumb brutes, 
but as members of the department. 

•• Bob "' took what is known by horsemen as " big head," 
and, after a long siege of suffering, taken ofl" duty, and cared 
for until he could eat his food no longer, when he was killed. 

■■Sam" never missed a run or a meal up to the fall of 
1895. when he came in contact with an electric wire which 
caused his death. 

Samuel A. Towell for many years did valiant service as 
chief of the department, and was universally liked by the 
organization as well as the citizens at large, and being offered 
a better salar\', he became superintendent of the water works, 
and Charles Alford was selected in his place. 

Among the most enthusiastic members of the city council 
who have taken great interest in the department, we mention 
John McMillan, John F. McClure, Fred Gedge, and H. C. 
Ryan. 

The Anderson fire department has saved millions of dol- 
lars worth of propert}' since its organization. At one time 
the department came near disbanding, owing to the supposed 
non-appreciation of their services by the public. A meeting 
was called for the purpose of disbanding the organization, 
when j. J. Netterxille, J. L. Kilgore and others, made an ap- 
peal to the boys to desist from carrying out their ititentions. 
They spoke of the many deeds of heroic valor they had per- 
formed, and begged ihem not to disband. From this appeal 
the boys took fresh courage, and have, since that time, always 
done their duty as a noble and heroic band. 

ANDERSON W.VTEIJ NVORKS A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SYS- 
TEM BY s. .v. rowF:i.i.. 

Early in I SS.") Anderson agitated the (|uestion of water 
works. The city had no fire protection whatever, and a 
number of large fires put the people to thinking, and water 
works was decided on. An appropriation of !fi20,()0U was set 
aside for a start. .V board of trustees were elected consisting 
of Lafe J. Burr. T. M. Norton and II. J. Bronnenberg. 
With the exception of Mr. Bronnenberg the same men have 



384 lllSIOrtV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

been retained up to the present time. Mr. Bronnenherg, on 
account of an accident which befel! him August 22, 1888, 
forced him to give up the work he was faithfully performing, 
and Mr. Harrison Canaday was elected to take his place, and 
has ever since been retained. Work was commenced, buildings 
were erected, and pumping machinery bought with great care, 
with a view of serving the city the next twenty or twenty- 
five years. Tile capacity was two million gallons daily, or 
two pumps of one million gallons each. Tiiey arrived from 
Hamilton, Ohio, over the Pan Handle, and hundreds viewed 
them on the flat cars while they stood on the side tracks. They 
were put in place in the new building, which was just large 
enough to give room to walk around them after thev were put 
into position, as it was supposed that that was about all that 
would ever be needed. About live miles of mains were laid 
and forty-five hydrants set. 

The work was completetl and the pumps started in July, 
1886, and everjthing went smoothly until natural gas was 
discovered, \yiien trouble set in. The town grew like magic, 
miles of mains were demanded, and \\ here one ot the two 
pumps liad done work, both were now required, and put to 
their full capacity. The trustees were confronted with the 
fact that the two million plant was no longer able to keep 
pace with the growth of the city. Something must be done 
and that at once. Meetings of the board and city council 
were held, and the result was that an appropriation of sixty-five 
thousand dollars was made in the spring of 1892, for enlarging 
the system. 

It was just the same, or really more than putting in a 
system from the start, as much of the old mains had to be 
replaced with larger ones; entire new buildings had to be 
erected, and larger machinery and boilers bought. 

Work was commenced in August. 1892. Miles of large 
mains were laid ranging from 12 to 20 inches ; during the con- 
struction of the buildings Doxey's Music Hall which had been 
rebuilt, burned the second tinae. Six streams were turned on 
the fire. The line to the little pumps was thrown wide open. 
They responded like things of life ; they made the greatest 
effort of their existence for six long hours, but the duty was 
far beyond their power to furnish pressure to the streams, and 
the Music Ilall was destroyed the second time. 

The new buildings were completed and the big pumps 



HISI'OKV Ol" MADlSdX COINTY, INDIANA. iJSSS 

with a capacity of foLir million gallons each daily were placed 
in position and started on duty July. 1808. 

Anderson now has one of the be«t water works plants in 
tl.o State for its si/.e. capable of fiirnishinfj eight million gal- 
lons daily through nineteen miles of mains, and one hundred 
and fifty hydrants for fire protection. 

Jasper N. Hill was tiie first siiperintonilent. and serxed 
up to August :21st, ISSC), when C. K. McCullough was 
appointed. Mr. Hiil gaye his seryice to the city, and at a meet- 
ing on the aboye date the Hoard voted their thanks to Mr. Hill 
for his kindness. Mr. Alfreil Cobiirn succeeded Mr. McCul- 
lough as superintendent, other business matters causing Mr. 
McCullough to giye it up. Mr. Coburn filled the position 
with credit up to the time of his death, which occurred April, 
:*nd, 1891. Mr. Frank Davis was appointed to the vacancy 
but on account of other business he was forced to resign after, 
a few months" seryice. The Board then accepted the services 
of S. A. Towell as superintendent, and he still holds the posi- 
tion. 

E. P. Schlater was the first clerk. He filled the position 
up to April, 1888, when on account of other matters he 
resigned. Mr. Byron McMahan succeeded Mr. Schlater, and 
filled the position to the entire satisfaction of the Board and 
eyervbodv else until his law practice increased so as to require 
his whole attention, and he had to lay down the quill. 

Mr. Edmund Johnson was Mr. McMahan's successor and 
kept the books to the satisfaction of all until his election to 
County Clerk in the fail of 1894 and Mr. James T. Knowland 
was appointed to the clerkship of the Board, and sl very satis- 
factory appointment it was proven to be. His daughter. Miss 
Lena Knowland, one of his assistants in iiis office, is the faith- 
ful custodian of the books. 

Patrick Cain was the first engineer at the pumping sta- 
tion. His contract dated July 6, 188(>. He was succeeded 
Sept. 18, 1886. by John Ewing, who resigned Oct. 4, 1880, 
and a contract was entered into with David O. Cook. Mr. 
Cook was succeeded, Oct. 29, 1887, by Theo. F. Jones, who 
filled the position to June, 1895, when, on account of sickness 
and loss of a limb, he was forced to retire. He was succeeded 
by Mr. Henry Drach with Chauncy O. Towell as assistant. 

The first meeting of the Board of water works trustees 
was Oct. 15, 1885. H. J. 15ronnenberg was the first president. 

The Anderson water works have been self-sustaining so 



336 mSTOJfV OF MADISOX COUXTV, INDIANA. 

far as operating expenses are concerned for the last six years, 
and now have a surplus of between four and live thousand 
doUars to apply on debts or put into extensions. 

AXDERSOX'S SEWERAGE SYSTEM. 

Prior to the discoverv of natural gas, Anderson was en- 
tirely without any system of sewerage as is the case with all 
country towns and smaller cities. ^Vith the influx of popula- 
tion, it soon became apparent that a system of sewerage was 
necessary for the health and comfort of the growing city. In 
the month of January, IS'.'l. a movement was placed on foot 
in the direction of placing a thorough system in operation by 
instructing Henry Rawie. city civil engineer, to open corres- 
pondence with George E. Warring, a sanitary engineer of 
Newport, Rhode Island. 

Mr. Rawie accordingly made investigation, and after a 
consultation with Mr. Warring, a move by the city council 
w-as carried out by making a complete survey of the city, and 
a map of the location of the proposed mains and laterals 
thereto. 

Air. Warring is an expert engineer in sanitary sewerage, 
having been a member of the Royal Institute of Engineers of 
Holland, and also of the Institute of Civil Engineers for Eng- 
land. His plans were completed b)' Engineer Rawie who 
made a topographical map, and presented it to the city coun- 
cil which was adopted and resulted in the advfytising for sealed 
proposals for the construction of the work, and on the 15th of 
July, 1891, a contract was made with Kinser & Tuhey, of 
Terre Haute, Indiana, for the carrying out of the same, tiie 
contract price being $71,900. 

The work was imder the Barrett law .system making the 
cost payable by parties owning lots touching upon the line of 
the streets through which the sewer passed. Work was be- 
gun immediately by the contractors and carried on to success- 
ful completion in the year 1892, thereby giving Anderson one 
of the most complete and thorough sanitary sewerage systems 
in the State of Indiana. 

At this w'riting, it has been in use for four years without 
obstruction or in any way bemg a source of aggravation to the 
citizens. Mr. Rawie, the city engineer, was in the outset 
criticized (|uite freely by many of the tax pavers, and the svs- 



HISTORY OF MAniSON COl'NTY, INDIANA. 337 

tein condeiniieil, but time Hms j^liown tliat lie was right, antl 
that his critics were wroiifj;. The sewerage system of Ander- 
son is a staiuliiig inoiuiment to his wisdom and also to the 
good sense of the citv fathers who adopted his plans. 



22 



CHAPTER XLIV 



Fires, Reminiscences and Personal Sketches. 



Bl RNING OF DOXEY S BREWEKV. 

About the year 1865. Charles T. Doxey and William 
Crajcraft built a brewery on the lot now occupied by Mat- 
thias Colchen's saloon and residence on \\"est Eighth street, 
long known by the old-timers of Anderson as the Craycraft 
property. 

They operated this establishment for about one vear, when 
in the montii of May, 1866, it took fire in the night and was 
destroyed and never rebuilt. This was Anderson's first brew- 
ery, and although small it was a pioneer in its line. It was 
soon followed b}- tlie now extensive place owned by T. M. 
Xorton which was in its primitive stage a small aft'air as com- 
pared with its present capacity. 

AX OLD TIME FIRE. 

What threatened to be one of the most disastrous fires 
that ever took place in Anderson occurred on a Saturday 
night in the month of November, 1866. About 9 o'clock in 
the evening the cry of " fire ! fire ! ! fire ! ! !"' was heard to 
ring out on the air. This was the only mode of giving an 
alarm at that time. Such fighting of fire is never seen in 
these days of telegraphic fire alarms and rubber hose attached 
to a water-plug. On this occasion the old frame liverj- barn 
that stood on the alley between Ninth and Tenth streets, front- 
ing on Main, being the locality where John Roland's saloon 
and the Opera house barber shop now stands, was on fire. It 
stood in the center of town, with two hotels in proximity, 
one of which, the old Ross house, that occupied the present 
site of the Perrett house, was a frame structure. The old 
United States hotel that stood where Daniels' ilrug store now 
stands, was a large three-story building with a fiat gravel and 
tar roof — a splendid "catch-all'' for sparks and burning 
shingles flying in the air in all directions. The stables were 
full of horses, buggies, and other vehicles. The mow being 



IIISTOKY OK MAniSON COUNTY, INDIANA. 839 

well filled with hay and striiw, it was but a short time until 
the whole structure was enveloped in flames, scarcely time 
enough to get the horses out before the building collapsed. 
No attention was given to the saving of the barn. The object 
was to save the town. If not immediately checked the whole 
south side of the public square must go, besides many thousand 
dollars' worth of property near by would be destroj'ed. The 
steady nerve and cool work of a few brave men saved Ander- 
son from being swept off the earth. 

Capt. W. R. Myers, Major C. T. Doxey and a man of 
the name of Joseph Pickard, a plasterer, who then lived at 
Alexandria, saved the day. They took their stations in ditt- 
erent localities about the tire district, organized the " Bucket 
Brigade"' into an army of fire fighters, stationed men on the 
roofs of houses all around with buckets of water, the good 
women of the town also taking a hand in supplying the 
men with bed clothing Which was saturated with water and 
spread on the roofs, keeping them from taking fire. Myers 
and Doxey gave commands to the men which were obeyed 
almost as well as a well disciplined army. Everything worked 
like clockwork. Steady streams of water were kept coming 
from tlie neighboring wells by the bucket brigade standing in 
line and passing the buckets from one to another until the 
livery stable was burned to the ground, and not another build- 
ing was lost, although many times during the fire they were 
lighted and it looked as if they must go. Joe Pickard took 
his stand upon the wall of an adjoining building where he 
stood and fought fire like no man ever in the history of Ander- 
son before or since then has done. At times it seemed as if lie 
was enveloped in the flames. Friends called to him to leave 
his post, but in vain. When he was taken to his boarding 
house, the U. S. Hotel, it was found that his hands and face 
were terribly burned. He still bears the scars of that mem- 
orable fire. He had not the least pecuniary interest in the 
property burned ; neither had he any particular friend that had, 
but it was purely a matter of heroism on his part. In the days 
of the bucket brigade every person in Anderson was a fireman, 
the women were always on hand and many of them were 
right "in it ' when it came to fighting fire. Major Doxey 
was always the best commander; he was not afraid; he was 
always in front ; the people listened for his command and 
always obeyed. He has saxed more property from destruction 
b) fire than any other man in Anderson. 



ii40 lIISTdliY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

THE \VP:ST side of the SQIARE DESIUOVED. 

Among the many fires that have burned in Anderson 
none has ever been more disastrous than the one which envel- 
oped the west side of the public square on the 17th of May, 
1875. At the dead hour of midnight, the cry of fire was heard 
to ring out on the clear atmosphere. This was a signal for 
Anderson's populace to hasten to the scene of the conflagration, 
as the city at that time had no organized fire department. In 
less than twenty minutes nearly every able-bodied man and 
woman were on the streets, headed for the center of the city, 
each one carrying a pail, and ready to do battle with the 
flames, as was their usual custom on such an occasion. The 
" Bucket Brigade" was the only means of fire protection then 
at hand. It was at once ascertained that heroic work would 
have to be done, or all the west side of the square, and per- 
haps other portions of the city would be destroyed. 

A line was formed to the public well, that was then on 
that side of the square, and the fight began. 

Men and women vied with each other in their efforts to do 
deeds of heroism, but fate was against them. In spite of all 
efforts nearlv all the west side was swept away. 

The fire liad broken out somewhere in the middle of tiie 
block, in the neighborhood of where Van Nuys & Co.s drug 
store now stands, and spread north and south. 

The buildings that occupied the space were mostly 
wooden "shacks" and were easy marks for the fire. The Odd 
Fellows hall stood where the present White House now stands 
and was almost the exact counterpart of the present building. 
It was the only substantial structure that occupied that part 
of the square, and was erected in 18G7 by the Odd Fellows 
and others. The (Jdd Fellows occupied the third story for 
their lodge room. In the lower room was situated the hard- 
\vare store of Xichol. King & ^Makepeace, the firm being com- 
posed of Joseph Nichol, Amos J. King and Alonzo I. Make- 
peace. In the adjoining room was the shoe store of Limon 
M. Cox cS; Co. 

On the ground now occupied by the Citizen's Bank was a 
one-ftory frame house, in which was a shoe store owned by 
Ryan & Broadbeck. Dr. Townsend Ryan, the senior mem- 
ber of the firm, was the father of Judge II. C. Ryan. 

Where the store of Nichol & Makepeace now stands, there 



IllSIOm OK MADISDN COl'NTy, INDIANA. 841 

was a two-story frame buikling owned by Samuel Pence, in 
which a Mr. Bliss kept a confectionery store. The adjoining 
lot now occupied by the Burr Block, was owned by Arthur 
Charman, and contained a two-story building in which was a 
bakery and confectionery store, and the American Express 
company's office. Mr. E. R. Charman was the agent for the 
express company. 

The next was a two-story frame building owned and 
occupied by (Jeorge Daich,as a residence, grocery and bakeiy, 
his residence being on the second floor. 

On the second tloor of the Odd Fellows' hall were situ- 
ated the Anderson Deniocrai office and the law offices of 
Sansberry & Goodykoontz and Calvin D. Thompson. The 
Democrat lost all its material, files and other valuable matter 
and the plant was totally destroyed. Sansberry & Goody- 
koontz lost many of their valuable books and papers which 
could not be replaced. Mr. C. D. Thompson was also a large 
loser of books. The people who were at the fire did all in 
their power to save the merchandise that was contained in 
the buildings, and all the stocks of goods were carried out on 
the public square in the court house yard and were heaped up 
in one mass, it being almost impossible the next morning for 
the owners to identify their goods. It very much resembled 
the breaking up of a large military camp after a disastrous 
battle. Several of the stocks were covered by insurance while 
others had none whatever. The firm of Nichol, King & 
Makepeace were large losers because one of the companies in 
which they were insured had some time previous to this fire 
gone into the hands of a receiver, and the local agent had 
failed to notify them of the fact and they were in ignorance 
of the condition of the company and therefore failed to l>e 
insured in any other agency. 

The fire threateneil at one time to spread to the south- 
west and destroy that portion of the cit}'. as there was Cjuite a 
lively gale which blew the embers for a considerable distance 
in that direction. People took their carpets and bed-clothing 
and saturated them with water anil spread them upon the 
roofs of their houses, thereby saving them from the flames. 
The fire wall upon the building now owned by John Rickes 
saved tile balance of the block from being destroyed. This 
building was erected by John Hickey some years previously. 
It has always been his habit in constructing his buildings to 



342 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

erect fire walls on either side and in this instance it was 
shown that he had done the wise thing in that respect. 

An instance of how people may become excited in times 
like these, was exhibited in the action of Rev. \\ . Morris 
(rrimes, the pastor of the Presbyterian church. During the 
conflagration he became so excited^that he was evidently be- 
side himself. He ran from one place to another in a most 
frantic manner, and would grab men, women and children as 
he came to them, and severely shaking them would e.xclaim, 
" You are on fire, you are on fire I Don't vou see you are on 
fire?" when in fact there was no tire about their persons. He 
also went to the residences in the neighborhood, where ladders 
had been put up against the buildings, and removed them 
from one place to another. 

There never resided in the city of Anderson a better or 
purer man than Rev. W. Morris Grimes. He was dearly he- 
loved by his congregation and by all who knew him. His 
action in this matter served for a long time as a point about 
which to joke him. It was several days before the merchants, 
whose stores were destroyed, could procure rooms in which to 
place their goods. It was necessary to guard them on the 
public square until such time as they could find a place in 
which to store them. This fire had the effect of agitating the 
public mind on the question of fire protection, and accordingly 
a hand engine was purchased in an adjoining city, and served 
for some time as a means of fighting fire, and was the 
nucleus of the present efficient fire department of ,\nderson. 

BURNING OK THE JUNCTION HOUSE. 

For many years there stood at the crossing of the Fan 
Handle and Big Four railroads in Anderson, a iiotel known as 
the " Junction House."' It occupied about the present site of the 
target house. This is about the half-waj- point on the route 
from Cincinnati to Chicago, and was the stopping place for 
all through trains for lunch, and was known far and wide 
among the traveling public. Mr. H. L. Searle, the father of 
Gid. D. Searle, the druggist, who sometime since removed 
from Anderson to Chicago, was the proprietor and kept the 
house for a number of years. On Sunday morning, the 28d 
of February. 1868, at the hour of 10 o'clock, the building 
took fire and was burned to the ground. There was no fire 
department in the town at that time, and there was no means 
of combatting the flames, and it was but a short time until it 



inSI()R\ ()!■ MADISON COrNTY. INDIANA. ;!43 

was in aslies. It was never rebuilt, am! the crossin<j was 
soon abandoned as a stopping place for the public. The 
depot was thereafter removed, and the once busy suburb was 
not long retrograding to a point of inactive "' desuetude,' and 
until the tinding of natural gas, was a dead letter on the map 
of Anderson. It was once the liveliest suburb in the place, 
owing to the fact that the only depot on the Big Four road in 
Anderson, was located tliere. 

JdllN- HII.I. AND HIS p;XPERIENCK IN WHITE HIVER. 

Many of the old-timers will remember John Hill, a Meth- 
odist minister who was here about the close of the war. He 
was not exactly an old-timer, but was here long before the day 
of natural gas. He was an Irisli ^Methodist minister who 
filled the pulpit of the ^I. E. church at Anderson for three 
years. About the time his ministry ended here he for a time 
retired from the pulpit, engaging in the manufacture of patent 
cement, brick and stone. A company was formed, of which 
he was a prominent member, along with E. B. HoUoway 
Enoch M. Jackson and others. 

Their establishment was situated at Meridian and Eleventh 
streets. The intention of the company was to make brick for 
the erection of the Methodist church, but the scheme failed; 
they lost what thev put into the enterprise. John Hill went 
back to preaching and the others into various other vocations. 

The ■• old patent brick house," as it is called, that stands 
at the crossing of the Bee Line railroad and Brown street, is a 
silent monument to John Hill and his patent brick business. 
It is the only house ever erected in the town from that ma- 
terial. Mr. Hill was verv popular as a preacher, not onh' with 
his congregation in ^Vnderson, but in the country around. 
He was popular with the country folk and was often called to 
perform the marriage ceremonv. 

One time comes to mind ; it was in the winter of 1866—07, 
during the regular Januarv "thaw'" we used to have in this 
countrv. There was a wedding at the farm residence of 
Joshua Chappel at Moss Island. Mr. Hill performed the 
solemn ceremonv that made •' two hearts beat as one."' It was 
before there was a bridge across White river at Moss Island; 
in shallow water it was a bad ford ; wdien the water was high 
a ranoe was kept there to ferry people across. 

The wediling was on Sunday night. Several Anderson 
people were invited and attended, among whom were Garrett 



844 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

W. Brown, Frank W. Demott, and others. Brown, Demott 
and their friends went out in carriages, with Mr. Hill riding 
a pony behind the procession. The carriages drove out pretty- 
fast, soon reaching the river. The night was as dark as 
Egypt — so dark you could cut it with a knife. The river was 
up, boiling, seething and foaming. 

Frank Demott was driving the front carriage and knew 
the ford so well that they all went through safely, but came 
nearly going under several times. The ford ran diagonally 
across the river, coming out several feet below where it started 
in. The preacher's pony was in the rear; it could see where 
the horses came out, and being scared and anxious to got with 
the horses that had crossed, it plunged in, and taking the bit 
in its mouth, struck for the opposite shore, straight across. It 
was no time until it plunged into water from ten to twelve 
feet deep, over tiie head of itself and rider. 

The carriages had stopped when they got across to await 
Mr. Hill's arrival. The pony being light, it could not stem 
the tide, but drifted down the ri\er, its rider holding on like 
grim death. The pony fought the waves with all its little 
might and struggled to land its rider safely on the other shore, 
until at last it drifted onto a little island, where it regained 
its feet. The preacher began to yell at the top of his voice: 
"Oh, Garrett! Oh, Garrett!" 

Garrett Brown was one of his best earthly friends. Gar- 
rett soon answered and told him to hold his position until a 
canoe could be sent over to him. There he staid until the 
canoe and a light were procured, when he was landed on the 
other side of the river. The pony was turned loose and soon 
swam ashore. 

Dripping wet. Hill went on his journev, procured dry 
clothing from the family where the wedding was to take place 
and performed his part in good style, but he did not ride the 
ponj' home. After the wedding was over and supper being 
spread, the guests all joined in general conversation around 
the festal board. Mr. Hill was very cjuiet, thinking all the 
while of his narrow escape. Someone asked him when he was 
calling "Oh, Garrett," why he did not call " Oh. Lord!" 

He said, " 1 knew Garrett was a good swimmer." He 
never smiled, but went on with his eating. Mr. Hill, after 
leaving here, went to Milwaukee, where he lived for many 
j'ears, afterwards being killed by an accident. 



IIISTDIO Ol MADISON COINTV. IXnlAXA. 345 

rHK VELOCri'KDH, ANDERSON'S KIRST WHEEL. 

The great fad of the present time is to have a " wheel " — 
a bicycle, a tricycle, or some other kind of a wiieel to ride 
on. It no doubt seems easier than walking, although the 
premises are open to doubt. 

The wheels of the present day are altogether difterent 
from those of twenty-five years ago. The first wheel that 
made its appearance in Anderson was in 18(58. It was brought 
here by R. N. McCuUough, commonly called '• Little Neal." 
He was a nephew of the late Neal C. McCullough, of this 
city, and a son of Thomas McCullough, of Oxford, Ohio. 

He was employed by his uncle in the capacity of sales- 
man in the hardware store in the room, at the corner of Main 
and Eighth streets. He and Lew Markle were both salesmen 
in the same store. They were a good pair and well adapted to 
business. The wheel craze had at that time just broken out 
ail over the country. They were then called " Velocipedes." 
They were rude atTairs compared with those of to-day. They 
were constructed more like one of the " safetys '" than any 
other pattern now in use. They were verv clumsy in their 
makeup. The wheels were both of a size, coupled together 
with a rude bowed-stick, the hubs and spokes being as large 
as those of a present day buggy, with an iron or steel tire. It 
generally took some one to hold the machine while the rider 
mounted. After it was in motion and going at full speed, 
God onl}' knew when or where the rider would dismount. 
He was often picked up in the fence corner along the road, 
all battered and banged up. There were soine good riders 
here in those days, and great feats of speed were accom- 
plished. 

When Neal iMcCullough brought his velocipede to town 
it was the wonder of all the populace. To learn to manage 
it was the next thing. Accordingly Union Hall, directly 
o\er the hardware store, was selected as the place to " break 
it." All of the sports in town were on hantl. Neal was to 
make the first attempt, of course, as it was his first machipe. 
He was assisted in mounting the thing ; his equilibrium given 
him and turned loose. Some one gave it a start ; Neal ap- 
plied his feet to the treadles, and in less than no time, he was 
••gew hawing'" in all directions, the track of a snake being 
no comparison to the route he was taking over the hall, and the 
longer he went the taster he went. His senses began to (juake ; 



346 IIISTOUV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIAN'A. 

his head became light, and he yelled for some one to stop it. 
" Take me off! Let me loose !'' Hut no one could get to him 
until he was picked up in the corner under the stage where 
he and his wheel fell when he collapsed. He was a sorr}- 
looking sight when picked up, all mashed, bruised and bumped. 

After dragging him out and applying arnica in copious 
quantities to his wounded places he retired from the ring. 
Sam Towell, Lee Trees and other sports, tried their hands 
without accomplishing much toward riding the " animal." Jefl' 
Sausser was a quiet spectator to the " monkey shines '' of the 
riders, but too cute to be enticed into trying it himself. After 
many trials the wild velocipede was at last subdued and be- 
came a favorite on the streets of Anderson. 

The velocipede fever, like all other kindred sports, be- 
came a thing of the past, and w as forgotten until the present 
craze broke out. 

During the velocipede fever, a party of riders made an 
overland trip from Knightstown to Anderson, causing great 
excitement by their wheeling into town unannounced and 
unknown. There were no ladies in tlie party. The ladies 
did not know how to ride a wheel in those davs. 

SANDY CARK FASTENED 1 O A LAMP-POST. 

In 1868 the city council passed an ordinance similiar to the 
one now in force, recjuiring all city prisoners incarcerated in 
the bastile for drunks and other minor offenses to be worked on 
the streets when they had no means of paying their fines. The 
city marshal was then ex-officio street commissioner. He had 
charge of all street works as well as the '" hoe gang." Cornelius 
Daugherty was then city marshal. He was an efficient officer 
and did his duty fearless of the consequences. Public clamor 
or public sentiment cut no figure with him in the plain dis- 
charge of his public duties. There lived here at that time an 
Irishman by the name Sandy Carr, who is yet living some- 
where in Hamilton county in this State. He was engaged in 
the retail liquor trade in Anderson for many years. 

• Sandy was arrested for violating the city ordinance for 
selling without a license, tried, convicted and fined by the 
mayor. In default of the payment thereof he was committed 
to jail, where he was confined for several days, neither paying 
or replevying his fine and costs. The marshal under the or- 
dinance then in force took him out to work on the public 
streets. Sandy was very obstinate. He absolutely refused to 



ni>ii)i{v OF MAnisox county, Indiana. 817 

work a lick, but wimld stand like a statue lioni nioniiii^ until 
noon and from noon until night on the curh stone with his 
shovel in his hand, hut \\ouId not move a muscle in the wav 
of labor. 

The marshal tried persuasion and every other means but 
actual violence to get him to work, but to no purpose. 
Finally becoming aggravated at his obstinacy, he took Sandy 
by the arm and marched him to the Doxey House corner and 
chained him to a lamp post, where he left him sitting all day 
in the broiling hot sun. Sandys wife brought him his dinner 
and stood over him with an umbrella, protecting him from 
the sweltering heat of the sun during the afternoon. The 
circumstance brought forth much indignation from the people 
in "Free America." To see one of her citizens a prisoner for 
a trivial crime, chained to a post in the public thoroughfare 
of the city, was more than they could bear. The Irish peo- 
ple were especially wrought up. Many threats of violence 
were made. They looked upon it as an act of barbarism. 
The best elemetit of the Irish citizens, however, kept cool 
heads, thereby avoiding what might have been serious trouble. 
The pressure finally became so strong that the marshal was 
forced to turn Sandy loose. Carr claimed that the city could 
not lawfully compel him to perform labor on the streets to 
liquidate his fine. He had made up his mind to die chained 
to the post rather than work, and he would undoubtedly have 
done so. The feeling against the marshal was \ ery strong 
for years thereafter.^ Many of the old Irish people treasure it 
up to this day. Their blood boils when they talk al^out it. 
There are serious doubts whether the city ordinance could be 
enforced in case of refusal to perform labor of this kind if it 
were stubbornl)' contested, but unfortunately the poor crea- 
tures have neither friends nor money to fight it, so they have 
to submit. The working of tramps on the streets is probably 
as well as keeping them in jail at public expense. They do 
not care for being in jail, but they do hate to work. 

TIIK liUI{NIN(i OK VV.\LDK\"s WAKK IIOISE. 

E. J. Walden was one time one of the wealthiest and 
most influential citizens of Anderson and was for many years 
engaged in buying and selling grain and lumber, having a 
grain elevator situated on South Main street near the Big 
Four railroad station. 

On the 27th of January, 1^75, the warehouse was discox- 



848 HISTORY Ol' MADISOX COUN TV, INDIANA. 

ered to be on tire. The alarm was sounded at about a quarter 
past 10 o'clock at night by John Mershon. Before help could 
be obtained the building and contents were destroyed, with 
the exception of the office. The office desk and books were 
saved, but the flames had made such progress that it was 
impossible to check them, and the building with its contents, 
consisting of 2, OCX) bushels of wheat, 2,000 bushels of corn 
and a (|uantity of oats, and the fixtures, scales, elevators and 
steam engine were destroyed. 

The building had but lately been purchased bv Mr. 
W'alden and it is thought that the fire was tiie act of an 
incendiary, as there had been no tire in the engine that day 
nor had any been left in the stoves at night by the employes. 

The loss was quite a heavv one to Mr. Walden, as he was 
not fully insured. 

A HANDSOME RESIDENCE DESTROYED. 

The beautiful and substantial residence of the Hon. 
Howell D. Thompson, formerlv located on the spot where his 
present home now stands, was destroyed on the 24th of April, 
1879. The residence was built in 18(5:.' by George Nichol 
who resided in it for several years and then sold it to Mr. 
Thompson who in the year 1877 enlarged and retnodeled it 
making it one of the most beautiful dwellings in Anderson. 

On the afternoon of the day above mentioned the build- 
ing caught fire and was almost totally destroyed. At that 
time the only means of fighting fire in Anderson was with a 
small hand engine whicii the City Council had purchased but 
a short time prior, and there being no cisterns or reservoirs 
from which to draw the water, it seemed almost a useless task 
to undertake to contend with this conflagration. The fire 
•• laddies '" who were in those days composed of volunteers, 
were on the scene as soon as they could get there from the dif- 
ferent quarters of the town, and after placing their hose in the 
cistern of the house belonging to the family, did their best to 
save the building, but without success. The iiouse was insured 
in the .4"3tna Fire Insurance Company for 14,500. Mr. 
Thompson immediatelv erected another mansion, a handsome 
brick, which now occupies the place of the one that was 
destroyed. 

nURNINti OF A E1..\X MII.I. IN 1876. 

About the vear 1870 the firm of Shillitto & Company 
from some eastern State, came to Anderson and -.tarted a flax 



IIlSTdKV (IF MADISON' COINTV, INOIANA. 349 

mill, locating on the grounil where tiie thrivin<r suburb of 
Avondale is situated, on a part of the Jolin IIici<ey farm. 
Their business was to buy tlax straw of the farmers through- 
out the country, and manufacture it into jute, for bagging and 
other purposes for \\iiich the article is used. They did a very- 
successful business for several years, until Friday night , the 
7th of July, 1876, when the mill caught lire from sparks from 
a smoke stack, ^vhich ignited a pile of refuse lying near the 
outside of the building and the factory \yas in a short time 
destroyed. The alarm was given, and the people in that 
locality rendered such assistance as was in their power, to 
save the property. The building being HUed with combustible 
matter, was soon wiped out, leaving nothing but the iron 
work, machinery and boiler standing to teU where it had once 
been located. The mill at the time of the disaster was leased 
l)y X. H. Cammack & Sons, of Cambridge Cit}', Indiana. 
They had on hand a stock of manufactured goods amounting 
to !^1?, ;")(.)(), with no insurance. The machinery in a short time 
after the tire, w-as bought by L. M. Cox, and moved to a point 
on the Fishersburg road, near Green's Branch. It was 
operated for several years by him, until about the year ISSti, 
when it was again destroyed by fire, since which time this 
business has not been revived in Madison county. 

TIIK FISIIEU SNATH AND CRADLE FACTORY BIRNED. 

The extensixe snath and cradle manufacturing establish- 
ment of Thomas C. Fisher for many years occupied the site 
where the Ihillctiii building now stands, being placed there 
by Messrs. Wagoner & Fisher for the especial use of this 
factory. Here they carried on a ver\' extensive business until 
the 19th of February, 1888, when the entire plant was de- 
stroyed by fire. The disaster took place on Sunday night. 
when but a few people were upon the streets, and the build- 
ing was enveloped in flames before aid could be rendered. 
Tiie alarm was not sounded until several minutes after the 
fire had been disco\ered, and the flames had spread with such 
rapidity that it was soon beyond control. The fire originated 
in the engine room, which was near the center of the build- 
ing, and spread in both directions. The factory was filled 
with dry matei ial and manufactured goods, there being 
25,000 snaths and several thousand grain cradles on hand at 
tlie time, all of which were destroyed. Three streams of 
water were turned on, but the location of the fire was such 



i350 lII>TOKV OF MADISOX COINTV, INDIANA. 

that effective- work could not be done. The small buildings 
surrounding the sides of the walls prevented the firemen from 
getting readily to work. Luck and Providence seemed to be 
against the fire-boys, as they had scarcely got the hose attached 
when it bursted, causing much trouble and delay. They im- 
mediately replaced the bursted section, but they had hardly 
done so when it gave way in another part. This occasioned 
a great deal of delay, and, in the meantime, the flames had 
steadily devoured the building. All that could be done now 
was to make an effort to save the surrounding property, which 
they did in an efficient manner. 

The loss to Mr. Fisher was a serious one. Aside from the 
damage to the building and machinery, he incurred a great 
loss from the destruction of a vast amount of manufactured 
goods and raw material which he had on hand. His manu- 
factured products were just ready to be shipped to his custom- 
ers, and it being late in the season he could not possibly re- 
manufacture them to meet the wants of his trade in time, and 
thus many of the orders were caneelknl. The building and 
contents were partially insured. 

Mr. B. Brasket, agent for the Singer Sewing Machine 
Co., had his office and warerooms in the building. He was a 
loser to the extent of several hundred dollars in machines and 
other property. 

Mr. Fisher immediately rebuilt the house and converted 
it into business rooms, but abandoned it as a manufacturing 
establishment. 

nUKNING OF THE DOXEV OPEK.X HOUSE. 

On the 14th of November. 1884, the magnificent opera 
house erected by the Hon. Charles T. Doxey on North Me- 
ridian street was destroyed by fire, entailing a loss to its owner 
of $80,000, with no insurance. 

The fire is supposed to have originated in the rear end of 
a livery stable owned by Jesse \V. Hurst, situated immediately 
south and adjoining the theater building. The first alarm of 
fire was sounded about 1 o'clock at night. In a few moments 
thereafter the building was a mass of flames. The heat be- 
came so intense that it was impossible to stand within fifty 
feet of the burning edifice. The iron fronts of buildings on 
the opposite side of the street were heated almost to a red 
heat. When it was discovered, had there been a fire depart- 
ment in Anderson, the upper part of the building might pos- 



IIISTORI Ol- .MADISD.N COlfNTV, INDIANA. ;>51 

sibly have been saved, but as there was no organization of 
tliat kind the people stood around helplessly and saw the mag- 
nilicent building go up in smoke and flames. A message was 
sent to the Indianapolis department for help, and a train was 
started from the Union Depot with one steamer on board. 
Tlu' run to Hrightwood was made in two minutes, but when 
the train reached that station an order was sent countermand- 
ing the former one and the engine returned to the citv, the 
tire having gone so far tiiat help of that kiiul woukl be of no 
ii<-e. 

On the night of the fire the Laura E. Dainty Theatrical 
Troupe hail just finished a performance in the theatre. The 
members of the company did brave work in their efforts to 
save tiie building ami other property from destruction. The 
only thing saved of any value were the draperies around the 
boxes and a few other articles, which were afterwards utilized 
wlien the house was rebuilt. 

Among the losers were CJeorge Woerner, merchant tailor, 
who had his shop in the same building, and Fenton C. Rogers 
who conducted a music store, and also Mrs. Ella Malone, who 
had a millinery establishment on the second floor. Mr. Hurst, 
the liveryman, was a loser to a small extent. The building 
which he occupied belonged to Bazil Neely. 

Immediatelv after the fire, a move was set on foot by the 
citizens of Anderson to organize a stock company, placing Major 
Doxev at the head and tiie Opera House was rebuilt, but on not 
so magnificent a plan as the old one. On the 19th of November, 
1SS5, it was reopened to the public. Miss Hortense Pierse being 
the star upon the occasion of its dedication. 

Major Doxey e\entually purchased the stock of all those 
who so kindly contributed to the rebuilding of the house and 
was at the time of its second burning its sole o^vner. 

The second conflagration which took place March 30, 1898, 
was attributed to carelessness in leaving a gas jet burning which 
was situated near the drapery of the stage and in some manner 
became ignited, and before assistance could be rendered this 
handsome building was again destroyed. 

After this Major Doxey became discouraged in his attempt 
to furnish the Anderson people a play-house and gave up the 
idea. He sold the property to Messrs. A. J. Brunt and Louis 
Loeb who rebuilt it and converted it into a business block. 

Prominent among those who kindly assisted Maj. Doxey 
in rebuilding tiie Opera House were Lafe J. Burr and H. ]. 



352 IIISTOKY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Bronnenberg, who gave the details of its construction their per- 
sonal attention. This building was again destroyed Decem- 
ber 24, I89(). elsewhere noticed. 

BURNING OF THE OLYMPIC THEATRE. 

Probably the most disastrous fire since the " west side 
conflagration '' in 1875, that has \isited Anderson, occurred 
at C) o'clock p. m., March 1st, IS'.lg. 

In addition to being dangerous the fire was a " mean "' 
one to fight, and gave the department a great deal of trouble, 
it being a very difficult matter to either get the blaze under 
control or in any position to fight it. 

It originated a few minutes before (5 o'clock in the rear 
part of the Olympic theatre, which was occupied by the 
Columbia Rifles as an armory. The entire upper portion of 
the building was ruined, several business rooms with their 
stocks, water soaked and smoke stained, and most of the 
arms and equipments of the Columbia Rifles totally destroyed. 

The person who discovered the fire was IMrs. I. O. 
Ilardesty, who had rooms in an adjoining building. Mrs. 
Ilardesty's attention was attracted by the crackling of the 
fire, and on looking out of her window saw the flames burst- 
ing from the window in the opposite building, not three feet 
distant. She started to the street to give an alarm, but in 
the mean time Mr. A. J. Jones, the hardware man. heard the 
falling glass, and looking up from his back door, discov- 
ered the blaze. He sent a still alarm to the fire department. 

The department made a run down Eighth street and 
rounded up in front of the burning building with a hundred 
feet of hose trailing from the end of the hose wagon. The 
hose had been attached to the hydrant, on the corner of 
Eighth and Meridian streets, before the wagon stopped, and 
a nozzle was quickly put on the other end. The line was 
taken up the front stairs and down through the auditorium, 
and in a few seconds the flying sparks and a rising cloud of 
steam showed that the fire was being checked. As soon as 
the line was laid the wagon was driven around to the Seventh 
street hydrant and a second line was taken through the allevs 
and the fire was again attacked from the rear. 

For an hour the department, under the direction of Chief 
Towell, waged a hard and at times a seemingly hopeless fight, 
but by 7 o'clock the fury of the flames was exhausted and 
they were under control. At S o'clock the fire was practically 



HISTOKV OK MADISON COUNTY, IN'DtANA. ;553 

cxtingiiislied and tlic taps •'out" were soumled by tlie chief a 
few minutes later. 

It is supposed the bhize Driginated under the stage of the 
theater. Private Jolm Hopper left the place about 5:45 
o'clock, having first turned all the gas jets down, and, as he 
thougiit, left the place perfectly safe. The theory is that ;t 
gas jet set fire to the window casing, and from there the fire 
spread to the stage above. As soon as it reached the scenery, 
the blaze flashed from the window. The fire, when first 
seen, was curling around the window of the "company room." 

After the tire, the interior of the once pretty theater was 
as perfect a picture of ruin as can be imagined. The ceiling 
had fallen in, and the stars peeped between the charred rafters 
that had upheld the roof. The seats were covered with 
broken plaster and bits of burnt wood, while here and there 
about the stage lay the stock of the barrel of a ritle or ;i 
blackened and bent sword. 

DEST15UCTIOX OF COX'KAD * M,\THEs' WAGON SIIOI'. 

In the spring of 1866, the firm of Conrad & Mathes 
located in Anderson, and started a factory for the manufact- 
ure of farm wagons, the firm being composed of 11. H. Con- 
rad and George Mathes, both of w'hom are yet residents of 
Anderson. Their shops were located on north Main street. 
on the grounds now occupied by the buildings of II. II. Con- 
rad. On the 20th day of June, 1867, their plant was de- 
stroyed by fire, the conflagration being the work of an incen- 
diary. The buildings consisted of the wagon shops, black- 
smith department and paint shops, all of which were devoured 
by the ilames, together with all the wagons on hand and a 
large quantity of paints, oils, spokes, hubs and poles. This 
was the third attempt to destroy this place, the first having 
occurred on the 3d of June, and again on the 7th of the same 
month. No cause could be assigned why any one should 
burn the shops unless it was to keep the firm from occupying 
the grounds which were so near the city and to the business 
portion of the town. It was never ascertained who the guilty 
parties were, although it was stated at the time tliat a man 
seated on a black horse was seen to ride rapidlv down the 
railway tracks towards the "'junction" about five minutes 
after the fire was discovered. lie was heard to say in a low 
and excited tone, that it would go this time. The loss was 

about $1,500 with $1,000 insurance. This factory was after- 
23 



354 msToiiv of madisox couxtv, ixdiana. 

\vard destroyed by fire, H. II. Conrad having become the sole 
proprietor of tlie establislimeiit. 

JOHN ford's rp:ligioi's experience. 

When the old Methodist church stood opposite its present 
site there was a colored gentleman living here by the name of 
John Ford, who came from the South some time after or dur- 
ing the war. He followed white- washing, doing chores, and 
■was for a while assistant se.xton at the church. He made the 
fires, swept the house and did such work as came in his line. 

He was one of those good-natured fellows, full of talk, 
and was always " shooting off" to the white people wiierever 
he met them. He was one of the politest men in America. 
Always tipped his hat if he met you every twenty minutes in 
the day, with "Mornin', Majah ; mornin', sah.'" 

During a spirited revival that was being carried on many 
conversions were being made and people were joining in 
flocks. John got religion among the rest. An experience 
meeting was being held one Sunday night, and the house was 
crowded to suffocation. Every one had something to say as 
to his experience in the religious world. Nearly every one 
would close his talk by asking an interest in the prayers of the 
congregation. 

John was standing away back by the door, leaning, with 
his hands behind him. He became too full to stand it any 
longer — he had to ha^■e vent. Brother Burnett had just con- 
cluded a fervent prayer, and a soul-stirring hymn had been 
sung, when John broke in : 

"My belubed bredren an' frens, Ise a son ob Ham, a chile 
ob de dark continent, as it were. Accordin' to de nature of 
things Ise not permitted to mingle wid de white folks much 
or hab much to say in dere meetin's, but I am done tole you 
Tse gwine to say somethin' for de Lord dis ebenin'. I has to 
say[,somethin', I can't help it. Ise about to splode. My 
bredren, altho de Lord has made my hide as black as de pitch 
on a pine knot, de soul He put widin me is as white as snow. 
Ise found out dat de longer we libs in dis world de mo' wis- 
dum cums into de cocanut." 

At this point John's feet slipped from under him and down 
he caine like a thousand of brick onto the floor, jarring the 
house until the old bell in the cupola rang. The house, of 
course, roared. Even the old deacons and sisters tittered and 
laughed. Jolin got upon his feet and order was about restored 



I1IST015V OF MAIMSOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 355 

when he got in again w ith, "Bredren, I ax an inquest on my 
pra'rs." This started the laughing again, which kept up at 
intervals until church was out. 

From what tiie writer knew of John Ford, he was as true 
a Christian as any one, black or white. He was sincere and 
felt as he said, that though his hide was black his soul within 
^vas as white as snow. 

SM.VSIIED TltE .MUSIC BOX. 

A long while ago it was a custom in .\nderson to have 
serenading parties. There were several good singers among 
the inhabitants at that time, who have since settled down to 
steadv business men. Joseph H. Sharp, the hotel man, is one 
among the number. There was at that time a young Baptist 
preacher here who was unmarried and liked to associate with 
the " boys," as they made it quite pleasant for him. There 
was also an old music teacher iiere by the name of King, who 
was a '• daisv "' and no mistake. He could play a melodeon 
or organ to the Qiieen's taste and was always ready for any- 
thing that was up. One night the party went out hauling 
a melodeon in a spring wagon. They took in the town, going 
to tlie homes of all prominent citizens. It was the custom in 
those days to set out wine or some palatable beverage to 
serenading parties, and the party partook fieely of the flowing 
bowl on this occasion. By the time they got around they 
were comfortably " full." Then they started back to replace 
the instrument in King's room. King was so glorious that 
he was past being anv help in taking the instrument up- 
stairs. Sharp was in front going up, the preacher bringing 
up the rear. They tugged and pulled at it as best they could 
in their condition until they had the melodeon about half way 
up the stairway when Sharp made a misstep and down the 
music box and all came with a mighty crash. It tumbled 
over tiie preacher, rolling down to the foot of the stairs, 
nearly killing the whole party and smashing the melodeon 
imtil it was completelv ruined, where it was left on the side- 
w.ilk until morning. The mishap leaked out among the con- 
gregation and the preacher was soon called to other fields, 
where it is to be hoped he is doing a good work among the 
faithful, and serenading parties are not in vogue. 

THE FIRST HEARSE BKOIGHT TO .\NDEUSON. 

Looking out upon a funeral procession passing by, the 
streets lined with lodge men, brass bands, long strings of car- 



856 HISTORY OK MADISON COi:XTY, INDIANA. 

riages and an immense hearse, black as ebony, with plate- 
glass sides, drawn by two elegantly matched black horses, 
covered with heavy drapery of net work almost dragging the 
ground, with large plumes on their heads, caused the writer 
to turn back in memorv to the long ago, and compare the 
simplicity of by-gone days to the gaudy splendor of to-day. 
It also caused him to investigate the matter as to who brought 
the first hearse to Anderson, and compare it with those ot 
the present time. 

Upon calling on several of the old fellows sitting on the 
store boxes around the square, who have spent their fifty 
years in Anderson, it was learned that A. A. Siddall, com- 
monly known in his life time as "Ab" Siddall, brought to 
Anderson the first hearse. This statement is agreed to by a 
majority of tiie old-timers now living. Mr. Siddall and iiis 
father, Atticus Siddall, were the first undertakers proper in 
Anderson. Tlieir place of business was at the corner of 
East Main street and Central avenue, wliich was then the 
business center of Anderson. On the opposite corner was the 
"tavern,'" the only place of public entertainment. 

This was in the '40s, between 1840 and 1845. The 
hearse, rude as it was, had its time and served its purpose. 
It was rather on the order of a spring wagon, witli l)ox- 
covered body, without glass in the sides, and more like what 
is now used as a "dead" wagon by all undertakers. Tiiis old 
hearse was used by the firm for several years, finally giving 
way to one of more modern pattern. After it was abandoned 
as a hearse, John Sabin procured the body of it and used it 
for a peddling wagon, wiiile tlie "running gears'" were used 
for a beer wagon. George Ilugiiel, Wesley Dunham and 
many other old settlers remembered this hearse, and in talking 
of it, compared it alike with the diflerence in the way people 
die and are buried now and fifty vears ago. 

In those days, when a man got sick unto death, no hired 
nurse nor lodge brothers stood around his coucli. but the hardy- 
pioneer neighbor dropped his work, went to tiie bedside, and 
watched until the last moment came. Then no cloth suit 
wrapped his form in preparation for burial, but a simple white 
muslin shroud was placed upon him. He was encased in a 
plain wooden coffin, without silver handles or covering, and 
with the assistance of friends and relatives the body was sol- 
emnly and quietly consigned to the tomb to await the final 
resurrection. No pomp, no splendor, no brass band preceded 



llIsrOKV Ol' MADISON' COIT.VIY, INDIANA. 357 

the procession. The tcurs shed at the burial were tears of real 
sorrow. 

Those old fellows long ago gone before, buried in the plain 
simplicity of pioneer daj's will, no doubt, shine as brig.htly 
when called by Gabriel's trumpet, as those laid away with all 
the splendor ol to-day. JVIany of them have no monuments to 
mark their last resting place, and their graves have long since 
been obliterated by the ravages of time. But when the time 
comes for the swinging open of the golden gates, they'll be 
there. 

" Ab ' Siddall, after going out of the undertaking business, 
became a druggist and latei' on a dry goods merchant, which 
business he followed until he died. He was fond of a horse 
and always kept a good one. One day he brought his hor.se up 
town and hitched him across the street iri front of the store. 
On going home in the evening he noticed a horse tied up. It 
was raining and cold. " Ab '" hunted up the marshal and in- 
formed him that some inhuman brute had tied his horse out in 
the cold rain, and that the animal ought to be taken care of. The 
marshal went and took the horse to the livery stable, where he 
liad him cared for. In the morning, " Ab " went to the stable 
to feed his horse, when lo I the horse was gone. It just then 
dawned upon iiim that he had the day before hitched his horse 
up town and forgot all about it. He sneaked up to hunt the 
marshal, got his horse out of the livery stable, and paid the 
bill, making the boys promise to say nothing about it. It 
leaked out some way and he never heard the last of it. 

loIlN M. nAHIN, .\ MAN OF MANY PECl'LI A RITIES. 

lohn M. Sabin was a familiar figure upon tlie streets of 
Anderson for many years. He was well known to all classes 
of people, irrespective of their politics or religion, as he was 
one of those kind of men whose general make up admit them 
to all classes of society. 

In the Anderson Democrat, of December :22, 188:2, a fine 
tribute is paid to Mr. Sabin by an old friend and admirer to 
which we give place as follows : " The subject of this sketch 
was born in Clinton county, Ohio, near the town of Wilming- 
ton, on the Kjth of January, 1832, and died at his home in 
Anderson, December 16, 1882, at the age of fifty years. He 
was the son of Doctor .Sabin. a man distinguished for his 
learning, enterprise and generosity. John M. Sabin received 
a common-school education, and early in life learned the sad- 



358 HISTORY OF MADISOX COLNTV, INDIANA. 

dlei y and harness-making trade. At the age of sixteen years 
he enHsted as a volunteer for the Mexican war, but never got 
farther south than the city of New Orleans. In 1850. he 
came to Indiana, and settled in Greensburg where he remained 
until 1854. Here he became imbued with those studious 
habits for which he was noted. He was distinguished for his 
ready wit, and keen satire. He was also a prominent mem- 
ber of a literary or dramatic society which ranked first in the 
State. Many of its members have become distinguished in 
literature, and in State and National politics. He came to 
Anderson in 1855, which he made his home almost continu- 
ously until the day of his death. He served acceptably four 
years as Justice of the Peace. In 1857 he was married to Miss 
Eliza Jackson, daughter of the Hon. Andrew Jackson, of 
Anderson, by whom he had one son and two estimable daugh- 
ters, who survive him. 

■' In speaking of John M. Sabin, the writer is fully aware 
that his life was not altogether blameless. No one ever spoke 
unkindly of him who was his intellectual peer. He was a 
man of very much more than ordinary intellectuality, with a 
vast amount of general information, and was quite conversant 
with many standard works of history and fiction. He pos- 
sessed a marvelous and accurate memory, and a fair amount 
of language, with a kind and generous nature. He was a 
genial companion and a devoted friend, and naturally endowed 
with the instincts of a gentleman. His associates were the 
best in the community. He rarely indulged in profanity or 
vulgarity. In his days of prosperity, many partook of his 
hospitality and liberality who have since traduced him. 
Whatever his faults and shortcomings maj' have been, he had 
none of the sin of ingratitude. He never forgot a kind act 
or word. For several years his bodily sufferings had been 
such that he should have had sympathy, and many who with- 
held a kind word while he lived were the most fulsome in 
his praise after he was dead and beyond their reach or need 
for any of their sympathy."' 

In addition to what the above writer has stated, we wish 
to add that while Mr. Sabin had his faults like other men, his 
-sympathetic nature, genial disposition and keen sense of 
humor brought about him associations that might be envied 
by men holding a much higher station in life than he. Mr. 
Sabin, besides many other peculiarities, was a very sensitive 
man. If he should happen to be standing and talking with a 



IllSrOm ()!■ MADIS^ON COUNTV, INDIANA. 859 

partv of gentlemen, and a friend shoultl join the circle and 
ask any of the party for a chew of tobacco, and not ask him, 
he would feel that he had been slighted. On one occasion 
while in the act of conversing with some friends, a gentleman 
approached all the members of the party e.xcept Mr. Sabin 
and re<|uested change for a five-dollar bill, which none of 
them had. A few days after this the gentleman who desired 
to have the note changed was met upon the street by Mr. 
Sabin who asked him why he had offered him an insult on 
that occasion. The gentleman was very much surprised and 
requested him to state what he meant. Sabin replied that lie 
had asked every other gentleman in the crowd but himself to 
change his bill, and that while he might not have had the 
money to make the change, common courtesy would have 
dictated that he also should have been asked, as there was a 
stranger or two in the crowd who did not know whether lie 
(Sabin) was worth one dollar or a million. 

lie was full of dry wit and sarcasm ; they both oo/.ed out 
of him when he was sitting around. lie made a race tor the 
nomination for mayor of Anderson, at the same time Nathaniel 
Garrish ran for marshal. Sometime afterward Sabin and 
Garrish got into a quarrel. Several flings were made at each 
other, when Sabin said to Garrish, "If I would ever run 
for ottice in this city, and not get more votes than you did for 
marshal last spring, I would leave the place."' 

An examination of the poll books showed that Garrish 
got six votes and Sabin seven. Sabin and Buff Dehority 
planned the organization of the first street railroad enterprise 
for Anderson, in 18<)6. They intended to put a line around 
the public square, then from the Pan-handle to the Bee Line 
depot. The Bee Line then liad its station out at the Ohio 
avenue crossing. After much talk and bluster, the scheme 
fell through. Some of Sabin's friends asked him why it was 
not a go. 

'• Well," said he, "the main reason was that we had not 
sufficient means. We bought the iron on credit, but could 
not raise the money to ferry it over the river at Louisville." 

This was one among many other schemes of Mr. Sabin's. 
Many men have lived in Anderson, but few better-hearted men 
ever did. lie was true to a friend, and a favor bestowed upon 
him in his adverse days, was always remembered ; though 
perhaps unable to repay it, it was always on his mind. It any- 
one did him a wrong, it was as deeply felt and as long remem- 



361) 



HISTOR'^' Ol' MADISON COINIV, INDIANA. 



beied. Peace to tlie ashes of Jolin Sabin, and may kind 
friends see that his grave is kept green. 

JOSEPH MIX, "the seek OF WHITE UIVEK." 

Joseph Mix is one of the characters of Anderson town- 
ship, having lived here for nearly fifty years. 

To meet him on the street one would consider him noth- 
ing more than an ordinary individual, as there is nothing out- 
side of the ordinary- that impresses the passer by with his 
appearance, yet his fame is spread all over this country as a 




JOSI'.PH MIX, THE "SKKk" OF WTIITK KHTCK. 

%vonderful ''seer." He was born in (>iii() in the year 1824, 
and is now about the age of 72 years. He moved with his 
father to Madison county when he was quite a small lad, and 
settled in the northern part of Lafayette township, near where 
the village of Linwood now stands. 

In the year 1851, the fatiier of Joseph Mix was found 
<lead near the root of a large tree, having been on a spree, and 
in trying to find his way home, had lost his bearings. The 
weather being very cold he was frozen to death. 

In the year 18(31, Joseph Mix was married to a Mi.ss 



IIlSTOK'i ()!■ MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 361 

FitVr, :mil in a little while thereafter, removed to the place 
where lie now resides in \orth Anderson. He soon became 
acquainted with Dr. John W. Westerneld, and through his 
influence conceived a great interest in spiritualism. He first 
entertained the idea of meiliumistic power, and its benign 
iiilhience, but soon discovered the fact that his clairvoyant 
powers enabled him to see things hidden from the vision of 
other mortals, and he developeil into a full-fledged fortune- 
teller. 

It is not for the rest of the human race to know how this 
peculiar endowment comes about, or why the author of our 
being has denied to us what he has been pleased to furnish to 
Jo.seph Mix, unless it be that it is necessary to keep some 
things from the wise and reveal them to the weak. Be this 
as it may, manv wonderful discoveries were made through the 
vision of this seer, propertv located, and lovers made misera- 
ble or happv, which ser\ ed to maintain Mr. Mix's reputation 
as a seer. 

Mr. Mix is really ignorant of anvthing like books, as he 
can neither read nor write, and to this fact he attributes the 
failures he has made in his line. Mr. Mix in his old age has 
nearly lost his miiul which has destroyed his usefulness as a 
seer and has placed him almost upon the \ erge of poverty, as 
he had but little means laid by for a cold day from his earn- 
ings in a younger and more useful life. Only a short time 
since a guardian was appointed for him in the Madison circuit 
court in the person of Floyd S. Ellison, wiio is chargeable 
with taking care of his person and property. 

Among the many strange things that Mix lias performed 
as a seer or fortune teller, one instance comes to mind in 
which in the year 1877, John Await, who was then a jeweler 
in the citv of Anderson, lost a valuable horse, one that he had 
purchased for his wife's special use, and which was prized 
verv highly. One morning the horse was missing from the 
stable, and was gone for quite a while. A diligent search 
was made by Mr. Await. The city marshal and others in the 
immedate \ icinity of Anderson assisted him, but their unitetl 
ell'orts were not successfid in locating the animal. 

Mrs. Await had often iieard of the wonderful powers saiil 
to be po.ssessed by Mr. Mix, and without the knowledge of 
her husband, in companv witii a ladv friend, went to the Mix 
resilience, and related the circumstance of the st<ilen horse. 
After going into some kind of a trance and manipulating 



362 HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

himself in various ways, Mix described the horse and the lo- 
cality ^vhere he would be found — near Rochester, Indiana. 
Mrs. Await returned to the city and imparted the information 
to her husband who at tirst made light of it, but afterwards 
concluded that as the investigation would cost but little, he 
would follow Mix"s advice. Mr. Await set out for Rochester, 
and employed assistance. In a few days the horse was found 
in the locality described. 

Anotiier instance : ]\Irs. J. L. Forkner lost a gold watch 
and chain which she \alued very highly, ha\ing been a pres- 
ent to her. After exiiausting all means known to iier, to re- 
cover her lost property, she, as a last resort, went to see 
Joseph Mix. lie told her that on a particular day in a large 
crowd, she was in the act of stepping across a gutter in the 
street when a man clipped tiie chain and took the watch from 
her person. He informed her that on a certain liay witliin 
two weeks a black-eyed man would visit iier husband and pro- 
pose to return the stolen property for a consideration, pro- 
vided no questions would be asked as to w here it iiad been ; 
that it was in a distant town and that it would take several 
days to procure it, and that the property when returned should 
be hrougiit back through the hands of Amos Coburn, who 
was then the City Marshal. 

But little confidence was placed in this story, but it so 
happened that on or about the day that Mix had predicted, a 
man filling the description given by him, and who is at this 
\vriting a resident of Anderson, came and proposed to return 
the watch through the channels above described, wiiicli was 
eventually done, and !Mrs. Forkner now has the watch and 
ciiain in her possession. 

It transpired that the watch had been taken from her on 
the occasion of Hi Henrys minstrels making a parade through 
the streets of Anderson. The watch was taken from her in 
the manner described. 

Anotiier instance : A woman from the .State of Kansas 
came to ascertain the whereabouts of her husband, who had 
deserted her several years previouslj-. ]Mr. Mix described her 
lost husband and told her that he was at a certain town in tlie 
State of Kentucky, and was married to another woman. The 
wife immediately set out for that locality, where she found 
her husband living with the woman described. 

Numerous other instances of this wonderful faculty of 
Mr. Mix might be cited, but it is unnecessary to take up the 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 363 

time of the reader. Suttice it to say tliat Mi.x, the seer of 
White river, is known throughout Indiana, southern Illinois, 
Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, .South Carolina, and in 
nearly every State in the Union. From all sections of the 
country people have come to him to locate lost or stolen prop- 
erty, and have had their property returned to them in scores 
of cases. He has not only located the treasures in his catalep- 
tic state, but has told the names of parties of whom he had 
never heard, who were, it is claimed, the thieves that had 
stolen the goods. In this manner Mr. Mi.x had accumulated 
quite a respectable sum of money. It was rumored that there 
was a large sum buried by him about his premises, but this is 
not believed by the writer, or by any considerable portion of 
the people among whom he has lived. Whether or not Mr. 
Mix is really endowed with the wonderful powers claimed, 
there is no question but that he has done many wonderful 
things, and that a great many people have unbounded confi- 
dence in his ability in these respects. 

Since writing the above Mr. Mix has passed beyond the 
dark river, and is now mingling with the pioneers gone be- 
fore, he having died on the 12th of July, 1896. 

JOIIX W. PENCE. 

Among the many old-timers in Madison county, there is 
none more worthy of special mention than John W. Pence, 
the present aflable and genteel cashier of the Citizens' bank. 
John is the personification of independence. While he has all 
due respect for the opinions of others and is always read}- to 
give audience to any one who wishes to converse with him on 
any subject, and is able to cope with any one in argument upon 
any question that comes up, he doesn't care a fig for what peo- 
ple think of his ideas or expressions upon any topic, and there 
are no topics of importance upon which he has not an opinion. 
His opinions are honest ones, made up after mature delibera- 
tion, and when expressed and squarely spoken, as you might 
say, " the word with the bark on," none ever get angry with 
him, though he often comes to the point in very emphatic 
terms. While he is always obedient to those over him in any 
position he may be called to fill, no power, be he prince or 
potentate, can trample on him. He will assert himself at all 
times and on all occasions. 

He was for many years agent for the Bee Line railway at 
this place and was for a long while stationed at the crossing of 



864 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



the Pan Handle and Bee Line, on the east end of Ohio avenue, 
when that was the principal railway station in Anderson. He 
had charge of all the departments — freight as well as passenger 
traffic. One time he was giving personal attention to the 
switching and changing of some freight cars from one track to 
another, when b)' some means a freight train was thrown from 
the track and several cars damaged and banged up to a con- 
siderable extent. John did not like to be discharged from the 
service of the road, but realized that his name was " Dennis," 



^^^^^^R^^ 


^ 


fc^ 




m 


^ 


^B^^B 


F 


-J 








lu- _^SL. 




..V - KS 



JOHN W. PENCE. 

so lie never took time to look after the matter any further, or to 
give himself any concern, but immediately leaped from the top 
of a box car, telegraphed in his resignation and at once consid- 
ered himself a private citizen. He sauntered back to the depot, 
where he unexpectedly ran across the superintendent of the 
road, who was on the rear end of the freight train \vhen it col- 
lided, but the fact was not known to Pence. The superin- 
tendent tackled Pence for an explanation of the matter. 

"No explanation about it; my resignation has already 
gone into headquarters." 



IIISTOTJV OF MADISON LOU NT V , IX 111 A N A. iJSo 

The suporintondent loisiirelv walked around tlie wreck 
and took in the situation, but saiti nothing to Pence further 
about it. When the superintendent got to Indianapolis, he 
wired Pence that his resignation was not accepted. This was 
the last ever heard of the matter, and Pence continued in the 
service of the road many years thereafter. He was agent for 
the Bee I.ine wiien Justinian Walters robbed the ticket office 
and was convicted and started over the road to the •• pen" in 
custodv of Sheriff Ross, but made his escape near Walkerton 
by jumping from the train into the midst of a tamarack swamp, 
never being recaptured and is still at large, if living. 

John Pence has .seen more of the world than any other 
man in this locality and has a large store of general informa- 
tion. He is not fond of displaying what he knows, but if you 
flash something upon him that is not exactly correct, he will 
call you down, and in nearly every instance his ideas are cor- 
rect and borne out by some standard authoritv. He has trav- 
eled extensively in this and foreign countries, and singular to 
say, with all he has seen and knows about his travels, he rarelv 
ever alludes to the matter unless asked about it. 

Awav back before railroads tra\ersed the golden shores 
of the Pacific ocean, when to go to California was much more 
of a task than a tour around the world would now be, John 
went to California. His trip to California included a tour of 
the wild West. He was at Virginia City, Nevada, when it 
was a mining camp, and was then supposed to be one of the 
richest in the world and excitement lan high and real estate 
went cra/.v. At that time a " Californian "" was as great a 
sight to behold as Barnum's tattooed man or his bearded 
woman. Who has not sung that melodious old song the " Dv- 
ing Californian :"" 

One of the mistakes of John Pence's life is that he does 
not write and publish his travels, trials and tribulations, and 
leave them behind him when he is dead and gone. Pence was 
not born in Madison county, but was so nearly reared in the 
county that he looks upon it as iiis native land. 

The Pence family came here from Frankfort, Clinton 
county, away back in the early fifties, when John was a mere- 
lad. Dan Mustard was then a boy, younger several years 
than Pence. He says that when he spied John first upon his 
arrival from the wilds of Clinton county, he was somewiiat of 
a curiosity in the homespun make-up he had on, consisting of 



30() JIISTORV OF MADISOX COUXTV. INDIAXA. 

lin.sey breeches, home-made straw hat and bhie checkered 
shirt. 

But Pence was not long in Anderson before he asserted 
himself and placed himself upon a foundation as solid as the 
•• Rock of Ages," where he has ever since done business and 
trom whence he lias sent out all business dispatches. While 
John Pence is by no means a wit, nor does he make any pre- 
tentions in that direction, yet in his waj' he is funny. 

The man who sits in a room in a circle of friends with 
John as the center of attraction, as he of course would be, if 
he did not laugh at Pence before the group was broken up, 
would certainly have no laugh in him. In his style of con- 
versation and his wav of answering inquiries he is always 
sure to say something to bring down the house, although he 
does not mean to be funnv. He has been the butt of many 
good stories ; some, of course, are true, and no doubt many 
are the offsprings of imagination. He has a genteel way of 
swearing that is not profane, and, to tell the truth, adds to his 
conversational powers in a wav that is not unbecoming. In 
other words, it just fits iiim, and no one can take offense. 

It is said that one time a partv of young folks iiad con- 
gregated at the Pence residence, on the corner of Thirteenth 
and Brown streets, to go through some literary e.xercises. 
Among the guests was the Presbyterian preacher, whom John 
was entertaining in conversation while the young folks were 
having a time in the adjoining room. A lady with soft, light 
step glided up behind Pence's chair and laid her angelic hand 
upon his shoulder. 

" Mr. Pence, do you care if we dance?" 
"No, I don't care a d — n what you do if you don't tear 
down the house.'" 

Never breaking the thread of conversation with the 
preacher. In fact, he nor the preacher was conscious that he 
swore, but oh, my, it shocked the angel behind the chair; she 
nearly fainted. 

Pence, besides having traveled all over this country, has 
also done Europe and Me.xico in a style it is seldom done 
by one of the common people. Several years ago he sailed 
for Europe, where he remained for one year, and if you 
think he didn't see it. 30U are mistaken. He took in every- 
thing, from licking the Blarney stone in " Ould " Ireland, 
to standing upon the ruins of Pompeii. The Holy Land, 
Paris, London, and all the sights in London, were done 



HISTORY l)K .MADISON CDUNTV, INDIANA. 307 

in his ineanderings thiou<jii t()rfi<(n laiuls. Pence never 
wears a necktie, it is too much trouble to taite it off, adjust it, 
anil put it on. The only time in his life wlien lie ever ap- 
peared in a real necktie was in Monaco. lie through curiosity 
visited a f^aml)ling house there that is the finest in the world. 
On coming to the entrance with a card of admission, which 
he handed to the gentleman at the iloor, it was taken and 
carefully read, and handed back to him in the politest manner 
in the world, with " Yes, sir, you will be admitteil, but you have 
no cravat on." 

" I ain't got any." 

'■ Well you must get one, no one ;idmitted here unless lie 
lui^ on a tie." 

Pence, of course, provided iiimself with a necktie, which 
he wore on that occasion, but has laid it aside since returning 
to the land of the stars and stripes. He appeared before not- 
ables of all grades and titles during iiis stay across the 
Atlantic, but in a gambling house was the only place his attire 
was challenged. 

A story is told of John when he w-as in Washington, 
D. C, getting his passports and letter, preparatory to leaving 
for his European trip. It is said he was in a group of prom- 
inent gentlemen, congressmen, senators, judges and depart- 
ment people, discussing his departure and the prospects of a 
pleasant time. 

There was a congressman in the partv who was a 
preacher. He at a proper point broke in : 

" I suppose Mr. Pence, you will visit the Holy Land on 
your trip ?" "Oh h — 1 yes. I wouldn't miss tiiat." The 
part}" smiled a loud smile, but Pence didn't notice it, and felt 
just as good as if he had expressed himself in some other way; 
he said just what he meant and put the proper stress on it to 
emiiliasize his meaning. John Pence may be summed up as a 
man with a big head full of good, hard sense; a noble heart 
full of good feeling forhis friends, and a man full of glittering 
eccentricities. A man who is as readv to applaud the right as 
he is to denounce the wrong. He has held many places of 
honor and trust, and in all liis dealings in public as well as in 
private positions, not a single cent has ever gone astray. 

He was postmaster at Anderson under Cleveland, and 
held over for nearly a year under Harrison, when he resigned 
tiie place, not by invitation from the administration but as a 
matter of choice. 



CHAPTER XI.W 
Reminiscences and Personal Sketches. 



A HEUO of the KATTLE ok KICH.MONl). KKNTICKV. 

Robert Titherington is an old-timer in all that the word 
implies. He has been here through all of the iips and downs 
of Anderson. He has associated with all classes of men. 
Was one of the warmest friends and admirers of the late Col. 
T. N. Stilwell in his lifetime. It is quite a treat to take a 
leisure hour and listen to " Daddy ," as he is familiarly called, 
recite some of the lights and shadows of his career in An- 
derson. 

He enlisted in the army for the defense of the old flag he 
so dearly loves, was out a few days in the field witli his com- 
pany, and was hastened to the front of the enemy at Rich- 
mond, Ky. "They fought well but fell early." They were 
unmercifully " licked" in less than no time. The company was 
ordered to retreat and they made haste to obey orders. When 
Daddy got to retreating he never stopped till he reached An- 
derson. It was said that he beat the telegraphic news home. 
The first the Andersoji people knew that a battle had been 
fought was when he came to town. His company never had 
his presence thereafter. He immediately resigned. One drub- 
bing was all he wanted. 

One of the closest calls Robert ever had wa> when C. T. 
Doxey's heading factory blew up in 1870. He was boarding 
in a house that stood right up against the head of the boiler. 
The boiler jumped out of its bed and shot through tiie house 
like a cannon ball. There were six persons in the building, 
all in one room, when the boiler passed through, not one of 
whom was even scratched. The house was a total wreck. A 
pet coon was tied outside which was never seen or heard tell 
of again. Robert flew up town as soon as he recovered from 
the shock. Being met by some friends, he was asked what he 
thought had happened when the boiler went through the 
house. He said he thought " hell was up." 

There is not a resident of Madison county who has lived 
here for any length of time who does not know the subject of 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



369" 



this sketch. His business career and his years of practice of 
his profession, that of a doctor of medicine, endeared him 
to many of the households of the community ; besides, he was 
in his younger days a leading politician, and was honored by 
the people by being selected as school commissioner, a highly 
responsible place, being charged with the sale and accounting 
for, of a vast area of Madison county's domain, designated as 
"school lands," the same having been set apart by Congress 
for the purpose of creating a common-school fund for the edu- 




cation of the vouth of the State. Every sixteenth section of 
land in each county was set apart for this purpose, and a com- 
missioner was elected to sell and convey the same to the pur- 
chasers, and to have charge of the collection and accounting 
for of the proceeds thereof. This duty Dr. Westerfield filled 

to the entire satisfaction of the people, who demonstrated 
24 



370 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

their appreciation by electing him to the office of county 
auditor, which place he filled for four years. 

The Doctor was born in Preble county, Ohio, June 1, 
1816, the year in which Indiana was admitted into the Union, 
being of German parentage. At the age of twelve years he came 
to this State, where he remained until his death, which 
occurred on the 29th of September, 1895. He was united in 
marriage to Miss Mary E. Bussell, of Rush county, on the 
17th of March, 1842, who yet survives him, and lives at the 
old home on North Main street, in Anderson. 

As stated in another part of this volume, Dr. Westerfield 
was the first druggist in Anderson, and had his store at the 
■corner of Eighth and Main streets. 

In his early life he was a prominent member of the Meth- 
•odist Episcopal Church, but about the year 1850 he and Mrs. 
Westerfield began the investigation of Spiritualism, and be 
came devoted believers in that doctrine, and ever after lived 
in that belief, and the Doctor died firm in the faith. 

Dr. Westerfield was the president of the State Associa- 
tion of vSpiritualists at the time of his death, having served 
•continuously in that capacity from the time of the organiza- 
tion of the society. 

He and his estimable wife were fondly alluded to as the 
father and mother of Spiritualism in Indiana by the members 
of the association. Much of the wonderful growth of the be- 
lief and the success of this organization was due to the eft'orts 
of these two worthy people. 

Although Dr. Westerfield had many neighbors and ac- 
quaintances who bitterly opposed his belief, there was never 
one who uttered a word against his sincerity or doubted his 
honor in anywise. His word was as good as gold, and his 
integrity as pure and as unsullied as the mountain snow. 

CAPTAIN ETHAN M. ALLEN. 

Captain Ethan M. Allen was a born gentleman. It was 
as natural for him to be polite as it was for a duck to swim. 
In all his intercourse with his fellow-men he never forgot to be 
suave in his manners; even if he quarrelled with a brother or 
had an altercation with any person whosoever, if it became 
necessary to hurl epithets, it was done in the choicest language, 
and with the utmost politeness. He will be remembered by 
all the older residents of the county. He was born on the 
26th of August, 1837, and died on the first day of August, 1879, 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 371 

at the age of 41 years. He was the only son of William B. 
Allen, ex-sheriff of the county. He attended the common 
schools in Anderson township, and became very proficient in 
the studies of that day, and later in life he became a great 
reader, informing himself upon all leading topics. He was a 
fine conversationalist, and it was a great treat to listen to him. 

In 1860 he entered the law office of Hon. R. N. Williams, 
and began the study of law, but when the war broke out in 
the following year, he was among the first to enlist. He en- 
tered the service for three years as First Lieutenant of Com- 
pany G, of the 17th Indiana Regiment, and served through the 
campaigns of that organization, especially in Kentucky, West 
Virginia and Tennessee. In 1862 he was promoted to the 
Captaincy of his company. His record as a soldier was above 
reproach. He was generally esteemed by all his comrades. 

In 1863 he was detailed by Governor Morton as Provost- 
Marshal of this district, which position he retained until 1865, 
rendering efficient and valuable service. 

In 1865, his time having expired, he returned to his home, 
and in the following year he was a candidate for township 
trustee against B. B. Campbell, the Democratic nominee, and 
although the township was largely in favor of the Democracy, 
his opponent carried the day with but few votes to spare. 

In 18(57 he purchased the Ross House, then the leading 
hotel of the city, ^vhich stood on the corner of Tenth and 
Main streets. He kept this elegant hostelry for several years, 
and then disposed of it to Mr. George R. Griffith, now de- 
ceased. 

He was a lover of the beautiful in nature, poetry, music, 
and the fine arts, with a soul exuberant witli wit and gener- 
ous impulses. In his friendships he was sincere and affection- 
ate ; to his enemies, who were few, he was conciliatory and 
forgiving. He was an uncompromising Republican, and 
never failed to defend the doctrines of his party whenever oc- 
casion required it. His wife, who survives him, was a daugh- 
ter of tlie late Seth Smith, at one time a prominent personage 
in Anderson, and the father of Thomas E. Smith. 

During Captain Allen's incumbency of the Provost 
Marshal's office, he had a serious adventure in Anderson on 
the 4th of July, 1862, in the attempt to capture and place 
imder arrest one Jonathan Benefiel, who had deserted from 
the army. The Democracy of the county on that day had a 
3arge gathering and celebration, in what is now called Rud- 



372 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

die's grove. Benefiel was in attendance. The meeting was 
addressed by the Hon. James VV. Sansberry, a leading politi- 
cian of the day. Captain Allen, who had been on the lookout 
for him, spied him, and undertook to place him under arrest. 
Benefiel was a very powerful man, and fought his way to 
liberty through the crowd, many of whom had responded to 
Allen's demands for assistance. 

Benefiel made his escape and was for a long time a 
fugitive, but was afterward arrested and returned to his com- 
mand, court-martialed and sentenced for a term to Ship Island, 
where he died. 

In justice to Mr. Benefiel and his friends, we state, from 
what we can learn about this aflair, that his leaving his com- 
mand was not from any disloyalty, or lack of true patriotism, 
but was the result of a disappointment in getting a place 
promised him when he enlisted. It is claimed that as an in- 
ducement to get him to volunteer, he was to be wagon- 
master of the regiment, and after being sworn in it was denied 
him. This so enraged him that he swore he would suff'er 
death rather than the humiliation of being reduced to the 
ranks, which he fully carried out. Mr. Benefiel has many 
friends living in this county. Captain Allen's widow and her 
excellent and interesting family yet reside in Anderson. 

WILLI.\M CONNER, AN OLD-TIMER. 

William Conner was an old-timer, of whom worthy men- 
tion must be made. He for many years lived down on White 
river, on the Perkinsville road, in an unpretentious house made 
of hewn logs, wheire he and his family lived as happily as man 
ever lives in this world. 

Over the door of the entrance to the house were two little 
wooden forks, made Irom the limbs of a small dog-wood bush, 
in which was carefully laid an old-fashioned'' long-range " rifle ; 
to it v^'as also added a calf-skin pouch and a large cock-spur 
gun charger. These implements were not kept by W^illiam 
for offense or defense, but merely for the pleasure they offered 
him in hunting and trapping quail, squirrels, deer and other 
game. He was a crack shot and a "• dandy "' at a shooting- 
match. . No man ever entered the cabin of William Conner 
who did not meet a hearty welcome and the warm hospitality 
of his generous heart. He had not an enemy in the wide 
world. A Saturday never passed during his long residence in 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 873 

this county that he did not visit Anderson, unless he was sick 
and unable to come. 

He was nearly six and a half feet tall and commanded the 
attention of every one as he leisurely stalked through the 
streets, ^vith his linsey hunting jacket on, shot pouch around 
his shoulders and his old-time ritle across his back. He always 
brought his rifle, for it was nearly an every Saturday occur- 
rence to have a shooting-match in Anderson, and AVilliam was 
always " in it." 

For many years he followed trapping along the river, 
which occupation, together with tilling a small farm, made 
him quite a good living. He and the Robinetts, Benefiels 
and Hoziers were great old chums and had their good times 
together. Conner was a' relative — perhaps a nephew — of 
John Conner, who, together with Col. Berry's father, laid out 
the village of Andersontown ; they were the oldest families 
connected with the history of this city; all of the south-west 
part of the old limits of the city stands on the grounds owned 
by John Conner. It has not been long since a suit was com- 
menced and maintained against the heirs of John Conner to 
quiet title to all of the lots laid out in the lands owned by him. 
The suit included certain grounds the county of Madison 
owns, and a large number of city lots owned by private 
parties. Edwin P. Schlater conducted the suit to a successful 
termination. 

William Conner was an old hickory- Jackson Democrat. 
He was so built and constructed — he could not be otherwise. 
He never failed to attend all Democratic rallies, and to go to 
the polls on election day. 

In 1868, the campaign was the hottest ever experienced 
in this county. The Democrats had the finest organization 
they ever had in the history of Madison county politics. B. B. 
Campbell, and A. H. Hellwig, his business partner in mer- 
chant tailoring, were the leading spirits in the organization of 
the Democratic hosts that year. Along towards the winding 
up of the campaign, a grand rally was held at Indianapolis. 
A prize was offered to the largest uniformed. company present. 
Madison county, of course, competed. Campbell and Hell- 
wig scoured the country for recruits, which resulted in their 
leaving the Bee Line depot with one thousand men in line, 
attended with brass and martial music. The men were uni- 
formed in blue jackets and red zouave pants made of ilannel. 
On the morning of their starting to the State capital, William 



374 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Conner came to town and was at the depot to see the boys 
off. Hellwig noticed him there and tackled him to go. 

" I've got no uniform," says William. 

Hellwig looked at his watch and ascertained that the traiii 
was late. 

" Come up to the store and Til make you a pair of 
' breeches ' before the train comes." 

Off they went. Hellwig downed him on the table, 
marked around him with a piece of chalk, cut out the flannel 
and sewed it up on a sewing machine, and in less than twenty 
minutes William was rigged out in red flannel " pants." 
They were about six inches too short for him, and he had no 
socks on, ^vhich made him present rather a funny appearance, 
but Hellwig was after the prize and it mattered not to him as 
to looks. William was duly mustered in and on to India- 
napolis he went. While there, it rained and turned cold. 
William was a sorr^^ looking spectacle, with nothing but his 
flannel " pants " between him and the elements, no socks and 
wet as a rat. The chilly winds turned him blue from the tip 
of his nose to the ends of his toes. He never missed a step 
nor lurked in the march, but kept right in line with the 
tramp, tramp, tramp of the martial music in front of the pro- 
cession. The company came home with the prize and 
William was as proud of it as any man in the county. It 
\vas his nature to do his duty, regardless of wind or ^veathe^. 
Hellwig, no doubt, takes a quiet laugh to himself many a time 
about making those '" pants " for Conner. The written history 
of that wonderful campaign with all its accidents and inci- 
dents would make a readable book. 

WILLIAM WAGONER. 

William Wagoner, who died in Anderson in the month 
of April, 188G, was one of the wealthy business men of the 
city and was conspicuous among his associates in more ways 
than one. He came to Anderson in 1858 and engaged in the 
manufacture of grain cradles, which he made wholly by hand. 
In 1862 he discontinued this business and engaged in the gro- 
cery trade, in connection with the O'Hara Bros., on North 
Main street, until he formed a partnership with Thomas C. 
Fisher and again entered upon the business of manufacturing 
grain cradles. Their place of business was in the basement 
of the old post office building, which stood on the corner of 
Eighth and Meridian streets, where the "Star Dry Goods" 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 375 

store now is situated. Here, under the firm name of Wagoner 
& Fisher, was carried on the business for several years, the 
total product of the factory being made by hand. About the 
year 1872, Wagoner & Fisher, having so thoroughly estab- 
lished themselves in the grain cradle market that, unable to 
meet the increasing demands made upon them, they were 
compelled to enlarge their buildings. Accordingly they pur- 
chased the ground upon which the present Bulletin office i.s^ 
situated, on Eighth street, and erected thereon a two-story 
brick building, in which they placed improved machinery. 
It became one of the greatest factories of its kind in the 
United States. 

Mr. Wagoner continued this business until a short time 
before his death, when Mr. Fisher purchased his interest and 
became his sole successor. Mr. Fisher carried on the business 
in the same locality until it was destroyed by fire, after which 
the building was rebuilt, but he never again occupied it as a 
factory. He erected an establishment near the Pan-Handle 
railway, in the northern part of the city, which he still occu- 
pies. 

Mr. Wagoner was a man of much influence in business- 
circles. He was a man of very kind and charitable disposi- 
tion, and had a \ery tender heart for the poor. He was a 
consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, and was influ- 
ential in that congregation. His widow and two sons and 
one daughter are yet living in Anderson, having a pleasant 
home on West Fifth street. 

In politics Mr. Wagoner was a staunch Republican, but 
was always fair to his political opponents. He served ac- 
ceptably as a member of the City Council for one term, being 
elected to represent the Second ward of Anderson. 

He was born at Shade Gap, Pennsylvania, September 14, 
1824. 

DR. B. F. SPANN. 

For more than a quarter of a century the familiar form of 
Dr. B. F. Spann was daily seen upon the streets of Anderson, 
he being a prominent figure as a physician and politician. 
During his residence in Anderson he was appointed by the 
governor as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Central 
Hospital for the Insane at Indianapolis and was a faithful ser- 
vant in that capacity. After his term of office expired he was 
again called upon by the governor to act as a trustee to the 
Rose Polytechnic Institute at Terre Haute, in which capacity 



"876 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

he served until the time of his death. He was an able physi- 
'Cian, an honest, upright citizen, but a man of strong prejudices, 
and generally liked by the community. Like other people he 
had some enemies from the fact that he was very free to ex- 
-press his opinion upon any and all subjects that came up for 
•discussion, but what few there were in the community who 
had a dislike for him drew the mantle of charity over his faults 
•when his remains were covered up in their last resting place 
in the cemetery at Indianapolis. Among Dr. Spann's promi- 
nent traits were his benevolence and charity for the poor. 
From the time he was first married, and kept a house, and as 
long as he lived, his roof was the shelter for friends and rela- 
tives who were less fortunate in the walks of life than he. Dr. 
Spann during his lifetime also acted in the capacity of coroner 
of Madison county for a number of years, being a very faith- 
ful and conscientious official. 

On the 5th of November, 1889, while riding in his buggy 
along JSIain street, between Eighth and Ninth streets, on the 
public square a horse attached to a delivery wagon belonging 
to Dale Shanklin ran away, starting on Meridian street in 
front of R. P. Grimes & Co.'s store the horse dashed around 
the square at a furious rate, and on the east side, opposite the 
grocery store of of Geo. W. Kline the runaway collided with 
Dr. Spann's buggy turning it completely over. The doctor 
w^as thrown very forcibly from the vehicle and in falling re- 
■ceived a fracture of the hip joint and other serious bruises 
about the back. He was picked up and carried to his home 
by sympathizing friends and from that time until the day 
•of his death he was a cripple. He recovered after many 
months of close confinement, sufficiently to enable him to walk 
by the aid of crutches, but he never recovered the full use of 
his limbs. He lingered in this condition until the 2nd of Feb- 
ruary, 1894, and while sitting in his drawing-room pleasantly 
conversing with his family and friends who surrounded him, 
he suddenly expired without a groan or the movement of a 
muscle, being the victim of heart failure. His death not only 
caused a great shock to his family and immediate friends, but 
to the entire community as well. He was a prominent mem- 
iber of the order of Odd Fellows which association took charge 
of his remains and conducted the funeral ceremony. His wife 
yet survives him and resides in the old homestead at the cor- 
ner of Central avenue and Eighth street. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 377 

His family friends were all interred at Indianapolis and 
his remains were taken to Crown Hill for burial. 

ISAAC BOOCO, AN ECCENTRIC OLD-TIMER. 

What old-timer does not vividly remember Isaac Booco? 
Isaac was what might properly be called a " daisy," by birth, 
education and occupation. His like was never produced 
before or since his demise. He came to this county many 
years ago, settling in the south-eastern part of Anderson 
township, where he remained until his death, which occurred 
about fifteen years ago. He raised a large family who did not 
always dwell in peace and harmony together, often resorting 
to the courts to settle their difficulties. 

Isaac's oldest son, William, was the bane of his existence, 
and gave Isaac lots of trouble ; they were always at " outs " and 
at law. Isaac once declared on the witness stand, in court 
before Judge Craven, that his son William' was a natural 
born d — d fool. This brought down the house, court, jury and 
all. Booco became enraged at their laughing at him, and 
came near cleaning out the house. 

When A. C. Davis was deputy sheriff he visited Isaac 
with a fee bill and levied it on some property and advertised 
it for sale. Booco followed him to town and marched up and 
down in front of the court house a half day in a foaming rage, 
denouncing Davis and the whole sheriff's force as d — d " mal- 
feasers." 

Every time Booco got sick he thought he was going to 
die, no difference how trivial his ailment. One time he had 
one of his periodical sick spells ; he thought his time had come. 
He sent for Isaac Clem, an old Dutch neighbor, to make his 
will. Clem came prepared with pen, ink and paper to per- 
form his solemn task. 

"Veil, Booco, did you dink you vas goin' to die.?" 

" Yes, Isaac, I think my time has come." 

" Veil, vat vas you vant to do, Booco?" 

" Well, there is my son. Bill ; he always was a d — d 
mean scoundrel. I don't want him to have anything." 

"Veil, vat next?" 

"Well, I want to give my wife and the balance of the 
family all of my property, personal and real, equally'. " 

Clem made out the will as dictated by Booco, setting out 
all the items and bequests, and read it over. It seemed to be 



378 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

satisfactory, and the old man turned his face to the wall, and 
was ready to give up the ghost. 

Clem thought the old man was not seriously ill, so he 
broke in : 

"Veil, Booco, I dink dere vas someding vat you forgot." 

" Oh, dear, Isaac, what is it?" 

" Vy, vashn't you goin' to vill Shake Stanley your wind 
pipe for a flute.?" 

This had the effect of bringing Booco back to life. He 
bounded out of bed like a rubber ball. It took the whole 
family to keep him off of Clem, but he made his escape. 
Booco got well and lived many years afterwards. It is said 
that in Booco's early life in Ohio, he had some trouble about a 
hive of bees that followed him home. This tale followed him 
to Indiana. The boys used to get close to him, and " buzz,^ 
buzz, buzz." This was all that was necessary to get him in a 
rage, and the nearest man to him got knocked down, if he did 
not immediately "get up and get." 

Booco was a great coon hunter and often had a grand hunt, 
calling on his neighbors to join. One time he and Hutch 
Stanley, and a lot of fellows, were out on a coon hunting ex- 
pedition. The boys kept talking among themselves, which 
very much annoyed the old man. He would whisper to the 
boys, "Boys, be still; you'll scare the coons." The boys would 
subside for awhile, soon breaking out again, laughing and 
talking loud. 

Booco became enraged at last, yelping out at the top of 
his voice, "Boys, boys, be still. Don't you know that a coon 
is a h — 1 of a sly thing?" He yelled out so loud that if a coon 
had been within a mile of him, it would have scared him to 
death. The boys laughed so heartily that it made Booco raging 
mad and the hunting party was broken up. 

SAD DEATH OP' A ONCE PROMINENT DRUGGIST. 

Garrett W. Brown was, at the time of his death, one of 
the best known and most highly respected citizens of Madi- 
son county. He was born in this county on the 19th day of 
June, 1839. For many years he lived upon a farm south of 
Anderson, in Fall Creek township. He was married about 
1865 to the daughter of Jacob DeMott, a prominent farmer, 
who lived near the city of Anderson, after which Mr. Brown 
removed to the city of Anderson and engaged in the drug 
business with the brother of his wife, Mr. Frank DeMott,. 



HISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 37{> 

under the firm name of Brown & DeMott, which firm con- 
tinued doing business in the room which was, until recently, 
occupied by Blank's Clothing Store, on the south side of the 
public square. DeMott remained in the firm for some time, 
and then sold out to Brown. Mr. Brown then removed the 
business into the room occupied by Buck, Brickley & Co., on 
the corner of Ninth and Main streets, and here he continued 
until the time of his death, on Sunday, September 19, 1886. 
The facts of this accident were about as follows : Mr. Brown 
had been in the habit of taking extract of dandelion occasion- 
ally, for some disorder of the stomach, and on the Sunday 
mentioned, at about 11 o'clock he went to his store, and took 
from a shelf what he supposed to be a bottle of dandelion, 
and took about a teaspoonful of it. As soon at he had swal- 
lowed the drug it dawned upon his mind that he had made a 
mistake and had taken belladonna instead. It seems from his 
actions immediately after taking the fatal dose, that after all 
he was uncertain as to whether he had, or had not, made a 
mistake. He got some mustard, an antidote for such poisons, 
and started home, going past the residence of Dr. John C. 
Cullen, on South Main street. Here he stopped and informed 
the doctor of what he had done, who advised him to go 
straight home and take the mustard at once. After Mr. 
Brown had left Dr. Cullen's house, the doctor became uneasy 
and followed him. He found upon arriving at Mr. Brown's 
house, that he had taken the mustard and was vomiting freely, 
but the doctor saw from the symptoms that the case was a 
very serious one, and immediately summoned other physicians 
to his assistance. It was noised around in a short time what 
had happened to Mr. Brown, who, being on very good terms 
with the physicians of the city, it was only a short time until 
many of his medical friends came to his aid. They worked 
with the unfortunate man all through the night and until !) 
o'clock the next morning, when he died from the effects of the 
poison, after every relief known to medical science had been 
administered. 

The wife to whom Mr. Brown was married in 1865, lived 
but a short time, and he was again married to Miss Catherine 
L. Grove, of Warsaw, Indiana. This lady survived him, and 
afterwards became the wife of Dr. George F. Chittenden, 
now- residing in the city. Besides his wife Mr. Brown left 
three children, the eldest a son, Chester, and two daughters, 
Olga and Hazel, who are all living with their mother. 



880 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Garrett W. Brown was the personitication of honesty, 
and in all his dealings was fair with his fellow-men, believing 
in the doctrine of living and let live. He was liberal to his 
family, and charitable to the poof. And yet, while he was 
charitable in his disposition, he was also economical in his 
business habits, and amassed a nice fortune which he left to 
his bereaved family. The closer the relationship one had with 
Mr. Brown the more dearly he was beloved. He was a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was prominent in 
that organization for a number of years. His remains were 
interred at Anderson cemetery, followed by a large concourse 
of people. His funeral sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. 
Kemp, pastor of the Methodist church, who was assisted by 
Rev. Dr. Ziegler, of the Presbyterian congregation. 

BENJAMIN SEBRELL, AN EX-SHERIFF. 

Benjamin Sebrell was one of Madison county's old-timers, 
who cut quite a figure in the county's history both as a citizen 
and a politician. He came from Virginia at an early day and 
settled in Boone township, when all that part of the country 
was a wilderness, a part of the township then being in the 
" Indian Reserve." He was a large, stout man, just the kind 
for a pioneer. He cut out of the dense forest a fine farm for 
himself, living there until 1862, when he was elected sheriff of 
Madison county, which office he held for four years, and a 
better or more popular sheriff never filled that place. He was 
one of those large, warm-hearted fellows that draw men to 
them, and he counted his friends by the score. His most esti- 
mable wife was his equal in generosity and benevolence and 
was universally beloved by all who knew her. No one ever 
came to her door hungry and was turned away. After retiring 
from the sheriff's oflice, the Sebrells kept the Ross house tor 
many years, at the corner of Tenth and Main streets, and were 
favorites among the traveling people, the host and hostess be- 
ing always on the alert to see that their guests were properly 
fed and cared for; Mr. Sebrell being jolly in his nature, made 
it a pleasure for the drummer to " Sunday over " with him. 

He was a devoted friend and admirer of Colonel Stihvell, 
they having spent many happy days together. Colonel Stil- 
well had just returned from a week's visiting and hunting on 
the Sebrell farm on the fatal evening when he met his death ; 
he and a party of friends having gone out there for a few 
days' recreation and sport, when on the evening of his return 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 381 

he met his rival which resulted so fatally to him. Mr. Sebrell 
took the Colonel's death bitterly to heart and never got over 
it. Ben Sebrell was an uneducated man, but had a giant 
intellect, and had it been properly cultivated in his younger 
days, he would have been one of the foremost men of the times. 

His head was full of old-fashioned " horse sense." He 
was a man that seldom lost his temper and always had a way 
of gaining his points by good humor and persuasive argument. 
His frame was made of iron and could stand any kind of hard- 
ships. One time he was a witness to a street row and went 
in to quiet it by his usual good-natured way, by talking the 
participants out of their anger. Someone standing in the 
crowd threw a bowlder, hitting Sebrell in the breast, but it 
never staggered him or gave him any seeming discomfiture. 
He saw the fellow who threw it, and cooly collared him with 
one hand and threw him over in the court house yard, re- 
marking, " You fool, you'll hurt someone, throwing them 
stones around here." 

Mr. Sebrell died in 1878 at his home in Boone township, 
shortly after the death of his wife. She was the balance- 
wheel of his life, and after she was gone he was like an engine 
running without a governor. He was lost to all the world, 
and never saw another happy day. His family left this 
county shortly afterwards, and now live in California. 

HOW WELCH MADE .MUSTARD THROW OFF THE COSTS. 

Daniel Franklin ISIustard has contributed his share to the 
historv of Anderson. The " Major," as he is called by his 
friends, came to Anderson, when, as George Harris once said, 
" White river was a howling wilderness." He grew to man- 
hood in this community, always respected by the people, as a 
boy, and honored by high places of trust, when mature man- 
hood had arrived. By trade he is a shoe-maker, which occu- 
pation he followed until about 1868, when he was made dep- 
uty auditor, from which time he reached the top round of 
local political distinction and financial success. In 1876, he 
was elected treasurer of Madison county, and reelected in 
1878. He made a record for closely collecting all of the delin- 
quent taxes. During his candidacy for his second term, lie 
was placed in a very close position by one of his constituents. 
John Welch, an Irishman, walked into the office one morning 
not many moons before the election, and tackled the Major 
thus: "Well, Dan, I see you have got that danged, little 



S82 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Bill Frampton collecting taxes for you, and he's got me cow 
levied on." 

'• Yes, John, you know my duty, under the law, is to 
collect the taxes, and I am under bonds to faithfully perform 
all services required of me." 

" Well, Dan, I want to settle it. How much is it?" 

Dan took his pen and commenced — "taxes, so much ; inter- 
est, so much ; costs, so much." 

" Hould on," said Welch. " Be aisy wid your pin, Dan, 
touch the costs lightly, for by Jasus, I'll have the ' pin' in 
my hand on the day of the election." 

The Major very politely threw off the costs, and Welch 
settled, feeling very good towards Dan. He gallantly sup- 
ported him at the polls and was his friend as long as he lived. 

Mr. Mustard, after retiring from four years of honorable 
service as treasurer of Madison county, entered into partner- 
ship with the late Neal C. McCullough, in the banking busi- 
ness, and has had a long and successful career as a banker. 
He is looked upon as being one of the leading financiers of the 
city of Anderson, and holds an enviable position among his 
fellow-townsmen . 

THE OLD-TIME FIDDLERS. 

The old Billy Myers hotel was a great institution at one 
time in the history of Anderson. Many men, who afterwards 
became solid business men and raised families in the cit)', 
spent their happy, young days at the Myers hostelry, among 
whom were J. M. Dickson, Joseph Howard, Alex. Clark, St. 
Clair Dyson, and the Athertons. In early times every first- 
class young man could fiddle more or less. In fact, if he 
couldn't fiddle he was " not in it." There was a fiddle al- 
ways kept in the bar-room at the hotel for practice, and for 
the amusement of the guests. An eastern gentleman came 
out to Hoosierdom on a commercial tour, and stopped at the 
Myers hotel. He was eastern bred and eastern in all his 
make-up. He was wholly unaccustomed to western styles and 
Indiana customs. He was alone in the bar-room, reading a 
paper, when Alex. Clark came in, picked up the fiddle, gave 
a few rakes of the "Arkansas Traveler," and laid it down. 
"The stranger merely looked up from his paper, then proceeded 
to peruse the news. In a few minutes Gus Williams strolled 
in, took up the fiddle, rattled off a few strains of the " Money 
Musk," and laid it down. The stranger paused a moment. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 383 

looked at the fiddle and went on reading. In a short time 
Joseph Howard came in, took it up and gave a strain or two 
of the " Devil's Dream,'" laid it down and took a seat. The 
stranger looked up again, but still said nothing. St. Clair 
Dyson came slipping in, took up the fiddle and ripped off 
about twenty minutes of that old, familiar tune that was all 
the go in this neck of the woods at that time, " Hell on the 
Wabash." This brought the stranger to his feet. He looked 
at his companions, who were all sitting in a row around the 
wall on an old-fashioned settee. " What is the name of this 
town.'" asked the stranger. .Some one replied, "Anderson- 
town." " Well, that is what I understood when I first came 
here, but I think it is very badly named. I think ' Fiddlers' 
Green' would be nearer the thing, and I'll bet my old hat 
that that famous resort is not more than a mile distant from 
here." Before any one else had a ch'ance at the fiddle he hied 
himself away to his room and remained there until time to 
leave on the out-going stage. 

THE 'bus drivers AND THE BABY. 

One of the funniest things that ever occurred in Ander- 
son was when the trains coming in on the diff'erent roads all 
stopped at the crossing near Irondale. There was no down 
town depot on the Bee Line road then, and the passengers had 
to go out to "The Crossing" to board the trains. The omni- 
bus business was then at its best. Stock in the Anderson 'Bus 
Line was away up ; it was one of the best lines of business in 
the town. The government paid liberally for the transpor- 
tation of the mails through the town. It was about the year 
18(38. 

John Alderman and Lew Titherington were running the 
'bus, making money hand over fist, and spending it with lav- 
ish hands. Nothing was too good for them, in fact, hardly 
good enough. Alfred Makepeace had an old 'bus he used to 
run when he kept the old United States Hotel. He saw Al- 
derman and Titherington prospering so well he concluded 
there was room for two lines ; so he hauled out his 'bus, painted 
it up and started in opposition to them. Now set in the fun 
from the first jump. Each line had its runners at the depot. 
As soon as a passenger landed, both would " collar" him and 
then it was fun to see who would get him. Sometimes they 
would nearly strip the clothes off people in their scramble for 
■customers. 



384 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

One morning the train rolled in from Crestline. Among 
the passengers was a handsome ^voman with a baby in her 
arms. Joe Dickey, who was one of Makepeace's runners, got 
hold of her, and Johnny Alderman, of the opposite line, got 
the baby. The woman did not know the position she was 
being placed in until after all the passengers were in and a 
start was made for town, when she noticed her baby in the 
other 'bus. Then business set in. She screamed, clawed her 
hair, and raved like a tigress. 

Makepeace said, "What's the matter, woman; what's 
the matter?" 

" Oh, my baby ; my baby ! They've got my baby." 

" Golly damn it, woman, be still; be still! Your baby 
is all right. Them boys won't hurt a hair on its head ; they 
will leave it at the hotel. It's only opposition in business. 
Your baby is all right." 

The woman, however, refused to be comforted until she 
reached the hotel, where she found Johnny Alderman hug- 
ging and caressing the baby and it was cooing at him and as 
happy as a lamb. She walked when she went to the depot 
going out of town. 

JOHN YOUNG AND HIS TRAINED DOGS. 

Among the many odd characters who have lived in An- 
derson, none was more eccentric than John Young, a saddler 
and harness-maker, who lived here thirty years ago. John 
worked at his trade many years for Alex. Clark and Howard 
Baker, in a little frame shop that stood in the rear of the 
Phcenix block, fronting on Alain street. He was an old 
bachelor, having " no one to love and none to caress." 

He spent all his leisure time training a kennel of dogs. 
He had all kinds and sizes, from the pusillanimous "yaller- 
legged " hound to the finest species of first-class, high-bred 
animals. There was one thing about John's family of dogs — 
no matter what its station in life might be, or what position 
it held m the dog family, it had to mind John. To disobey 
his command meant a terrible thumping ; they watched every 
move he made, and each one tried to see how good he could 
be when John was around. It was no unusual sight at four 
o'clock in the morning, to see John out in the rear of the 
shop going through the drill with his dogs, some of them 
standing on their heads, some hanging up on the limbs of an 
old peach tree that grew in the rear of the shop, some stretched 



HISTORY OF ^rADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 885 

out at full length on another limb, each afraid of his life. To 
have slipped and fallen would have been nearly death to them. 
He boarded with Captain Ethan Allen, who then kept the 
Ross House. Once in awhile Young got on a " bender." At 
such times he always had his dogs on dress parade. He would 
start to his meals, coming along past the public square ; when 
he got to the north-east corner he would give a signal. Here 
the entire family of canines would come, single file, the 
largest in front, dwindling down in size until the rear was 
brought up by the very smallest one in the kennel. 

As soon as they reached the corner of the square, each dog 
in his turn, mounted the court house fence. They had to per- 
form the task of walking entirely around the square, on the 
fence, by the time their master reached his boarding house. 
If one of them by chance fell off he would scream for life until 
he was back at his place. He was afraid of being "licked" 
within an inch of his life. When they reached the Ross 
House, each dog took his place on the curbstone in front of the 
hotel, with his tail sticking out behind him over the gutter, 
and sit there imtil Young ate his meal, when the lineof march 
was taken up for home, going through the same performance 
of walking around the court house fence on their return. 

He trained and sold to A. B. Kline, the famous dog, "Tip," 
that became one of Anderson's pets. Everyman, woman and 
child in Anderson knew "Tip Kline." While Al. was per- 
forming his daily duties in the bank, "Tip" always sat in the 
"pay out" in the west end of the bank, looking out on the 
street and sniffing the breezes as they gently passed by. As 
long as "Tip" lived, he was Al. Kline's constant companion 
and best earthly friend. "Tip" knew and could perform many 
tricks which he delighted in doing at Kline's command. 

John Young was a man of good, hard sense, but seldom 
said anything to riisplaj'- his ability. He was fond of good 
liquor, but never molested anv one when drinking. When he 
wanted to "fill up" he went to a saloon and tipped from five 
to six glasses down as fast as he could swallow them, until he 
would get " biling" over before he left the counter. He left 
here several years ago and is now dead. John Young and his 
trained dogs are a part of Anderson's history. 

HENRY WHITMORE, THE OLDEST CLOCK PEDDLER. 

It is the purpose of the writers to, as much as possible, 
avoid the writing of biographies in this volume, but there are 

25 



386 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 



a few people in the county, who represent certain stages of 
the history of the community, and particular industries and 
lines of business, that without a brief statement of the lives 
and achievements of these individuals the story would be in- 
complete. 

Again it is but proper to plant here and there a monu- 
ment or a mile-stone to commemorate the old-timers' memory, 
and to hand down to the coming generation the fact that 
these honored and worthy people once lived and were the 
central figures of civilization as well as the propellers of the 
wheels of trade; that the places they filled in the commercial 




HENRY WHITMORE. 

world were as high and honorable as those of the magnates of 
traffic of the present day. Although there were no Goulds or 
Vanderbilts then, there were men who wielded a mighty in- 
fluence in the world of business, and had their days of thrift 
and progress in the same proportion with their limited means 
at hand as do the giants of to-day. 

One of the once noted and highly lucrative businesses of a 
generation past and gone, was that of clock peddling. Some 
of the most wealthy and highly respected men on the American 
continent were once clock peddlers. No less a personage than 
P. T. Barnum, the great showman, was once a thriving ped- 
dler of clocks, and laid the foundation of his princely fortune 
in this occupation. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 887 

In Madison county no\v lives the oldest clock peddler in 
the United States. And it is with great pleasure that we present 
him to our readers in the person of Wr. Henry Whitmore, of 
Anderson. 

He is undoubtedly the oldest. He was born in Rocky 
Hill, Connecticut, on the 25th of May, 1807, and is now 
eighty-nine years old, although much younger in appearance. 
One to see him skipping along the streets would never suspect 
him to be over sixty. 

He came to Indiana in 1846, and settled in Richmond, 
where he engaged in selling clocks, and continued in the bus- 
iness for six years. In his territory was included the States 
of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, over which he traversed with 
a wagon through rain and storm. The corduroy roads of those 
days were in some seasons of the year impassable, and it was 
no uncommon thing for him to be tied up in some locality for 
a week or more, waiting for the mud to dry up so he could 
move on. 

A clock peddler in those days was, in the Words of one of 
later times, " a bigger man than old Grant." The hardships 
of the road were to a certain extent over-balanced by the 
many good times the peddler had on his trips through the 
country. They were looked up to, and at the hotel or roadside 
inn, the best was none to good for them. The fatted calf was 
always slain when this distinguished visitor came, and he was 
the guest of honor while he remained, as he always had a 
batch of new stories to tell. 

Mr. Whitmore came to Anderson in 185(3, and engaged in 
the dry goods trade, having for his partner the late Joseph 
Howard. He continued in this and other branches of trade 
for a long time, at one period having been proprietor of an 
Anderson hotel. 

Mr. Whitmore was, in 1857, married to the widow of Dr. 
McClanahan, with whom he lived until her death, since which 
time he has made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Mary 
O'Meara, of Anderson. 

In 1867 Mr. Whitmore was elected Justice of the Peace 
for Anderson township, which place he filled with credit to 
himself and satisfaction of the public. In his old age none is 
more respected in Anderson, and none enjoys the good wishes 
of the people more universally than he. 

About the time Mr. Whitmore was engaged in the sale of 
■clocks the once famous distiller of Cambridge City, Ind., Ab- 



388 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ner Bond, was also in the same traffic, and a little later on 
Ralph Clark, Esq., of Anderson, an old time dry goods mer- 
chant, known to all of the older residents of the county, was 
peddling through the country. 

These associates of Mr. Whitmore have all been gathered 
into the granaries with the sheaves mown by the sickle of the 
reaper — Death, and he is left as a solitary and only living rep- 
resentative of that industry in this county, and as the oldest in 
the United States. 

Since the foregoing was written Mr. Whitmore died, on 
the 25th of June, 189G. 

ENOS n. WRIGHT, A PIONEER. 

Enos B. Wright, one of the first merchants of Anderson, 
died on the 1st day of March, 1889, at the age of 85 years. 
He was born in Stafford county, Va., the 13th of March, 
1804. Enos B. Wright for many years conducted a store in 
the large two-story frame building that stood on the corner of 
Ninth and Main streets, on the ground where the present 
Doxey House is situated. The old building is yet in existence, 
having been removed to another part of the city to give way 
to the erection of the Stilwell House, now known as the 
Doxey Hotel, in 1870. Mr. Wright came to Madison county 
in 1830 and first settled in Adams township. In a short time 
he removed to Huntsville, in Fall Creek township, at which 
place he engaged in the dry goods business as a clerk in the 
stofe of Enos Adamson. In the year 1837 he removed to 
Richmond, Ind., and clerked in a store for Mr. Bazil Bright- 
well, a merchant of that city, and remained there until the 
j'ear 1842. He then returned to Huntsville and remained 
there a short time, after which he removed to Anderson and 
accepted a clerkship with Mr. James Gray, with whom he 
remained many years as clerk and afterwards as a business 
partner up to the time of Mr. Gray's death, at which time he 
purchased the stock and became the sole proprietor. He 
continued in this business until the year 1870, when he re- 
tired from active business life. He was also at one time 
proprietor of a retail grocery store, ^vhich was located in the 
room now owned by S. M. Bachmann, on the south side of 
the public square. Mr. Wright did a large business in those 
days and many farmers who had extra money for which they 
had no immediate use made his store a depository, as there 
were no banks then in the county. It was headquarters for 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 389 

the farmers of tlie county; it was a kind of rendezvous for 
them. There was no man who ever lived in Madison county 
who enjoyed a greater popularity than did Enos B. Wright 
during those early days. At one time he boasted of knowing 
the name and place of abode of every inhabitant of the county. 
He was of a very happy disposition and had the name of 
every person who entered his store on his tongue's end, 
always hailing them with their given name, which gave him 
great prestige over his competitors in business, as his social 
qualities were a great advertisement with his customers. 

He was married to Miss Nancy Taylor, of Ohio, in the 
year 1827, who died about nine years before Mr. Wright's 
decease. In the year 1865 Mrs. Wright was stricken with 
paralysis and was a confirmed invalid for fifteen years prior to 
her death. Mr. Wright was always considered an honest 
man and was a devoted Christian, being a member of the 
Christian church. He was confined to his room for several 
weeks prior to his death and seemed to understand from the 
time of his first sickness that his end was near at hand, and 
signified a willingness to succumb to the inevitable. His 
funeral took place from the Christian church on the following 
Sunday after his death, and was one of the largest that ever 
occurred in Anderson. Some reminiscences in relation to Mr. 
Wright will be found in another portion of this book. 



CHAPTER XLVI. 



Reminiscences, Accidents and Incidents. 



Until within the last few years there stood on the banks 
of Green's Branch, fronting on Eighth street in Anderson, on 
the thoroughfare which was known at that time as the "Straw- 
town road"' " the One-mile House," and which was a familiar 




THE ONE-MILE HOUSE. 

object to nearly every old inhabitant of Madison county. In 
fact it was one of the landmarks in this community. This 
book would not be complete without taking notice of this build- 
ing and the many interesting incidents connected therewith. 
The writers could not give a better account of it than by re- 
producing what was said of it by the BiiUctin in the year 
1888, in which the editor says : " Old Anderson is fast pass- 
ing away and but few of the old landmarks remain to remind 
a person of sixty years ago of ' Andersontown.' Perhaps 
the oldest and most historical object of that period in history 
is the old one-mile house, a log cabin on the north side] of 
West Eighth street, a mile west of the court house. At Xo. 
546, near the site of the old cabin, now lives Mrs. Margaret 
Harris. She is a pleasant and intelligent old lady of seventy- 
three years. Her memory is bright and her descriotion of 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 391 

the events that occurred sixty years ago is very vivid. Her ac- 
count of this building is to this effect, that in the year 1826 
David Harris, her husband's father, left Licking county, Ohio, 
and came on foot to Indiana, looking for government lands 
upon which to settle. He was then thirty-seven years of age, 
strong and full of that spirit of adventure and restlessness that 
once characterized the pioneers of the North-western territory. 
'Andersontown' was one of his stopping places and it was 
here that he found such a spot as he had been looking for. 
All of that part of the city afterwards known as Hazlett's ad- 
dition, extending from the cemetery bridge to the fair grounds, 
was then an Indian corn field. This magnificent territory, a 
mile long and a half mile wide, is now covered by the Amer- 
ican Straw-board works and hundreds of fine residences. 
About three thousand Indians were living in the White river 
valley between ' Muncietown ' and 'Andersontown;' each 
of these places were important villages of the Delaware In- 
dians. 

" Chief Anderson, of the Dela wares, had his wigwam at 
the foot of the hill near where Norton's brewery now stands. 
Harris went west of the corn field and there found such land 
as pleased him. He then walked to Indianapolis where at the 
government land office he entered all of the lands ^vest of 
where Madison avenue now is, to the old toll gate, and south 
from the river to West Eleventh street. This tract included 
the Harter farm, "Hillside," and hundreds of acres of valua- 
ble land. Returning from Indianapolis he camped' under a 
honey-locust tree just north of where the one-mile house was 
afterwards built. A cabin stood at the spot where the gravel 
pit on Peter Bliven's land now is, and to this home the pioneer 
Harris brought his family. He lived about one year after his 
family removed to this place and then died. His remains were 
interred in the Indian burying ground on East Ninth street, 
and were no doubt hauled away at the time the Pan Handle 
company opened a gravel pit at that place. 

"In 1839 his widow built the ' One-mile House.' At that 
time it was considered one of the finest houses in the western 
country. When it was 'raised' the people from miles around 
were invited and hundreds were present on that occasion. 
Among those who were there who afterwards became promi- 
nent in Madison county, were the Harpolds, the Elliotts, the 
Shauls, Robert N. Williams and Colonel Nineveh Berry. 



392 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY. INDIANA. 

Colonel Berry was master of ceremonies and saw that the work 
was well done. 

"The house was erected for the purpose of a tavern. It 
■was known from the settlement on the Wabash to the Alle- 
ghany mountains. Soon other settlers began squatting about 
the place. About this time John Berry built a frame house 
near the corner of Meridian and Eighth streets, that was con- 
sidered a greater one than this, but the big log house still con- 
tinued to be the principal stopping place for many years. 
The Strawtown road at that time was famous all over the 
nation, and was especially known to emigrants who were 
seeking homes in Western States. Strawtown, situated sev- 
eral miles west of the county line and in Hamilton county, 
w^as known further abroad than Indianapolis or any other 
town within five hundred miles of it. The scene along the 
road from early spring until late in the autumn was that of 
one continuous stream of covered wagons. These with two 
horses and two oxen hitched to them inoved the pioneers to 
their Western homes. Nearly every team in those days 
stopped at this old tavern. Some of the parties not being 
able to partake of the hospitality and pay money for their 
lodging mere!}' stopped for the purpose of watering their 
stock. The house continued to be a place of entertainment 
for travelers until about the time the railroads reached An- 
derson. 

"Many instances in this locality of interest to old settlers 
are related. The earliest settlers of the county remember 
with a shudder the blackened stake that stood just back of 
where Bliven's gravel pit was. This stake was used bj- the 
Indians as a post to which prisoners were burned. A j'ear 
before iSlv. Harris came to White river a French trader who 
killed an Indian squaw was captured and burned alive at this 
stake. The ground around it had been tramped and beaten 
until it looked like a circus ring. When some of the oldest 
Indians would get sufficient fire water in them to loosen their 
tongues they told that many captives, both white and red, 
had been burned at this stake. But little is said about the 
matter now ; but if the reader will ask any one who lives in 
that vicinity, he will say that when Indian summer comes 
and the nights are crisp and pleasant, that the ghost of this 
Frenchman, who was burned alive at the stake, appears. It 
is said to have been seen flitting around on many occasions, 
one leg being burned ofT above the ankle, and the fierce 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 393 

flashes from his eyes, and the blue flames can be seen issuing 
from his nostrils. For many years superstitious old women 
and small children in that locality could scarcely be induced 
to leave their door steps after dark during Indian summer. 
In 1828 the Stover family came from Pennsylvania and 
entered what is now known as the Forrey land, north of 
White river. It was Margaret Stover who, at the age of 
seventeen years, was married to John Harris, and who is the 
author of the reminiscenses given in relation to this old hotel. 

"One of the diseases incident to the country at the time 
the Harris family settled here was 'milk-sickness,' which 
was prevalent in the country for many years, and many peo- 
ple died from it. No cause for this peculiar malady was 
ever discovered, but as the country became clear of its heavy 
forest and was put into cultivation, the disease disappeared. 

"A one-story log school house at one time stood in this 
neighborhood, near where the third district school building is 
now located, and in which Bartholomew Williams, the father 
of R. N. Williams and the grandfather of A. D. and Gus. 
Williams, was the teacher, and also the late Colonel Nineveh 
Berry taught a few terms of winter school in that building. 

" When about fifteen years of age, John Harris and 
another young lad went about fifteen miles down the river to 
a mill. Darkness overtook them on their return home. The 
blazed trail through the woods was lost and the wolves began 
snapping and running around about them. The boys tied 
their horses to a tree near where the village of Hamilton now 
stands, where they gathered a lot of brush and started a fire 
and remained up all night fighting off" the ravenous beasts 
with fire brands. 

" Mrs. Harris also related a few historical facts not 
directly connected with the 'One-mile House,' but of much 
interest in relation to Anderson of that day. She said this 
city was named after the famous old chief, Anderson, the 
same as was Muncie named after the Muncie Indians and 
Kokomo named after a Miami chief. Anderson was an old 
man when the whites first came to the banks of White river." 

AN OLD LANDMARK IN THE CITY OF ANDERSON. 

Prior to the year 1880 there stood at the corner of Eighth 
and Main streets on the site of the present structure owned by 
John W. Lovett, and which is now being remodeled, one of 
Anderson's old landmarks and which was at the same time, a 



394 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

monument to the thrift and enterprise of one of its former 
wealthy citizens. It was a two-story brick building with 
business rooms on the first floor and offices above. It was 
erected by Alfred Makepeace in 1843, being the second brick 
building erected upon the public square. In it Mr. Makepeace 
carried on for several years a general merchandising business 
such as dry goods, groceries, hardware, and other articles which 
he exchanged for butter, coon skins, ginseng and various other 
country products. There was but very little business done 
then in purely cash transactions. His business extended into 
every part of the county. There was no railroad into Ander- 
son for many years after the building of this house. The 
people came along distance to trade with Mr. Makepeace, and 
his store was a general rendezvous for all classes. The build- 
ing stood at the edge of a grove of trees in which there was a 
burial ground of the Delaware Indians extending as far north 
as Martin Gruenewald's residence. This ground is now partly 
occupied by the present modern residences of Major Doxey, 
and Thomas Norton. 

Mr. Makepeace was one of the shrewdest traders and 
business men of Anderson. He sold his goods to his customers 
on any length of time they might request, and at the end of 
the year he took their notes for any balance appearing against 
them adding thereto interest. He amassed a snug fortune 
in his business venture. In the year 1876 he died, leaving to- 
his heirs considerable real estate in different parts of the city. 
He was the father of Captain A. I. Makepeace who yet resides 
in Anderson, and H. B. Makepeace, at present township trus- 
tee for Center township, at Indianapolis. There were several 
other brothers and sisters whose names are not at present re- 
membered by the writers. 

The occupants of the building after Makepeace left it, was 
the firm of Crim it Hazlett who there began a dry goods busi- 
ness, Mr. Crim afterwards organizing the Exchange Bank, the 
immediate predecessor of the National Exchange Bank, which 
is now doing business at the corner of Ninth and Main streets. 
!Mr. Hazlett was at various times engaged in general merchan- 
dising, the buying of grain, and in manufacturing. He was 
twice elected mayor of the city, and finally ended his days at 
Riverside, California, only a few years ago. Crim & Hazlett 
disposed of their stock of goods to ."> f.i m styling themselves, 
Cook & Rhodes, whose whereabouts are now unknown. 

Near the close of the war, John F. Eglin and Joseph 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 395- 

Sharp engaged in the grocery trade in the lower room of the 
building and did a thriving business. Eglin subsequently re- 
moved to Toledo, Ohio, and engaged in the produce and com- 
mission business. Joseph Sharp is still a resident of Anderson,, 
and is at present the proprietor of the Columbia Hotel. 

Samuel A. Towell, ex-chief of the Anderson fire depart- 
ment, for a short time also ran a grocery in this place, and 
was succeeded by Sparks & Branham, who remained there 
until 1876, when they retired. !Mr. .Sparks who was a very 
prominent business man in Anderson in his day, died only a 
few years since. 

Mr. Branham, the junior member of the firm was the fa- 
ther-in-law of Dr. George F. Chittenden, at whose residence 
he died about ten years ago. 

In the second story of this venerable pile was, for many 
years, located the Anderson SlaiiJard , which was published 
at one time by J. Fenwick Henry. He was a fluent writer, 
but a man of many eccentricities, who will be well remembered 
by the older citizens of Anderson. 

E. V. Long, late Judge of the United States District 
Court at Las Vegas, New Mexico, was once the editor and 
publisher of the Standard while it was being printed in this 
building. 

C. E. Jones who published a paper in 1845 and 1846 in 
this place, was succeeded by Dr. Mendenhall, who published 
a weekly paper there for several years. In 1856 Thomas W. 
Cook took charge of the Democratic Standard, and published 
it up to some time in the sixties, when it passed into the hands 
of Charles I. Barker, who subsequently disposed of it to 
William E. Cook, who published it for about two years and 
then sold it to Fleming T. Luse, present editor of the Craw- 
fordsville Rcvic-i.\ Thomas \V. Cook is now a preacher in 
Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is laboring under the firm belief 
that he is Jesus Christ. 

In 1882 John W. Lovett bought this old piece of prop- 
erty from the heirs of Alfred Makepeace. Mr. Lovett had 
it torn away and replaced with a new structure. Thus the 
old Democratic headquarters passed away. The building now 
standing there is, at this writing, being remodeled, and, will 
be, when completed, one of the handsomest in Anderson. 



396 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUXTY, IXDIAXA. 

IX HONOR OF DR. HEXRY WYMAX. 

In mentioning tlie physicians who practiced medicine in 
^Madison county, the name of Dr. Henry Wyman appears 
among many others in another place in this volume. He was 
one of the early physicians, as stated already, perhaps the 
first regular physician who practiced medicine in this com- 
munity. He resided for many years in Anderson and then re- 
moved to Blissfield, Mich., which he made his home until a 
few years ago, when he died. 

In the month of June, 1887, Dr. Wyman returned to An- 
derson to visit the scenes of his early life, and to mingle 
among his early associates and spend a few pleasant days 
with them. On this occasion the physicians of Anderson 
gave him a banquet at the Doxey House, which took place on 
the evening of the 22d of June in that year. The banquet 
was a very fine affair. When the eatables had all been dis- 
posed of, the gathering resolved itself into an evening devoted 
to reminiscences and speech-making. Manj' jokes and stories 
were told concerning the history of Anderson in its primitive 
days. Although manj' of the guests were infirm and feeble 
from age, the spirit of the occasion was bright and buoyant, 
and the evening was one of rare social enjoyment. Dr. 
William Suman presided at the table and acted in the capac- 
it}' of toast-master. The toast of the evening was proposed by 
Dr. William A.Hunt, "Our honored guest, the first physician 
of Anderson." In announcing this toast Dr. Hunt spoke 
very feelingly, and among other things said, "That he re- 
membered in his boyhood days when Dr. \A'3'man was spoken 
of as THE physician of Anderson and of Madison county. 
There was a Dr. Ruddle who came here before or after Dr. 
Wyman, but I believe it can be safely said that our present 
guest is the first doctor who practiced in Anderson. He came 
from New York in 1831, sojourning for a while in New Jersey 
and Pennsylvania, thence to Clarke county, Ohio, and thence 
to Richmond, Indiana, where he studied medicine with Dr. 
Warner, one of the most eminent physicians in his day. We 
had other physicians here at the time he located with us, but 
none north of White river possessing any medical education." 

Continuing in this strain. Dr. Hunt gave an interesting 
account of the practice of medicine in earlv days, and gave 
the names of those who represented the medical profession at 
that period. 



HISTOHY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 397 

In response to Dr. Hunt's address, Dr. Wyman made a 
very happy speech in which he said ; " What can I say that 
will be of interest to you ? Can I say that I came here when 
Anderson was in hazel brush ? When I first arrived here, 
there were about sixty people, old and young, living in nine 
families. Among them I only know of Addison D. Williams 
and Augustus Williams who were citizens at that time and 
who are still living. The country north of White river had 
just been opened for settlement. Between here and Alexan- 
dria there were six log huts that formed the homes of as many 
settlers. In that part of the county only the townships of 
Pipe Creek and Richland had been organized. There was a 
grist-mill located about one mile north of Anderson that made 
pretentions to grinding corn. They had a granite rock there 
cut out so as to break the grains into two or three pieces, and 
this formed the corn meal, the chief article of diet. A 
smaller mill was located on White river, between Strawtown 
and Perkinsville, and these two mills were the only institutions 
of the kind in the countj'." 

"Anderson Forty Years Ago," was the subject of the 
toast proposed by Mayor Hazlett, who gave a brief synopsis of 
the appearance of Anderson as a town in those times, 
and dwelt upon the peculiarities of some of the people. 
" Judge Eggleston, of Madison, Indiana," he said, '• then pre- 
sided over the court at this place. On one occasion his deci- 
sion in some matter was overruled by the Associate Justices, 
and he became so enraged that he left the court room forget- 
ting his hat, and it was stated, too, that he forgot his horse, 
and started for Richmond on foot. Some of the attorneys 
started after him and had considerable trouble to induce him 
to return to continue the session of the court. At that time 
there were three judges, one the President of the Court and 
two Associate Judges, and in cases arising before the court, the 
Associate Judges would occcasionally decide against the pres- 
ident and overrule his decisions." 

Samuel Myers, who was also present at the banquet, 
responded to this toast in a very happy strain, causing much 
mirth and laughter. 

The exercises of the evening were closed by all present 
joining in singing the doxology, after which Rev. W . 11. 
Ziegler, pastor of the Presbyterian church, pronounced the 
benediction just as tlie bell in the court house tolled the hour 



S98 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of midnight, and tiius ended one of the notable events in the 
history of Anderson. 

As a historical fact it may be stated that Dr. \Vy- 
man came to Anderson in May, 1832, and at once took a 
leading part in the affairs of the county, being a man of abil- 
ity and integrity. In 1837 and 1838, he represented Madi- 
son county in the state legislature. He was also identi- 
fied with the Pioneer Press. In 1835, he was editor of the 
Western Telegraph, and so continued for a long time, besides 
attending to the large and lucrative practice of his profession. 

STABBING OF HENRY VIXVARD. 

A serious stabbing affray occurred in Anderson on the 
18th of December, 1866, in which Henry Vinyard, a once 
well-known character in Anderson, came near losing his 
life. The occurrence took place in front of a saloon occu- 
pied by John Morrow, on South Main street, very near the 
place now occupied by Michael Costello, between Ninth and 
Tenth streets. Mr. Vinyard received three stabs in the right 
breast, one of which entered the lung. His assailant was a 
man of the name of McClintock, whose home at that time 
was at Wabash, to which place he had just returned from 
California. McClintock was reported by those who knew 
him, as being a rather dangerous and desperate man to en- 
counter in a battle, Vinyard, while not at heart a bad man, 
was rather bluff in his manner, especially to people of under- 
stature, and to those whom he thought he could bully-rag and 
bluff. Both parties had been drinking quite freely a few 
hours before the aiTray, and they had had a quarrel during 
that time and separated without coming to blows. Then 
meeting again in the saloon, words passed between them, and 
Vinyard, in a frenzied way, drew a pistol and fired a ball, 
missing McClintock, but entering the south wall of the 
saloon. Both men then engaged in a scufHe, and fell out of 
the saloon to the pavement, and while lying there Vinyard re- 
ceived the stabs from the knife in the hands of McClintock. 
Immediately on recovering his feet, Vinj'ard started in 
search of a physician, staggering along as far as the barber 
shop, which at that time was owned by James Lucas, situated 
on the ground floor now occupied by Philip Brehm's saloon, 
on South Main street, where he fell to the ground from loss 
of blood. Physicians were summoned who applied restora- 
tives and dressed the wounds. He Avas taken to the Ross 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 399 

House, where he was confined to his bed several weeks, but 
finally recovered. McClintock was arrested, and on a 
preliminary hearing was admitted to bail in the sum of 
.$200, to appear in the Circuit court at the next term to an- 
swer to the charge of "assault and battery with intent to 
kill." He immediately gave bail and was set at liberty. Vin- 
yard having been the aggressor, McClintock was held to be 
justifiable in his act, and was never incarcerated for the 
crime. 

A KIT OF counterfeiter's TOOLS. 

In the month of July, 1880, while tearing away the old 
building that for many years occupied the corner of Ninth 
and Main streets in Anderson, known as the United States 
Hotel, the workmen in removing the foundation walls un- 
earthed a full kit of counterfeiter's tools and crucibles, such 
as are used in the manufacture of spurious coin. The articles 
■were also accompanied by some portions of block tin and 
other metals in which antimony formed a part. The crucibles 
were of a material very much like fire-clay and were similar 
to ordinary cups, holding perhaps a third of a pint. Before 
the old brick building had been erected a frame had stood 
on the ground and was used for the carrying on of various 
kinds of business, but it is not known whether these articles 
had been there before the old United States Hotel building 
had been erected. 

Dr. M. A. Bird, of Anderson, for many years a practic- 
ing dentist, has had possession of two of these relics. In all 
probability the molds for making the money were some place 
in the neighborhood described, and could have been found. 
The oldest settlers of the town could not imagine who could 
have made use of these articles or placed them in this hiding 
place. It was a matter of common remark for a number of 
years that counterfeit money had been made in Madison 
county by a number of the then leading and most prominent 
citizens, but no direct evidence was ever obtained against them 
whereby conviction could have been made. The bogus money 
made by them was evidently taken out of the county and 
placed in distant localities, as but little of it had found its 
way into circulation in Anderson. 

Bl'RGL.\RV OF THE POST-OFFICE. 

On Tuesday night, June 80, 1883, the post-ottice at An- 
derson was burglarized. Mr. Stephen Metcalf was the post- 



400 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

master at this time, and he had his office on the west side of 
the square in the room now occupied by Mr. August Biest. 
The safe was blown open, and the contents were removed. 
Much other damage was done. The furniture of the office 
was considerabl)- injured. The front part of the room was 
used by A. H. Jefferson as a candy and confectionery store. 
An entrance was effected tlirougli the basement by forcing the 
lock of a trap door which was in the floor. 

In their haste in looting the safe, many registered letters 
were dropped upon the floor, where they lay covered up by 
some papers, and were overlooked, as was some money in the 
cash-box under the delivery window. In order to deaden the 
sound of their work the handle of a broom was broken off, 
and drawn through the bush^- part of the broom, around which 
a towel was wound, and it was then tied around the safe. 
With all this precaution, however, the noise of the explosion 
was heard by George Daich, who lived in the adjoining house, 
and ^vho was aroused in consequence thereof. He thought it 
was some one splitting wood in the back yard, and paid but 
little attention to it. The burglary was committed between 1 
and 3 o'clock in the morning. It was generally thought that 
the crime had been done by '' local talent," but no clue was 
ever obtained as to the guilty parties. The tools used ^vere 
obtained from the blacksmith shop of Thomas A. Loftus on 
North Main street. The only occupant of the room at the 
tiine of the robbery, was " Grant," a large dog owned by 
Postmaster Metcalf, which, it seems, made but little resist- 
ance or noise while the robbery was being accomplished. It 
was believed that he was drugged by the burglars, as he ^vas 
usually on the alert when anything wrong was going on. 

The loss by this robbery was estimated to be $1,000. No 
private letters were disturbed, nor was anything of \-alue to 
private parties touched. 

ACCIDENTALLY KILLED. 

A sad accident occurred at the farm of Thomas Harme- 
son, about three and a half miles south of Anderson, on the 
15th of June, 1883, in which George Harmeson, his son, was 
accidentally killed by the discharge of a gun. The young man 
had taken the gun in the morning to spend a day hunting. 
His father, being busy upon the farm hauling wood, requested 
the boy to accompany him to the woods to help. The gun 
was taken and after the wagon was loaded the boy spent his 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 401 

time in Inmting. Tiie second load had been placed on the 
wagon, when he told his father he was going to visit the dis- 
trict school in the neighborhood and that he would leave the 
gun at the wood-pile. 

After having been gone some time he returned with the 
intention of taking the gun away, when in some manner it 
was discharged, the contents entering his left side, ranging 
upwards, passed through the heart and causing instant death. 

Upon returning toward the team Mr. Harmeson was told 
by a smaller son that his brother George was asleep, and, 
hastening to the place, they found him lying dead. Coroner 
George Armstrong was immediately summoned and after an 
inquest a verdict of accidental shooting was returned. Young 
Harmeson was a boy well-liked by all the neighbors and was 
a favorite of his parents. 

Thomas Harmeson and his estimable wife, the father and 
mother of this young man, are both highly respected citizens 
of the township and are living upon the farm where this 
occurrence took place. 

ISAAC C. PENNISTEN KILLED. 

On Wednesday, the 21st of July, 1880, a railroad acci- 
dent happened in Anderson, near the Big Four station, in 
which Isaac C. Pennisten, a brakeman, wag killed. He was 
on top of a freight car at the time getting ready to couple the 
car on which he stood with one in front of it, when a ear to the 
rear of the one he was on came rolling along, striking it and 
knocking him off. He fell on the track and was crushed by 
the wheels, which passed over his left arm and his breast, 
killing him instantly. He was about twenty-three years of 
age and left a family, consisting of a wife and two children. 
At the time of this accident he resided in Indianapolis and 
^vas well known in this county, where he had lived several 
years. He was a brother of Geo. T. Pennisten of Lafayette 
township, and also o*f the wife of Carl Bronnenberg, a promi- 
nent farmer of Union township. His wife was a daughter of 
'Squire J. W. Heath, of Chesterfield. He had been in the 
employ of the company for about two years, was popular 
among the men along the line of the road, and generally re- 
spected by all his associates. 

SHOOTING OF EDWARD B. CHITTENDEN. 

In the spring of 1882 the Democracy of the city of An- 
derson placed in nomination Michael Ryan for the office of 
26 



402 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

City ^Marshal. The Republicans put up as liis opponent, Au- 
gustus Heagy. The city was then very close politically, and 
a hard and bitter fight was made for this position which ended 
in the defeat of Mr. Ryan, and the election of Mr. Heagy. 

On Tuesday, the 2d of May, late in the evening, after the 
returns of the election had come in, it was found that Mr. 
Heagy and the other candidates on the Republican ticket had 
been triumphant. According!}- a crowd assembled upon the 
streets and had a jubilee over the result. As the night wore 
on, the boisterous spirits of the crowd concluded to have a good 
time, a band was brought into service, and the successful can- 
didates at the polls were treated to a serenade. While the 
band was playing near the Doxey hotel several persons were 
on the south veranda listening to the music and enjoying the 
scene. Dr. Edward B. Chittenden, then a young man about 
eighteen years of age, who %vas enthusiastic over the election 
of the successful candidate for Marshal, gave vent to his feel- 
ings by cheering loudly for Heagy. At this moment some 
person standing on the opposite side of the street fired two 
pistol shots at the persons congregated on the veranda, one of 
which took effect in young Chittenden's body, passing entirely 
through him below the pit of the stomach. Chittenden im- 
mediately ran into the hotel and announced that he was shot. 
The crowd cried out that he was merely joking or playing a 
trick upon them. He tiien stripped off his clothing and 
showed them the wound, after which he was taken to his home, 
where his father. Dr. Geo. F. Chittenden, and other physi- 
cians, who were friends of the family, dressed his wounds. 
Young Chittenden soon recovered from the shot and is j-et liv- 
ing, and is one of Anderson's most prosperous physicians. 

Suspicion at that time pointed to William Ryan, son of 
the defeated candidate for Marshal, as having been the party 
who fired the shot. He was placed under arrest for assault and 
battery with intent to kill, and upon trial in the Circuit Court 
after a hot legal battle, was acquitted. He was defended by 
the Hon. James W. Sansberry. The prosecution was conducted 
by W. A. Kittinger and the law firm of Robinson & Lovett. 
It was not proven on the trial that Ryan had fired the ball 
which pierced the body of Chittenden. Another saving clause 
in R}-an's behalf was that he entertained no malice or ill-will 
towards Chittenden, but was one of his devoted friends from 
boyhood. In the estimation of the jury which tried the case 
there was no provocation for Mr. Ryan to do this unlawful 



HIiSTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 403 

act. ^Ir. Will. Ryan is yet a resident of Anderson, and is at 
this writing filling the honorable position of shipping clerk 
for the Indiana Box Company. 

SHOOTING OF A TRAMP. 

In the year 1879, there was a great number of tramps 
roaming over the country, many of whom, in May of that 
3'ear, camped on the banks of White river, in what is now 
known as " McCullough Park," situated directly east of the 
Pan Handle railwa\' station. These fellows made themselves 
offensive to the community by calling at the residences of the 
people and demanding food of the female occupants in the 
absence of their husbands, \vho were away attending to their 
daily business. One of these parties, who gave his name as 
John Kelly, and his residence as New Haven, Conn., came to 
the home of Hiram Peden on the 22d day of May, and de- 
manded that Mrs. Peden should give him his supper. Carrie 
Peden, a little daughter, informed him that there was nothing 
for him. The tramp then sought Mr. Peden, ^vho was work- 
ing in the garden, and made a similar demand of him. Mr. 
Peden reiterated the statement of his daughter. At this the 
tramp became exasperated, and used vile and filthy language, 
and abused Mr. Peden unstintedly. He was ordered off the 
premises, but refused to go. Mr. Peden advanced toward him, 
and the trump then put his hand in his pocket, and told Peden 
he would shoot his brains out if he came any nearer. Peden 
then raised a hay rake he had in his hands, and went toward 
the tramp, who at once turned and fled. 

Mr. Peden afterward notified the marshal of the city of 
this affair, and in a little while Deputy Marshal Amos Coburn 
arrived upon the scene. The tramp had gone in the direction 
of the river bottoms, and Peden and the officer went thither, 
where thev found him with five others. Kelly was pointed 
out to the officer, who placed him under arrest. The tramp 
refused to accompany the officer, who then struck him with 
a " billy." At this Kelly's comrades, standing near by. ad- 
vanced upon the officer in a threatening manner, when Coburn 
ordered them to halt, warning them not to encroach upon him, 
and at the same time drawing a revolver. The tramps seeing 
this, for a time desisted. Soon, however, one of them, who 
called hjmself Robert Carson, became very demonstrative and 
moved toward the officer, having in his hands a piece of rail 
about twelve feet long, which he raised over Coburn's head, 



404 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

at the same time cursing and abusing him. Carson dared 
Coburn to shoot. Carson still persisted in his threatening 
manner, approaching the officer. Coburn seeing this, fired at 
him and brought him to the ground. The officer then took 
charge of Kellej', whom he landed in jail. A wagon was 
sent for, and Carson, the wounded man, was carried to the 
United States hotel, where he was attended by Drs. Cullen 
and Spann. Carson's wound was in the left side, just above 
the groin. He was unable to be removed for some time, but 
as soon as his condition permitted he was taken to the County 
Infirmary, where he eventually recovered. 

Carson had every appearance of having at one time been 
a sailor, as his body was covered with tattoo marks peculiar 
to that class of people. On his breast was a picture of a huge 
monument covering nearly the entire front of his body, and 
on it was inscribed, " Sacred to the memory of my Mother."" 
There were additional inscriptions upon other portions of his 
bodv. Mr. Coburn surrendered liimself to the officers of the 
la'w, and demanded an investigation of his acts, and after a 
full and fair investigation, he was declared to be guiltless of 
any wrong. Carson upon recovering from his wounds, left 
the city, and afterward with some " pals " ^vent to the house 
of an old couple near Delphos, Ohio, and, taking a lighted 
coal oil lamp, held it to their feet and burned and tortured 
them until tliev gave up all the money they possessed. They 
were afterward captured and convicted, and served a nine- 
years term in the State prison at Columbus, Ohio. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 



Recollections of Ve Olden Time. 



AN old-time school EXHIBITION. 

In the earl_v histor_v of Anderson there was but very little 
amusement for the people outside of what they made for them- 
selves. There were no opera houses, no public halls or any 
other place in which to congregate when occasion presented 
itself for the assembling of the people. The old Methodist 
church that once stood on the corner of Eleventh and 
Meridian streets, immediately north of the present church, 
was often used for home entertainments of a moral character. 
One of these took place there on the 16th of March, 1855 ; it 
was an old-fashioned school exhibition, such as all old-timers 
remember of having witnessed in the long ago, but which is 
now a thing of the past. Who of the older people of Madison 
county does not remember with pride when the last day of 
school arrived, how they "spoke their piece" and how they 
longed for the day to arrive ; how many anxious days, hours 
and minutes they put in committing to memory Patrick 
Henry's address before the Virginia Convention, "Ben Battle 
was a Soldier Bold," "The Mariner's Dream," and so on. 

These happy moments are gone ; they will never come 
again. The school children of to-day will never witness these 
scenes. Whether the present way of training the young 
mind is an" improvement over those of the earlier period of our 
free school system is an open question which we do not intend 
to discuss in these pages. We will assert, however, that the 
giants of the Madison count}- bar, men who have proven the 
most successful in their professions ; the old-time doctor, who 
battled with the ills of the Madison county pioneer, and made 
a mark in the world, and many of our most influential busi- 
ness men, have had their training in the old-fashioned way. 
The}' went to country school three months in the year, and 
worked the balance of the time on the farm, or in the shop. 
They had to speak their " pieces'" on Friday afterrfoons. 

One of the oldest members of the bar of this county says 



406 HISTOKY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

that his early trainhig in that direction lias been a great help 
to him in his practice. But leaving all of this to be settled 
by those whose business it is, we return to our subject. 

In 1855 the Anderson schools were under the able man- 
agement of Professor I. N. Terwilliger, one of the most com- 
petent instructors of his day. He evidently believed in the 
custom of teaching the students to speak in public, as is evi- 
denced by an old programme that has been unearthed, which 
tells the story of one of those enjoyable occasions that took 
place in the Methodist church. 

Many who took part in the exercises are now dead ; some 
have filled high and honorable positions in civil and military 
affairs ; some are yet living in Anderson, and look back to this 
occasion with joy and pride. The programme given below 
tells the story better than it is possible for one not there at the 
time to attempt to describe it. It is as follows : 

PROGRAMME 

OF THE 

Exhibition of the Anderson School to Come off in the 

Methodist Church Next Tuesday Evening. 
Intrt>ductory Speech Jasper Myers 

MUSIC BY the ANDERSON BAND. 

American Eagle Miss Mary Myers 

African Chief E. M. Roach 

Old Bachelors Thos. O'Neal 

Speak Gently Sarah Snelson 

The Flowers Mary Antrim 

Marco Bozzaras C. Webster 

SINGING. 

Billows By Several Misses 

Music on the Melodeon Miss E. Allen 

Prisoner for Debt Miss Pierson 

Traveler at the Nile Mary Roach 

Comic Piece David Harris 

To Arms C. H. Davis 

Charnel Ship S. D. Makepeace 

Lochinvar Wm. R. Myers 

MUSIC BY the BAND. 

Declamation Wm. Snelson 

Sailor Boy Cassa Lemon 

Dialogue Misses L. Makepeace and S. McGraw 

Dialogue Misses N. J. Roach and Almira Pierson 

Ail is Action Albert C. Davis 

Weep On Horace E. Jones 

Landing of the Pilgrims T. Snelson 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 407 



SINGING. 

Rockaway Misses Hudson and Allen accompanied by melodeon 

Napoleon at Rest Oliver H. Smith 

Duties of Americans John W. Pence 

Fortune Telling — Dialogue Myers, Blacklidge and Misses Allen 

The Isles of Greece Oliver C. Davis 

Truth Telling — Dialogue Misses Jackson, Allen and others 

The Grave Miss A. Craycraft 

The Birds Let Loose Miss Alniira Pierson 

Take Thy Banner Miss Mary Myers 

Ambition T. Snelson 

Music on the Melodeon Miss E.Allen 

The Homes of the Earth Misses Craycraft, Myers and others 

Dialogue about School Almira Pierson and Mary Myers 

Dialogue on Fashion Misses E. Allen and Mary Myers 

Contrasted Soliloquy Miss Esther Allen 

He Never Smiled Again O. H. Smith 

Yankeeism — Dialogue George Hughel and Jesse Neff 

Remorse J. R. Reasoner 

French Aggression , C. H. Davis 

MUSIC BY THE BAND. 

Dialogue O. L. Pierson and J. W. Pence 

Ben. Battle Geo. Hughel 

Name in the Sand Miss Nancy Jane Roach 

Orator Puff D. Snelson 

Soliloquy J. R. Reasoner 

American Indians C. Webster 



Do They Miss Me at Home Miss Hudson and girls 

Dialogue on Laughing Misses Holt, Blacklidge and others 

Old Ironsides Almyra Pierson 

Sukey Smith Wm. Myers 

School Promotes Happiness Misses Davis and Robinson 

Character of LaFayette J. C. Myers 

Ambition F.N. Pence 

Declamation Martin Roach 

MUSIC BY THE B.\ND. 

Cassius and Brutus E. M. Roach and Wm. R. Myers 

Old Arm Chair Miss C. Myers 

I'm With You Again , Miss Samantha Kindall 

Niagara — an Allegory Wm. Snelson 

Responsibleness of .America H. B. Makepeace 

Declamation W. H. H. \'ernon 

SINGING. 

Home .'\gain , Miss Hudson and girls 

Doctor and Patient Reasoner and several girls 

Truthfulness and Honesty Misses McGraw and Tithenngton 

South Carolina John \V. Pence 



408 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 

Massachusetts O. L. Pierson 

Edward and Warrick Myers and Pierson 

MUSIC BY THE BAND. 

American Flag Miss Craycraft 

Ice \'oice J. Xeff 

Doctor and Patient C. H. Davis and C. Webster 

Starlight on Marathon Miss Pierson 

Soliloquy ; J. R. Reasoner 

Declamation Caroline Jackson 

The Mariner's Dream . Elizabeth Allen 

Speech of Patrick Henry O. L. Pierson 

Declamation J. W. Pence 

Declamation Chas. Webster 

Declamation Wm. R. Myers 

Declamation Enoch M. Roach 

MUSIC ON THE JIELODEOX. 

Young Holland Jasper Myers 

MUSIC BY THE BAND. 

Maud Muller Mary Myers 

Speech 

SINGING. 

March 16, 1855. 

The above long programine was gone through taking 
until quite late in the night to complete it. The house being 
sinall it was impossible for the entire populace to witness the 
exhibition, so it was determined by the management to repeat 
the performance the next evening. The audience that greeted 
the second production was even greater than the first. Many 
were turned away, who could not gain admission. There 
were a great many funny incidents that occurred in connection 
with this affair, as there naturally would be in such an enter- 
prise. There were some of the " stars " who, it seems, wanted 
to monopolize the whole business, and go outside of the pro- 
gramme, so to speak. Tliis caused the Professor a great deal 
of trouble and annoyance. Among the number who was per- 
sistent in making himself " promiscuous," was Enoch M. 
Roach. He was one of Anderson's bright young men, and 
was a leader among the boys of his daj-. Enoch concluded 
that the audience was dying to hear him speak again, after he 
had had his turn, and insisted on going before the curtain 
with W. R. Mj'ers, and repeating the quarrel of " Brutus and 
Cassius." To this Professor Terwilliger strenuously objected ; 
warm words ensued, and it was no time until Roach and the 
Professor were mi.xed in a fight. This came near breaking 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 409 

lip the show. Order was at last restored behind the curtains, 
but there was much excitement out in the audience ; the people 
were anxious as to what was going on behind the scenes. 
Mr. J. R. Reasoner, prided himself on his great ability as an 
orator. He insisted on going out in front and rendering one 
of his " tiery pieces," in order to divert the attention of the 
audience from the affray that was going on among the actors. 
He had to be sat down upon bj' some one before he would 
subside. Finally, when all was quiet and serene, the show 
went on, and the programme was completed, and this passed 
into history, as one of the great events in Anderson. It hem 
never been forgtton by those who took part in it as well as 
those who witnessed it. It never will pass out of their mem- 
ory. It was one of the occasions that one always treasures 
up, and looks back to with happy thoughts. Time has 
caused sad havoc in the ranks of those whose names appear 
on this old musty programme. Many have gone to their long 
homes. Those who yet survive, are scattered from the lakes 
to the Gulf of Mexico. 

Among the number who have distinguished themselves in 
the affairs of life we mention Hon. W. R. Myers, who has 
been a member of Congress, and thrice elected Secretary of 
the State of Indiana. 

John W. Pence, ex-Postmaster of Anderson, now cashier 
of the Citizens' Bank of this city. 

F. N. Pence, once Cit}' Clerk of Anderson. 

Albert C. Davis, once Recorder of Madison county, and 
lately assistant door-keeper of the National House of Repre- 
sentatives. 

Jasper Myers, for many years a Captain in the Regular 
army, now a farmer in California. 

Thomas H. O'Neal, a prominent newspaperman. 

William Snelson, a prominent doctor, now of Iowa. 

H. B. Makepeace, a prominent business man of Indian- 
apolis. 

H. E. Jones, one of Anderson's noted physicians. 

George Hughel, one of Anderson's leading tailors. 

Miss Esther Allen is now the wife of J. C. Lord, of Fort 
Worth, Texas. 

Miss Caroline Jackson is now Mrs. E. C. Bliven, of 
Anderson. 

Miss Nancy J. Roach is now Mrs. B. B. Campbell, of 
Anderson. 



410 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Miss S. Kindall is tlie widow of the late Major Isaac M. 
May (now deceased). 

Miss Elizabeth Allen is now Mrs. A. J. Wilcox. 

Many of the others are yet living, but have passed out of 
the remembrance of the old-timers, as to their present abiding 
places. 

ANDERSON BRASS BAND OF 1854. 

It has been said by the bard of Avon that " music hath 
charms to soothe the savage breast." The saying is true. 
Music will sometimes have the effect to quell a riot, stop a run 
on a bank, or bring order out of chaos on a field of battle. 

In the history of Anderson, like all towns, villages and 
cities, she has had her share of musical talent. 

In the good days past and gone, when Anderson was but 
a small speck on the map of Indiana, known scarcely a hun- 
dred miles away, she had her gallant young men and dashing 
belles, just as at the present day. 

No town of any importance was considered up with the 
times that did not have a " brass band." 

We find that on the 23rd of November, 1854, the j'oung 
men of Anderson met at the court house and organized a band 
composed of the following members : 

Geo. W. Kline, Horace B. Makepeace, William Barrett, 
Z. M. Atherton, Alonzo I. Makepeace, James L. Willets, 
Abram B. Neff, Theo. H. Myers, James Vanort, James H. 
Jackson, James T. Sparks; Samuel D. VanPelt later on be- 
coming a member. 

The instruments were purchased personally by the mem- 
bers with the exception of a few small donations, made by 
enterprising citizens, who helped the boys along, John P. 
Barnes, the hardware merchant, being one of those who do- 
nated. 

This became one of the famous bands of Indiana. Each 
and every member of the aggregation was a musician. There 
was not a drone among the lot. Their reputation spread 
abroad and they were often called to adjoining towns to play 
for the Fourth of July celebrations, Masonic picnics, and agri- 
cultural fairs, often going to New Castle, Tipton, Noblesville 
and many other places. 

Geo. W. Kline, who yet lives in Anderson, was the leader. 
He played one of those old-fashioned key bugles, the present 
day cornets with piston or rotary valves not having come into 
use. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 411 

It is said that George held the championship of that day 
for street playing. He had but few equals and no superiors- 
as a bugler. The first teacher of this band was Prof. William 
Lybrand, of Ohio. He conducted the band for awhile and 
gave instructions until they were able to go it alone, when 
he left Anderson. The boys played by themselves for quite 
awhile, until an old circus band instructor came along in the 
person of Prof. Ruhl, whom thej- employed for awhile to 
instruct them. He did not remain long with them, and from 
the time he left they were alone under Geo. W. Kline as 
teacher and leader. 

Of those who were members of this musical organization 
there are but three yet living in Anderson : George W. Kline, 
Alonzo I. Makepeace and S. D. Van Pelt. H. B. Makepeace 
lives at Indianapolis and is trustee of Center township. 

They were all men of more or less prominence in the days 
in which they lived in this city. 

Alonzo I. Makepeace was Sheriff of Madison county from 
1886 to 1888 and is now a prominent merchant in Anderson. 

Geo. W. Kline is in the grocery trade, where he has been 
for nearly half a century. Theo. H. Myers and William 
Barrett live in Iowa. 

Anderson's first excursion train. 

On the 4th of July, 1851, the first railroad train that ran 
into Anderson made its appearance. It was an excursion train 
from Indianapolis over what is now the Big Four road. It 
was then known as the Bellefontaine road, and later on as the 
Bee Line. 

That was the day this division of the road was formally 
opened for traffic, and it was a big feather in Anderson's cap. 
The train was not one of those swift-flying luxurious affairs 
that are the pride of so many great railway corporations of the 
present time. It consisted of three plain, unvarnished coaches, 
about which there was a decided absence of show or ornamen- 
tation. The seats were not upholstered in satin or plush but 
were ordinary bench-like affairs. The opening of the road for 
travel was an event that had long been looked forward to by 
the people, and when at last an excursion was announced to 
be run from Indianapolis, the town made preparations for a 
grand, gala day. Many people through this section of the 
country had never seen a railroad train, and so anxious were 
they to get a glimpse of the curiosity that for two days before 



412 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the Fourth, they rolled into town, some of them coming long 
distances. All the boarding house and hotel accommodations 
were readily taken, after which strangers began to camp about 
town waiting the arrival of the train. 

At the old ford, where the iron wagon bridge now spans 
White river, at the Anderson cemetery, there was quite a 
settlement of sight-seers camped, waiting for the big day to 
roll around. The curiosity to see the train was not confined 
to country people alone, for the " town folks " were equally 
as anxious for the appearance of the " covered cars." A 
number of Andersonians who were acquainted with the lay of 
the country walked out as far as Omaha, now known as Mc- 
Cullough's gravel pit, between this city and Pendleton, in 
order to get the first glimpse of the great curiosity. When 
the steam engine puffed into sight, sizzing and snorting under 
the load of exxursionists, many lookers-on viewed the huge iron 
horse with wonder mingled with distrust. Suddenly the engi- 
neer gave a few vigorous yanks at the whistle, which re- 
sponded promptly in a shrill voice, and that settled the curi- 
osity of the sight-seers scattered along the track. There was 
a general stampede to the hazelbrush and swamp grass, and it 
is related of one man who was more frightened than the 
others, that he never stopped running until he got to Ander- 
son. The train was received in Anderson with all the 
" pomp and circumstance " of the times, and after the curios- 
ity of seeing a train of cars had worn away, people all joined 
hands and had a big celebration. 

On July 4, 1855, the first train over the Pan Handle rail- 
road reached Anderson. It was an excursion from Richmond, 
which at that time was the leading city of this section of the 
country. The train consisted of four cars, all well filled, and 
that occasion was another big day in Anderson. There was a 
big celebration at which speeches, foot races, wrestling 
matches and jumping contests were the chief features. A 
" sheepskin band " was procured for the day, and the plunk- 
ing of the players sounded just as musical in the ears of the 
old pioneers as the piano-like strains of the most expert band 
of the present day. For several days before the arrival of the 
excursion, the hardy backwoodsman and his family kept roll- 
ing into town to join in the festivities, and it is safe to say that 
near!)- everybodj- in this immediate section of Indiana was in 
Anderson that day. 



HISTOHY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 413 

THE FIRST DRUG STORE IN ANDERSON. 

In the early settlement of jMadison county such a thing as 
a drug store was not dreamed of. People who wanted a little 
" Spirits Frumenti " or a little quinine with which to fight 
the chills usually went to the corner grocery, where a general 
stock of drugs, groceries, whisky, turpentine, boots and 
shoes, and quinine were kept on sale. The phj'sicians of the 
county knew nothing whatever of the practice of writing pre- 
scriptions for sick patients. Every physician had a large pair 
of saddle bags, filled with long-necked bottles in which they 
carried their specifics for the cure of all ailments, being com- 
posed principally of a bottle of calomel, a bottle of quinine, 
and a lance with which to bleed. In those days, the doctors 
used these remedies for nearly every ill to which human flesh 
is heir. 

The pioneers of Madison county, like the settlers in all 
new countries, lived, suffered and died under the treatment of 
these medicine men until the enlightenment of science caused 
them to throw aside the lance, and to abandon the use of calo- 
mel for purging and salivating. 

One day in 1838, a tall, handsome, young physician made 
his appearance in the quiet village of Anderson. He not only 
engaged in the practice of medicine, but opened the first drug 
store in the place in 1843. This was no less a personage than 
Dr. J. W. Westerfield, \vho died here in 1895. Dr. Wester- 
field originally located at ^loonsville. 

He was the sole dispenser of drugs and medicines for 
about three years when Atticus Siddall, in the spring of 1846, 
purchased the store and became VVesterfield's successor. Sid- 
dall, continued the business alone for eleven years, in the 
meantime sufi'ering greatly from a big fire which in the fall of 
1851 wiped out the entire south side of the public scjuare. 

In 1857 the elder Siddall associated his son, P. F. Sid- 
dall, in business with himself as an equal partner under the 
firm name of Siddall & Son. In the following year Siddall, 
senior, died, and Dr. Westerfield became his successor and the 
partner of P. F. Siddall, the style of the firm being Sid- 
dall & Westerfield. The business was continued until the 
year 1860, when Dr. Westerfield retired from the firm, giving 
way to A. A. Siddall, and the name of the firm was changed 
to Siddall & Bro. A. A. Siddall remained in the business but 
a short time when he sold out to Dr. Westerfield, who con- 



414 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

tinued in the firm until the year 18GS, when the business was 
sold to Dr. J. F. Brandon. This was not only the oldest drug 
store in Anderson, but remained the longest of any in the 
same place, it being located for over twenty years in the room 
now occupied by the Cassel Bros., on the east side of the pub- 
lic square. 

Several eminent physicians of Madison county were at 
different times interested in this old drug store. Besides Drs. 
Westerfield, William A. Hunt, E. H. Menefee, late of Alexan- 
dria, and G. N. Hillogoss, there were many others whose 
names the writer does not now recall, who were at times be- 
hind the prescription counter, dealing out medicine in this 
temple of pharmacy. 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 



Reminiscences and Personal Sketches. 



JUDGE HERVEY craven AND THE PROFESSIONAL JURYMEN. 

Prior to the year 1875 it was a custom in this, as wallas 
other counties throughout Indiana, for men to hang around the 
court house during a term of court to get on the jury. The 
professional juryman was an occupation that many followed 
for a living. They did not pretend to do anything else, their 
pay was two dollars and a half per day and meals furnished 
while on duty. This custom became so prevalent that the 
Legislature took the matter in hand and passed a law prohib- 
iting any person from setting on a jury more than once in a 
year. This had a tendency to cause professional jurors to 
look out for some other job. 

The Hon. Harvey Craven was then judge. The first day 
of court after the taking effect of the new law, the court room 
was crowded with the old-time professionals who did not 
know of this new act. Craven surveyed the premises, taking 
a glimpse over the house, and calling the sherifl' to his desk, 
whispered to him to fill the jury box up with as many of the 
professionals as he could get in when the jury was called. In 
a few moments the judge called court. 

" Mr. Sheriff, you will please call the regular panel 
jury and supply the vacancies from the bystanders." 

The order was complied with. Six or seven of the panel 
answered, and the balance was supplied. Court went on in 
its usual way until noon, the jury sitting in the box all the 
while with nothing to do. The old-timers sat like " Patience 
on a monument." They thought they were fixed for a five 
weeks' term. They had hung their hats and coats up on the 
hooks around the court house and were ready to delve into the 
mysteries of any case that might come before them. 

Just before adjourning time at noon Judge Craven said : 
"Mr. Sheriff, will you please hand me the acts of the last 
Legislature ?" Taking the book he deliberately turned through 



416 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



it until he came to the act in point. He read it very slowly, 
emphasizing where it said that a person should only be eligi- 
ble to sit on a jury one term in any one year. Turning, 
facing the jury, he said : 

"Gentlemen of thejurj-, you have heard the reading of 
the law. I do not know what the object of the Legislature 
was in passing such an act, unless it was for the purpose of 




V S't^c 



THE OLD COURT HOUSE. 

disposing of infernal dead beats that lay around the 'court 
houses throughout the State of Indiana for the purpose of get- 
ting on the jury. I do not know that any of the^present'jury 
are of this class ; I hope they are not ; but we will have you 
sworn to answer questions. Swear the jury, Mr. Clerk." 

By this time great drops of sweat were rolling off some of 
the jury. As the proper questions were propounded to them 
they took their hats and coats from the hooks and dropped 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 417 

out one at a time until the jury-box was cleaned out. This 
stopped the professional juryman business in Madison county. 
It is one of the best laws on our statute books. 

F. T. LUSE AND HIS MAGIC LANTERN. 

Among the many good fellows who have lived in Aladison 
county, none will be longer remembered than Fleming T. Luse. 
He came here in the fall of 1866, and purchased the Anderson 
Standard , and published it for several years, and afterwards 
served as deput}"^ treasurer of the county, in the capacity of tax 
collector. He removed from here to Crawfordsville, Ind., 
where he is now living, and is the editor and publisher of the 
Rcviciv of that city. 

During !Mr. Luse's residence in this county, one winter 
he, in company ^vith Clem Chappel, embarked in the show 
business. They purchased a magic lantern, and traveled 
through the country districts giving exhibitions in the school 
houses. The}- did a thriving business, and had some very rich 
experience as well. One of the funny incidents in connection 
with their show business, was at one of their exhibitions at 
Strawtown, in Hamilton county. They had stopped there on 
Saturday night to '■ Sunday over," and concluded that it would 
be a capital idea to approach the trustees of the village church, 
and propose to give a show on Sunday night for the benefit of 
the church. They accordingly visited those dignitaries, and 
made such a proposal, which was promptly accepted. It was 
given out b}- the minister at the Sunday morning services that 
an exhibition would be given in the evening, assuring the con. 
gregation that it would be strictly moral, and that the church 
would receive half the proceeds, and urged a large turn-out. 

When the time arrived for the show to begin the house 
was packed to suffocation, and everything was going off as 
smoothly as it could be wished for. The canvas was stretched 
across the front of the pulpit, and the lantern was in the rear, 
entrusted to the care of Chappel. who was to manipulate the 
machine, and place the pictures in proper position, while Luse 
stood out in full view of the audience and delivered a lecture 
upon each picture as it passed in sight. 

All went on in perfect harmony, and the patrons were 
more than pleaseil with the performance, when a little mistake 
came near spoiling the whole business. Mr. Luse, was in a 
very sedate and solemn manner, describing a passing picture on 
the canvas, about as follows : "Ladies and gentlemen : The 

27 



418 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTV, INDIANA. 

picture before you now represents the miracle of our Saviour 
■walking upon the water. The beautiful body of water you see 
is supposed to be the sea of Galilee, which the artist has por- 
trayed in a most excellent and natural manner." At this point 
Luse noticed the small boys in the front row were tittering and 
laughing, and some of the old deacons wore a very broad smile 
on their faces ; and many of the good old sisters had their 
handkerchiefs stuffed in their mouths ; when he turned his 
face to the canvass, and forgetting for the moment where he 
was, or the solemnity of the occasion, he exclaimed, " Hell- 
fire! Clem, you have got this picture upside down." 

This put the young bloods in a roar of laughter, and 
shocked the deacons of the church to such an extent tliat it 
nearly broke up the show. But after an apology by Luse it 
proceeded until all of the pictures were viewed by the audience, 
and all went home happj' and satisfied. 

ADDRESSES A SOUTH AMERICAN AUDIENCE. 

A. B. Kline, once cashier of the First National Bank of 
Anderson, was one of the boys, and was prominent in society 
as well as politics; a fast friend of Colonel Stilwell, who 
was at one time sole proprietor of Anderson, and run it with 
a brass band. Stilwell was prominent with the administra- 
tion of Andrew Johnson, and " swung around the circle with 
him." In return Johnson appointed him minister to Vene- 
zuela. Kline was, of course, made Secretary of Legation. 
While there the government of that country was in a state of 
turmoil and civil war. The troops at the capital had had a 
battle with some of the rebellious subjects and were victori- 
ous. A banquet was given the officers by the head of the 
government, and all of the foreign ministers and their staffs 
were invited, among whom were Stilwell and Kline. Wine 
flowed freely and a good time was had. Speeches were made 
congratulating the army on the great victory. At last it came 
Kline's time to speak. He mounted the table and said: 
" You can talk about your wars and warriors in this country, 
but they don't amount to a last year's bird nest when com- 
pared to the army of my country. Why, during the late Re- 
bellion in the United States there were more men killed every 
morning before breakfast in Camp Morton by the accidental 
discharge of fire-arms than there is killed in this country in a 
year. I can take a company of Indiana soldiers and clean out 
your entire army in less than twenty-four hours." 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 419 

This was as far as he got. A grand rush was made for 
the speaker, but through the heroic efforts of Stihvell and his 
friends present, Kline was saved from the angry mob. It 
was necessar)' to at once send him home under the protection 
of the American flag to save him from bodily injury. 

ONE OF MADISON COUNTv'.S JOLLY SHERIFFS. 

William Nelson, who filled the office of Sheriff of Madison 
county from 1864 to 18(36, is worthy of mention. William 
did not make as much money out of the office as many before 
and since his time, but no man ever had as much fun out of it 
as he did. He didn't care how the weather was, so the wind 
didn't blow. He had but little of the cares of office upon his 
mind, leaving the complications of the matter to his deputies. 

Thomas ]. Stephens was his principal deputy, who was 
assisted by Enoch M. Roach, Robert Titherington and numer- 
ous others. Mr. Nelson was a great billiard player; he spent 
much of his time in John Hizer's billiard parlors on South 
Main street, playing with his friends. He was a great fellow 
to sing when playing billiards. He would stait in, in the 
morning, and play until night without stopping. He had a 
favorite song he used to sing while in a game : 

"This baby had a daddy, oh, 

It sat right (in its daddy's knee," etc. 

He was continually singing this song, or humming it, 
from the time the game commenced until it ended. He and 
" Daddv " Titherington went to Perkinsville, once, to arrest 
some fellow. On their return they stopped along the road, 
under a shade tree, to take a quiet game of seven-up, the 
prisoner joining in the game. The plaj'ers soon tired of their 
sport, and the Sheriff' and deputy dropped oft' to sleep, and the 
prisoner made his escape and it is supposed that he is still at 
large. 

Nelson was at one time Justice of the Peace in Richland 
township, before he was Sheriff". A case was to be tried be- 
fore him — the lawyers from Anderson drove out to his place. 
The case was called, but he could not find his docket. After 
studying a minute, he said: ''No, I think I remember now ; 
them cussed ' youngons ' had it down in the orchard playing 
with it yesterday." 

He went down in the orchard, found his docket and the 
trial proceeded. Mr. Nelson was one of the kindest hearted 
of men — too good to his friends for his own good, but he 



420 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

never regretted being a good fellow ; it was his nature and he 
enjoyed it. 

He removed from here to Jasper county, Indiana, when 
his time as Sheriff had expired, but now lives in Iowa, where 
he is engaged in farming. He was in Anderson a short time 
ago, looking hale and hearty, and although over sixty years 
of age, looked much younger. The good and happy days 
when " Uncle Bill " was Sheriff of Madison county will long 
be remembered by many of the old-timers; for instance, 
"Daddy" Titherington, Thomas J. Stephens and James 
Shawhan. There is a time in the existence of all men when 
they eat their " white bread." " Daddy " Titherington ate his 
when " Uncle Bill " was Sheriff — he never had such times 
before, nor since. 

• OLIVER P. STONE AND W. S. BEARD. 

Oliver P. Stone, who died a few years ago, was one of 
the old land-marks of Anderson. He came here in an early 
day, engaged in school teaching, studied law and practiced 
his profession for several years. He reared an intelligent and 
very respectable family, taking great pains and spending 
money freely that they might be properly educated. He ac- 
cumulated quite a large real estate interest in and around An- 
derson, which, if his estate now covered would be worth to 
them one hundred thousand dollars. Unfortunately it was 
sold by his administrator just before the boom — before gas was 
known to exist — at a very low price. He owned the block 
of lots now known as Lincoln Terrace, besides the block 
where W. A. Kittinger's palatial home stands and a large 
tract of land near where the tile works are situated. 

He was a very peculiar man in his make-up, stubborn and 
hard to convince in matters where it was necessary to bend 
his ideas. He would rather have a law suit in a settlement 
than settle it any other way. If he was at war with you 
about a matter it made no difference with him in his every day 
intercourse with you. He was always the polite gentleman 
when he met you on the street in or out of law. In fact it was 
often remarked that he was more genteel to one with whom 
he was contesting a case than he was with others. 

He was at one time City Marshal. He was a small, 
spare man. and although courageous enough, he could not 
cope with the tough element that was numerous here at that 
time. When the boys wanted to have some fun on Saturday 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 421 

nights they would corral Marshal Stone and then proceed to 
" paint the town red." 

While he was Marshal, old Billy Beard got on a spree. 
He was making things lively with his nasal-whanged " bazoo," 
talking loud and long. Stone admonished him to quiet down 
or he would take him in. Beard replied : 

•' You think you are d — d smart since you are Marshal of 
Anderson. I knew vou, sir, when you were a common coun- 
try school teacher." 

Stone drew his club and rapped Beard over the head, 
bringing him to the ground. Beard raised up and said : 

" Thank you, sir, I suppose that is according to scripture. 
It says we shall bow down to wood and stone." 

Beard was allowed to go hence on promise that he would 
behave himself. 

Stone was entirely out of his sphere as Marshal ; the place 
did not fit him. Many of our best business men got their edu- 
cation from Mr. Stone. Capt. Mvers, John W. Pence, D. F. 
Mustard and many others were pupils of his. 

SKETCH OF COLONEL XINEVEH BERRY. 

To the writers there is nothing so interesting as reminis- 
cences of olden times, and the lives of the early settlers of 
the wilderness. We believe that in this respect we do not 
differ from the general rule among readers of the public prints 
and books. 

In the j-ear 18S0, the Democrat of this city indulged very 
freely in the publication of reminiscences of the lives of the 
pioneers of Madison county. In doing so it has perpetuated the 
memory of many persons and events which would have been 
otherwise forgotten. 

Among others thus spoken of, and who is worthy of more 
than passing notice in our pages, is Colonel Nineveh Berry. 
Of him the article from which we quote states as follows : 
" The border incidents of half a century ago, are the most in- 
teresting of American history. The trials and perils of the 
early settlers, their great labor in opening a new country, 
their adventures on land and water are of absorbing interest. 
Every country has its pioneers who recite to us the thrilling 
adventures of border days. Our country was the scene of 
many an interesting event in those times. In many respects 
it \vas a favorable home for the Indians, while game such as 



422 



mSTORV OF .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



deer, elk, bears ami other animals abounded in forests once so- 
numerous." 

Colonel Nineveh Berry was born at Springvale, Clark 
county, Indiana, on the I'Oth of April, 1804. He lived in this 
State during the whole of his natural life, and just before his 
death it was claimed that he was the oldest living Hoosier in 
the State. The Colonel, with his father, John Berry, ar- 
rived in Anderson on the 4th of March, ISil. What mighty 
events in American history are to be found within the years 




COLONEL NINEVEH BERRY. 

he spent in this citv ! Two great wars, the Mexican and the 
war of the Rebellion arose and were terminated in his lifetime. 
The invention of the telegraph, the sewing machine, the 
threshing machine, tiie cotton gin and man}- others were all 
accomplished in his day. Tiie traversing of this vast conti- 
nent by steam, and the opening up of immense tracts of land 
to civilization and to happy homes are all events which he 
lived to see brought about. 

When Mr. Berry arrived at Anderson there were but two 
white men living in the place, Eli Harrison and George Clay- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 423 

ton, wlio have long since passed over to tlie happy hunting 
grounds. There was then no public school, no streets; only- 
one road, running east and west, and a few Indian trails run- 
ning north and south. A few unoccupied Indian cabins and 
an Indian gravej-ard, with numerous wooden crosses over the 
graves, extending along the bluff of the river, were the only 
signs that indicated anything like a settlement. The place 
had been known in Colonial history for half a century prior 
to this as Anderson's town. 

For the hrst eight years of his life Colonel l^erry lived in 
a house which had been abandoned by Chief Anderson. It 
was located on a hill directly south of the spot where Norton's 
brewery- now stands. The rich bottom lands known as the 
Hazlett farm, on which the American Straw Board Company 
have recently erected their buildings, were entered of the gov- 
ernment by John Berrv, the Colonel's father, at $1.25 per 
acre. They had been cultivated for years before by Indian 
scjuaws, and had been planted in corn. A post-ofKce was 
established here and John Berry was appointed postmaster. 
The mail was carried between Anderson and Indianapolis on 
horseback, and then at a great risk to the carrier; the roads 
were not as yet made, and hungry wolves ^vere frequent along 
the route of passage. A mail route was established between 
Anderson and Winchester, and Britton Brasket was the car- 
rier. The postmaster frequently carried the entire mail in his 
hat, and on being asked by any one if there was any mail in 
the office for him, would remove his hat and make an exami- 
nation. The salary of the office for the first four years rated 
at fourteen dollars per annum. The first two years the set- 
tlers were compelled to purchase their corn of the Indians at 
Strawtown, and transport it to Anderson in small bark 
canoes. 

In the trial, conviction and execution at Pendleton, of 
Sawyer and Bridge for murder of Indians, a full account of 
which is given elsewhere in this book, Colonel Berry assisted 
as an inside guard over the prisoners during their execution. 
One of the prisoners, a youth of seventeen years, it will be 
remembered, was pardoned by the Governor in person, only a 
moment or two before the fatal noose was to be drawn. The 
terrified young man upon hearing the words of the Governor 
fell in a swoon. He was caught in the arms of Colonel Berry, 
who described the scene and its effect upon the spectators as 
thrilling and exciting in the extreme. 



424 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

The first oflice ever held by Colonel Berry was that of 
County Surveyor to which he was appointed in 1831. He held 
this position at different periods for twenty years. In his 
labors he had to make many rough journe3-s through the 
country. 

The streams of White riyer and Killbuck at this early 
date abounded in fine fish of a variety known as bass, and 
others. In an hour's labor with a spear, it was not an uncom- 
mon thing for one man to supply a dozen families with this 
excellent food. The deer ■were also very numerous, and were 
often killed within half a mile of the public square, and also 
along the river west of the town. 

In 1833, Colonel Berry was married to Hannah Pugh, 
■with whom he lived until the year 1875, when she died. He 
became the father of six children, of whoni but one now 
survives, Mrs. E. Howland, of Indianapolis. 

In 1838 he was elected County Recorder, and held the 
office for four years. In May, 1847, he sought new adventure, 
and joined an Indiana regiment for the Mexican war, and 
served with it until the close of that conflict. He became the 
commissary of the regiment, and in fourteen months returned 
to Anderson with if5,000 in gold and silver, and warrants for 
160 acres of land. 

The Colonel was very free hearted, and could not refuse 
a neighbor or friend any accommodation asked by him. which 
led him into the habit of^going security, so that within a few 
years after his return from Mexico he had by this means lost 
his fortune. In one single year he thus paid out over .$4,500 
for other people's debts, and for which he stood responsible. 

A prominent event in early times was ''muster day." 
There was then a law compelling all male persons between 
the ages of twenty-one and forty-five years to appear at cer- 
tain parades and be drilled in the manual of arms. There 
were battalion, regimental and company drills, and they gen- 
erally drew out large crowds to witness them, and created as 
much interest as a county fair does at the present daj-. Among 
the prominent members of the militia in this county were 
Joseph Howard. William Craycraft, John Allen, William 
Roach, John Kindle and Colonel Berry, who received the 
title of Colonel from the fact of his belonging to the militia, 
and this title stuck to him during his life. 

In 1856, he was elected County Treasurer, and was re- 
elected two years thereafter. The office was worth then about 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 425 

twelve hundred dollars per aniuini. He ■vvas subsequently a 
candidate for the office of County Clerk, but was defeated by 
James Hazlett. After this he never held any official position, 
but became engaged in the business of ruiminga small grocery 
store, on the north side of the pulilic square. 

In 1849, the Colonel became a member of the Masonic 
fraternitv. The lodge then held its meetings in the second 
stor)' of the old court house. He becaine an enthusiast in 
Masonrv, and took more than ordinary interest in the welfare 
of the order. He held its teachings in the same light that a 
Christian does the Bible, and often said that a true jNIason 
was just as sure to reach heaven as a true Christian. 

In politics, the Colonel was an ardent and intense Demo- 
crat, and was always ready to argue his side of the question, 
yet he was always shown respect by his political opponents, 
to whom he never gave offence in any of his discussions. He 
was a ready talker, and enjoyed a good joke upon himself as 
much as upon any other person. Although a man of strong 
prejudices, he possessed more than a usual number of good 
traits. He lived long enough to see Anderson grow from a 
small settlement to a city of more than six thousand people, 
and one of the most beautiful county seats in the State. He 
beheld the wilderness opened up, and gazed upon highways, 
turnpikes, business houses, and elegant homes where once the 
forests bowed beneath the storm. 

During Colonel Berry's incumbency of the County Treas- 
urer's office, there came one season which was very wet. It 
began raining in the month of March, and kept on almost inces- 
santly until the first of June. The country was in those days but 
little drained by ditches, and the surface of the ground being 
very flat, the water lay upon the earth in such quantities as to 
prevent the farmers from planting and cultivating their spring 
crop of corn. It looked as if the county would be visited by 
a famine. Colonel Berry in the goodness of his heart took 
from the county funds a sufficient amount of money with 
which to proceed to Canada where he purchased a large quan- 
tity of a small kind of corn raised in that countrv of short 
season, and speedy growth, and brought some of it home with 
him to distribute among the farmers of Madison county for 
seed. Upon the meeting of the Board of County Commis- 
sioners at a subsequent session, they refused to allow the 
amount expended by Colonel Berry for this purpose, or to re- 
imburse him for the same. The Colonel had to make good 



426 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the amount expended which fell very heavily upon him. How- 
ever, public sentiment soon changed in this particular, and 
the people came to recognize that the Colonel was actuated by 
motives having reference to the public good alone. Accord- 
ingly the Board of Commissioners finally made a compromise 
with him and he was allowed the greater part of the money 
which he had spent. 

The last piece of property that Colonel Berry owned 
stood on the site where the present Lovett & Robinson block 
stands on the north side of the public square. He sold it to 
them about the year 1880 for $7,000. The last building in 
which the Colonel did business is a very small, one-story house 
with a square front projecting above the comb of the roof, and 
is now situated south of the Big Four railroad, opposite the 
property of John Craighead. 

Volumes could be written about Colonel Berry and the 
early pioneers of his daj', but space forbids us dwelling any 
further upon this subject. There is no old-timer who has lived 
within the borders of Madison county for the past fifty years 
who does not know the subject of this sketch, and knowing 
him does not love him. 

In the war of the Rebellion. Colonel Berry enlisted in the 
34th Indiana regiment, volunteers, and served in the commis- 
sary department for about one year when owing to his failing 
health, he resigned his position and came home. He died 
August 17th, 1883. His funeral was attended by all his friends, 
by the great mass of the citizens, and was conducted under 
the auspices of the Masonic fraternitj-. 

IN MEMORY OF MRS HANNAH BERRY, A PIONEER OF MADI- 
SON COUNTY A NOBLE WOMAN WHO DIED IN ANDER- 
SON IN 1875. 

As stated in another place in this volume, it is not our 
intention to go into details as to the biography of the people 
who make up the citizenship of Madison county, but there 
are a few people who have lived and passed away, whom we 
deem it just and proper to speak of and to place in such a 
position that the history of their lives andgood deeds shall not 
be forgotten. Among the many prominent \vomen who have 
lived and died in Anderson none is more worthy of mention 
than Hannah Berry, wife of the late Colonel Nineveh Berry, 
who died on the 11th day of June, 1875. She was born in 
Licking county, Ohio, on the 4th day of August, 1815, and 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



427 



emigrated with her parents to Madison county in the fall of 
1826. Her father settled in the vicinity of Anderson, and his 
daughter resided with him until the 19th of March, 1833, at 
which time she was married to Nineveh Berry. The Colonel 
settled in Anderson immediately after his marriage, where he 
continued to reside until the time of his death. Mrs. Berry 
left behind her to mourn her loss, her husband and two daugh- 
ters, Mrs. M. C. Ilowland, of Indianapolis, and Mrs. Eliza- 
beth Clark, of Anderson, who died in this city but recently, 
being the wife of Alexander Clark, who yet survives her. 




MKS. HANNAH BKRKV. 

Mrs. Berry was one of the oldest inhabitants of Madison 
county, having li\ed in Anderson and its vicinity for nearly 
fifty years prior to her death. She was in the county when it 
was a wilderness. She witnessed the iinpiovement and prog- 
ress made since the organization of the county. She was 
well known by all the citizens of Anderson as well as nearly 
every household in the county. Her husband having been 
prominent from his boyhood, in politics and business, she thus 
had a splendid chance to form the acquaintance of people, 
to know their ways, and to become familiar with them in 
every respect. In her married life she was a very kind and 



428 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

aftectionate wife and one of the best neighbors in the com- 
munity. 

She lived with her husband happily for forty-five years ; 
that the ties which united them were very strong was shown 
on all occasions by the respect they manifested toward each 
other, and the watchful care bestowed on the wife by her hus- 
band during her long illness. Her children were strongly 
attached to her as no one could doubt who witnessed the con- 
stant presence of her daughters at her bedside night and day 
for several days prior to her demise. Colonel Berry was one 
of the first Free Masons in the county, and was always prom- 
inent in that order. Mrs. Berry herself was a prominent 
member of the Eastern Star degree. Her funeral took place 
on the Sabbath day and was attended by the Masonic frater- 
nity headed by a band of music. This was the first instance 
in the history of Madison county in which the Masons turned 
out in a body to attend the funeral of a woman. It will long 
be remembered by those who were then residents of Anderson 
as being the largest funeral that had ever occurred in the 
county up to that date. Thousands of people filled the court 
house yard in front of the residence, and the streets were 
jammed for many squares in every direction by people who 
were anxious to witness the ceremonies which took place 
under the direction of James A. Thompson, who delivered the 
address in a very solemn and impressive manner. The sermon 
was preached by Elder Thompson of the Christian church, of 
which Mrs. Berry was an honored and consistent member. 
The passing away of Mrs. Berry removed from Anderson one 
of the old land-marks of the county, and her death will long 
be regretted by those who enjoyed her friendship. 

NOLLIE WALDEN, AN OLD-TIME RESIDENT. 

It is our purpose in these pages not only to mention the 
good deeds of the Anglo-Saxon, but to do full justice to our 
colored brethren as well. In writing this book it would be 
improper to pass by a prominent character that once filled a 
place in daily life in Anderson. This was no less a personage 
than Nollie Walden, a colored gentleinan, who for many 
years made Anderson his home. He was among the first, if 
not the very'first, colored barber who did business in Ander- 
son. He was born in Halifax, North Carolina, in 1814. His 
parents were colored and enjoyed the proud distinction in 
those days of being free. Mr. Walden had largely the ap- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 429 

pearance of having in his veins a mixture of Indian blood; he 
was not what might be termed bhick, but possessed a copper- 
colored hue, and his hair was straight like the red man's. Nor 
did he have the traits of the negro in other respects, for his 
nose and lips were like those of a white man. He \vas taught 
the trade of a painter, in which, it is said, he excelled. He 
was without the advantages of education, but was neverthe- 
less well posted on the political, religious and other questions 
of the day. 

On attaining his majority he left North Carolina and 
came to Cincinnati, where he pursued his trade for sometime, 
and from that place he went to Aladison, Indiana. In 1845 
he was married to Miss Susan Sizemore, of Wayne county. 
Shortly after his marriage he moved to Indianapolis, and 
thence to Anderson in 1859. He purchased the house and lot 
on the corner of Ninth and Jackson streets, in which he made 
his home. He opened a barber business in Anderson and he 
steadily continued in this pursuit until the day of his death, 
on the 24th of December. 1S74. 

"Uncle Nolly," as he was familiarly called by the people, 
had many peculiarities. It was the general opinion that he 
was possessed of a " Mascot," as he never purchased a ticket 
in any kind of a lottery drawing in which he failed to secure 
a prize. In the year 18CG at a lottery drawing conducted by 
Samuel Pence in the old Union Hall in Anderson, Air. Pence 
disposed of the entire outfit of a large li\ery stable that he 
then owned. Nolly was the fortunate man to win the chief 
prize, which was a liorse, buggy and harness. 

A few months later a gentleman from VV'abash came to 
Anderson selling tickets for a lottery in which the capital 
prize was a residence in that city worth several thousand 
dollars. Mr. Walden invested a dollar and purchased one of 
the tickets. He laid it aside and hardly gave it a passing 
thought. A\'hat was his surprise when reading the news- 
papers a few days after the drawing took place to discover 
that his ticket bore the lucky number which won the house. 
The property was immediately deeded to Mr. \\"alden on sur- 
rendering his ticket, and he held onto the same until the day 
of his death. 

At the date of his advent into Anderson, there were but 
three or four colored people in the town, Rollin Williams and 
family, '-old Black Jess" and another family by the name of 
Richardson. These people constituted the sum total of the 



430 HrSTORV OF MADrSON COUNTV, INDIANA. 

colored population. Mv. Wiilden from the day of his first 
appearance took the lead among the colored people, and he 
was at the head of all enterprises, social, religious, or political, 
in which his race was interested. When he died he owned 
property at the corner of Sixth and Jackson streets, where 
his widow dwelt for a long time after his decease, but sub- 
sequently re-marrying, she disposed of it, and moved away 
from Anderson. 

HAMILTON, THE HORSE TAMER. 

Many small shows, circuses and other classes of amuse- 
ments are going through the country, as they always have 
since the organization of civilized society, but none ever 
struck Anderson that made the hit that Hamilton, the horse 
tamer, did with his spotted pony and small caravan of trained 
horses. He visited this place in the summer of 186G. He 
traveled something like a circus, with accoutrements of simi- 
lar character. He pitched his tent on the vacant ground, or 
"commons," just south of Twelfth street on Meridian, where 
James McKeown's houses now stant'.. He stayed there about 
two weeks, giving exhibitions twice a day of his skill in hand- 
ling wild and vicious horses. He would take any horse brought 
to him, no matter how wild or unmanageable, and in less than 
no time he would have him following him around like a pet 
dog. He would hitch up an unbroken horse, and in a short time 
would drive him through the streets without a bridle. He 
gave lessons in the art of horse taming. Nearly every young 
man in Madison county at that time became a horse tamer, 
but did not follow it up long, soon tiring of the fun, finally 
dropping back to the old way of training their colts by main 
strength and pure awkwardness Hamilton made money 
like dirt and spent it with a lavish hand. He had a pretty 
wife to whom he was fondly devoted. Nothing was too good 
or too rich for her. She was several years his junior and he 
seemed to think she was the only woman there was in this 
wide, wide world. She sported diamonds and costly jewels, 
and had everything that money could buy. The Professor 
himself was rather vain of his personal appearance ; he wore 
a large diamond and carried a gold -headed cane. He was 
coming up from Richmond on the Pan Handle train one morn- 
ing with his family, his wife occupying a seat in front of him. 
It was a very warm day and the cars were crowded. Mrs. 
Hamilton tried to raise the window to let in fresh air. She 



HISTORY OF ArADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 481 

could not get the window up. The Professor tried it, but it 
would not move. He took his cane and smashed the window 
pane out, and resumed his seat, talking to a friend as if noth- 
ing had happened. The conductor soon arrived on the scene, 
accosting him : 

"Sir, that will cost you a tive-dollar note." 

"All right. Here's your money," giving him a ten-dollar 
bill. 

The conductor began to fumble around for the change. 

"Never mind the change. I'll take another one," and, 
taking his cane, he punched out another light and went on 
with the conversation with his friend. It was a great adver- 
tisement for him. It was no time until the whole train load 
of people knew of the occurrence and were all talking of 
Professor Hamilton, the great horse trainer. While at Rich- 
mond he bought and gave away to the poor of the city one 
hundred cords of wood. It was but "bread cast upon the 
water to return many days hence." He did an enormous 
business in Richmond, Cambridge City and other towns in 
that locality. 

His wonderful trick pony that he had in Anderson will 
long be remembered. Many is the boy who has tumbled over 
his head. As far as the pony could hear Hamilton's voice he 
would obey his commands. 

A boy would be placed on the pony's back and started 
off at a full gallop. Getting a square or two off, the Professor 
would say, "Whoa!" The pony would stop as quick as if 
shot, but the boy would go on, alighting several feet in front 
of him. No person on earth could cause the pony to change 
its position or move until Hamilton gave the command. If 
he commanded the pony to back, it would back all the way 
to him. If he said roll back, roll back it was. If he said lie 
down, it would lie down and stay there until it was com- 
manded to get up. There have been many imitators of Ham- 
ilton, but there never was but one Hamilton. His way of 
doing business and gaining the confidence and respect of the 
people was a gift to him not enjoyed by any of his imitators. 
He would go into a strange town, and in twenty-four hours 
every one in town would know and like him. His mode of 
handling the horse was perfect, and, if practiced by people, 
would be of great benefit to both man and beast. Whilst he 
subdued the animal, he made it love him, and it soon loved to 
do his will. The Professor was a "Michigan Yankee." He 



432 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

is now supposed to be dead, or at least he has not been heard 
of in this country for a long while. 

HOW JOHN SALVERS GOT HIS PENSION. 

An odd character of thirty years ago was Uncle Johnny 
Salyers. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, and was a 
constant applicant for a pension for years, without avail. He 
had Thomas A. Hendricks, T. N. Stilwell, William S. Hol- 
man and all of the prominent men of the times to try his case. 
None could succeed. Finally he made up a collection among 
the people, went to Washington and in person applied to the 
pension office, told his plain, simple story, and was granted a 
pension, which he drew until his death. This was during the 
time that Colonel T. N. Stilwell represented this district in 
Congress. The department officials had quite a time "kid- 
ding" Uncle John. One of them asked him if Stilwell was 
the smartest man in his district and the best timber for Con- 
gress. " No," he said, " we have lots of smarter men than 
Stilwell, but they are all busy teaching school." There was 
no one who enjoyed the joke more than Tom Stilwell. who 
often related it in his lifetime. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 



Fires, Accidents and Incidents That Have Occurred 
IN Anderson Township. 



LIVERV STABLE DESTROYED BY FIRE. 

One of the most disastrous fires that ever occurred in An- 
derson was on the night of October 31, 1885, when flames 
were seen to be issuing from tlie livery stables owned by Hunt & 
Pence, on East Ninth street, on the spot where the livery 
stables of Wm. Merrick now stand, opposite the Doxey hotel. 
The origin of the fire was enveloped in mystery. The barn 
was a double structure, the front building being of brick, and 
joined to it in the rear was a two-story frame. It was owned 
and occupied by Richard J. Hunt and G. W. Pence, and 
operated as a livery and sale stable and breeding barn. 

The fire was first noticed in the mow of the frame build- 
ing at about 12 o'clock at night. Sixteen horses, eighteen 
buggies and carriages, two hearses, twenty tons of hay, three 
tons of straw, 600 bushels of oats, and 200 bushels of corn, 
thirty-six sets of single harness, seven sets of double harness, 
thirty robes and much other personal property, were in the 
building at the time of its destruction, entailing a loss of over 
$10,000. 

Among the horses that perished was the noted stallion, 
"Viceroy," which was very \aluable. He came atone time 
near being rescued and had almost gained the front door, 
when, in his excitement, he suddenly whirled around and ran 
back into the stable, and in a moment fell dead from suffoca- 
tion. He was one of the best horses that was ever owned in 
Madison count}', having been brought here by the late Judge 
Winburn R. Pierse and W. H. H. Penisten, who after having 
him trained for several years transferred him to Richard J. 
Hunt and George Ross. "American Boy," a famous pacer, 
yet living and owned by Mr. Hunt, was also an occupant of 
the building at the time, but fortunately was rescued without 
injury. 

The terrible outcrv made by the imprisoned animals was 
28 



434 HISTORY OF MADISON COl'XTV, INDIANA. 

piteous and doleful, and to hear them rear and plunge about 
in their stalls in their frantic efforts to escape until they were 
enveloped in the flames, and then became silent one by one, was 
agonizing in the extreme. 

Of the sixteen horses, fourteen belonged to Mr. Hunt and 
Mr. Pence ; one to \Villiam McMuUen, driver for the United 
States Express Co., and one to Mrs. Theodore Zion. 

The two hearses that were destroyed belonged to Mr. 
Stephen Markt, the Anderson undertaker, who had purchased 
them but a short time previously at a cost of $1,500. Neither 
of them was insured. Of the buggies burned one was the 
property of J. W. Pence and the other of Hon. Howell D. 
Thompson. 

The building belonged to Hunt & Pence and the loss upon 
it was nearly covered by insurance. The people living along 
the line of the street moved their furniture and household 
goods in anticipation of the effects of the tire, but the flames 
were prevented from extending by the high roof of an adjoin- 
ing building. 

BURNING OF DR. WM. A. HUNT's RESIDENCE. 

The frame residence of Dr. William A. Hunt, situated on 
South Jackson street, was destroyed by fire on the 31st of 
January, 1887. The iire caught from a defective flue and had 
gained considerable headway when discovered. Only a por- 
tion of the household goods were saved. Considerable furni- 
ture, clothing and other property were destroyed. It occurred 
on a severely cold night and there was a heavy snow on the 
ground. This was the first lire in which Anderson's new fire 
department was called to battle with the flames, and several 
serious mistakes were made by the " fire laddies " in getting 
their paraphernalia together. One of the most serious ^vas : 
They attached their hose to a hydrant a considerable distance 
from the building, and before being quite ready the stream 
was turned on by some one with such force that it bursted. 
This mishap gave the fire quite a headway before the hose 
could be repaired, but as it was, the firemen made a brave 
fight and saved a portion of the building. The loss to Dr. 
Hunt was |1,500, which ^vas fully covered by insurance. The 
firemen suffered from the intense cold, many of them being 
drenched with water, which immediately turned into ice upon 
their persons. They received the congratulations of the peo- 
ple of Anderson who were present to witness the display made 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 485 

by the new department. The few mistakes that were inade 
were overlooked, and they were given credit for saving thou- 
sands of dollars' worth of property in the adjoining buildings, 
which would most certainly have been destroyed had it not 
been for their untiring work. Dr. Hunt never rebuilt his 
residence, but removed to North Main street, where he died 
not very long after this occurrence. Dr. \'olney Hunt, his 
oldest son, now occupies a handsome residence on the ground 
on which this fire took place, and is one of Anderson's best 
and most influential citizens. 

"when block" DEMOLISHED. 

On the morning of the 5th of March, 1895, one of the 
most tcriffic explosions of natural gas took place in Anderson 
that ever visited any community. The " When Block," 
■owned by John H. Terhune was wiped from the face of the 
earth, with scarcely anything left to tell where it once stood. 

The cause of the explosion will never be known. There 
are several theories advanced concerning it, however, the most 
popular being the belief that the store was on fire and that a 
broken gas connection had emptied sufficient gas into the 
building to complete the wreck. That the building was on 
fire before the explosion occurred there can be little doubt. 
The doors of the store room, which were blown from their 
hinges across the street into the court house yard, were 
charred in a manner that indicated as much. Besides this, 
Mrs. McKee, the wife of D. D. McKee, whose photograph 
gallery was in the building just north of the ^V"hen, and who 
occupied rooms there, happened to be up at the time and dis- 
covered that the store was on fire before the explosion took 
place. She saw the fire and had started into an adjoining 
room to arouse her mother when the explosion occurred. 

The explosion tore out the entire east wall of the building 
and the front end ; a portion of the second floor was still in 
position when the fire department got on the scene. 

Almost at the same instant that the e.xplosion occurred 
flames leaped into the air, and just as the water was turned 
upon the debris the front of the building fell into the street 
and the roof and second story collapsed. 

A man who was stopping at the Doxey hotel and saw the 
■disaster gave the following account of it : " First came the 
sound of the explosion, then a crash of glass that seemed to 
extend all around the public square. I raised my window and 



436 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

looked out. A huge cloud of white smoke that seemed 
mountain high was rolling up from where the big block had 
stood and a scene of awful desolation was presented. The 
whole front and roof of the building, extending half way 
back, had been blown awa}". About ten minutes later another 
crash occurred and the remainder of the wall had tumbled 
down." Mr. .Sher\vood took occasion to pav a higl) compli- 
ment to the fire department. He said : " The firemen worked 
energetically. The department had but four lines of hose, 
but did great work and were entitled to much credit." The 
chief did valiant service in saving the adjoining buildings from 
ruin. It was due to the efficiency and hard work of the de- 
partment that the adjoining block was left standing. 

The Terhune block was occupied by the When Clothing 
Company, with a $35,000 stock ; Prather & Son with a .|10,- 
000 stock of boots and shoes; C. C. Hadley with a |7,000 
stock of drugs and fixtures. The loss of Prather & .Son, and 
the When store was total, as absolutely nothing was saved. 
Mr. Hadley saved some of his stock. 

Up stairs the block was occupied by Dr. Jonas Stewart, 
the insurance firm of Cheney, McCormick & Langell, the law 
firms of Lake & Shuman, Frank P. Foster, Frank Mathews, 
Carver & Ballard, E. C. O'Crowley, abstracter. No insur- 
ance Avas carried by the attorneys, and the loss on books and 
papers amounted to .$:2,0I>(). ^Messrs. Foster and ^Mathews 
had just purchased over five hundred dollars' worth of ne\v 
books, and the}- were not insured. The When carried $10,- 
000; Prather & Son, .$5,000, and Hadley, $4,000. 

The loss on the building was total, as it was a complete 
wreck. The building was erected in 1888 at a cost of $:?0,000. 
There was but $4,000 insurance on the building. 

It was known to a good many that Mr. Guy Ballard and 
Mr. Frank Mathews, both of whom had offices in the ill-fated 
building, had formerlv roomed there at night, and the startling 
rumor was soon abroad to the effect that both young men 
were in the building at the time of the explosion and were 
buried in the, ruins. Fortunately neither of the gentlemen 
was in the building, and their earl\- appearance on the streets 
allayed all fears of their friends and placed an effectual quietus 
on the rumor concerning their fate. 

The Hon. John H. Terhune, the owner of the building, 
was, at the time, in Indianapolis attending to his duties as a 
legislator. Upon hearing of the loss he had sustained, he 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 437 

cooly telegraphed a friend to at once have the wreck cleared 
away and prepare for a new edifice, to be erected on the site 
of the ruins. As soon as his duties would allow him he came 
home and commenced the building of the handsome block 
that now adorns the corner of Main and Eighth streets, where 
the old one stood. 

FIRST JEWISH WEDDING IN ANDERSON. 

Prior to the year 1865 there were but ver)- few Jewish 
families residing in Anderson. Besides the families of Louis 
Loeb and Joseph Stein, there were perhaps a half dozen 
Hebrews living in the city. About the year 1870 several 
other families moved here, and since that time they have 
steadily increased until at the present writing there is to be 
found here quite a small colony of Jewish people, manv of 
whom are quite prominent in business and social circles. 

The first event of any importance that occurred in Ander- 
son in Jewish circles was the wedding of Louis B. Warner to 
Miss Rebecca Hart, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Mr. 
AVarner was at that time a prominent clothing merchant, 
being the partner in the firm of Gates & \\ arner, who had 
their store in the Doxey House building, in the room occupied 
at this time by J. F. Fadely & Co., as a shoe store. 

Miss Hart was the daughter of wealthy and prominent 
parents, living at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and was at the 
time visiting friends in this city. 

Mr. Warner, being prominent in social circles, sent out a 
large number of invitations to his wedding, which took place 
at the Odd Fellows' hall, on the 22d of February, 1878. The 
ceremony was performed by Rev. M. Messing, a Rabbi of the 
Jewish temple at Indianapolis, according to the forms pre- 
scribed by the Jewish church, and was delivered in the English 
language. The ceremony was lengthy, but beautiful and 
impressive. The stillness that prevailed during the whole 
time showed the deep interest inanifested by all those present. 
The Odd Fellows' hall, during its construction, from some 
cause, had a wall cracked in the south-east corner, which 
caused some alarm, and some person suggested, during the 
ceremony, that the building was unsafe. As many of the 
population of Anderson as could get within the walls were 
present to witness the event, many crowding in who had not 
been invited. The ceremony, however, passed off without 
any accident, and the crowd quietly dispersed. 



438 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

The bridesmaids were Miss S. Hart, ]Miss Rose Weil and 
Miss Sarah Baum. The groomsmen were J. Obendofer, 
Jacob Warner and Philip Obendofer. Immediately after the 
wedding the newly married couple gave a reception in the 
sitting room of McKeown's Photograph Gallery, in the same 
building. Here they received the congratulations of their 
friends, and many handsome presents. 

Mr. Warner, immediately after his marriage, disposed of 
his business interests in Anderson and removed to Watseka, 
Illinois, and there engaged in business. 

This being the first Jewish wedding in Anderson and the 
ceremonies of the ritual being so impressive and so well per- 
formed by Rev. Mr. Messing, he gained many warm friends 
thereby, and it will long be remembered as one of the most 
pleasant affairs that has taken place in our city. 

We will state further in this connection that Isaac Loeb, 
son of Louis Loeb, was the first Jewish child born in Madison 
county. He is now a resident of Chicago, practicing law at 
that place. 

THE DEATH OF A HERMIT. 

Thomas Piercy was at one time a happy, prosperous 
cooper, who had a shop near the Bee Line Railroad crossing 
on Ohio avenue, where he carried on a trade making barrels 
and packages for the pork packing establishment that was for 
many years one of Anderson's leading industries. It is stated 
that he did not live happily with his wife, and that they 
separated. Afterwards Piercy became insane and was at one 
time an inmate of the asylum at Indianapolis, where he re- 
mained for a number of years, being turned loose upon the 
public as a hopeless and incurable case. He had no bad or 
vicious habits, and although he was crazy, he never attempted 
to do any person or any property any harm. He wandered 
from place to place for years, begging his bread from door to 
door. He finally attached himself to a piece of woodland on 
the farm of Samuel Hughel, about two miles east of Anderson, 
where he built for himself a rude hut of logs, and in which he 
lived in solitude for a number of years. During the month of 
November, 1889, it was discovered by some passers-by that 
Piercy was ill and lying in filth and rags upon the ground. 
His hair had grown out to the length of more than a foot, and he 
presented a very revolting spectacle, looking more like a brute 
than a human being. He was removed to the county asylum, 
where he died a few days after being discovered. It is said 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 439 

that during his residence in the woods that for many days and 
months he would subsist upon herbs, roots and nuts and 
whatever scraps he could beg at the few residences in the 
neighborhood. He will be remembered by many of the older 
citizens of Madison county who knew him while in his busy 
and prosperous days. 

INDIAN SKELETONS UNEARTHED. 

While making the excavation for the McCullough-Durbin 
block on West Eighth street, in Anderson, in the spring of 
1890, Newton Burke unearthed a number of skeletons, to- 
gether with implements of warfare and defense. Several 
stone axes, stone pipes and a tomahawk were among the relics 
discovered by the workmen. The tomahawk was given to the 
Madison County Historical Society, and the others kept by 
Mr. Burke as relics. These human bones had perhaps been 
resting there for a century ; how long no one knows. They 
are silent witnesses of a race now extinct in these parts and 
their history is merely traditional, as there are only a few liv- 
ing who ever saw a native Indian in Madison county. 

They left but little to commemorate their memories when 
they folded up their tents and departed, as they were a peo- 
ple who did not reap, movvr, plow, or sow, neither did they 
build monuments to leave to the generations coming after 
them to look upon with pride and wonder. 

The flints and arrow heads found here and there, and the 
stone battle axes picked up promiscuously in the different 
parts of the county, are about all that is left to tell of the once 
noble red man and his habitation. i 

BURNING OF HENDERSOn's MILLS. 

About the year 1875 the Hon. James M. Dickson, ex- 
auditor of Madison county, erected on South Main street, An- 
derson, on the ground now occupied by the Hickey House, a 
large and elegant flouring mill, equipped with grain elevators 
for the purpose of handling wheat, corn, and other grains to 
be shipped to foreign markets. 

Mr. Dickson and his son carried on the business of mill- 
ing, buying and shipping of grain for several years, and then 
the property passed into the hands of Major Edgar Hender- 
son, who died some years ago in Kingman, Kansas. 

Mr. Henderson transacted a large and extensive business 
in this place until October 22d, 1881, when the structure was 



440 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

destroyed by fire. It was first discovered after it liad bursted 
through the roof. Major Henderson had onlj' a short time be- 
fore the fire added new machinerj' to the mill, and it was the 
impression that the fire was caused by a hot box in the third 
stor)- of the building. There were but meager arrangements 
made by the city in those days for fighting fires, and nothing 
could be done to save the building from the flames. 

The Major had purchased a large blood-hound of a most 
vicious disposition, which he was in the habit of keeping in 
the mill for the purpose of guarding it. On the night of the 
fire the dog was shut up as usual in the mill, and for this 
reason many people who went to the scene made no effort to 
save the contents because they were afraid of the dog. The 
animal perished along with the other contents. The loss was 
variously estimated at from $18,000 to $20,000. 

In a short time after this destructive fire Major Hender- 
son sold the real estate on which the mill was situated, and it 
final Iv passed into the hands of John Hickey, its present 
owner, who erected a hotel and other valuable buildings on 
its site. 

WRECKED BY GAS. 

On the morning of February 12, 1895, the residence of 
Calvin Hedrick, at the north-west corner of Fourteenth and 
School streets, was wrecked by an explosion of natural gas at 
6 :20 o'clock in the morning. 

The mystery of the accident was how five members of the 
family escaped without injury, save a slight bruise on the left 
side of Mrs. Hedrick's head. 

The report and force of the explosion was like a keen clap 
of thunder and was heard for more than two miles distant. 

Houses throughout the city felt the shock and the report 
awoke nearly everybody yet in bed. Over in North Anderson 
people ran out to see what was the matter and out by the Ar- 
cade file works there was a scare. 

In the meantime an alarm from box 34 called out the sec- 
ond division of the fire department, but there was no fire to 
fight. A great crowd assembled about the ruins in a short 
time and everyone ^vas afraid to ask how many people were 
killed. 

Of the several gas explosions here none was more destruc- 
tive than that at the Hedrick home and it is the first case 
where the occupants were not burned or crippled or a fatality 
resulted. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 441 

The only explanation of the familj-'s escape is that the 
frame work of the house was not very strong and yielded 
quickly to the force of the explosion. Had it been brick or 
even a larger frame building the result would certainly have 
been appalling. 

After firemen had investigated the cause of the explosion 
Capt. Shinkle, of Company No. 2, was inclined to believe 
that a gas leak in the cellar was the origin of the accident. 

The force of the explosion can better be imagined when it 
is known that houses shook for eight or ten squares distant. 
Directiv opposite the explosion all the doors and windows in 
the residences were blown in, the locks and hinges being torn 
from the doors. 

A half square north glass doors in the Nichol residence 
were shattered. 

Rector McGlone's little daughter was up early and at the 
piano when the explosion occurred. The piano seemed to 
jump up and the little girl was thrown off the stool. 

Windows in the High school building a square and a half 
north were shattered. 

A glass was broken in Broady's residence, two squares 
east. 

In the houses of the Kellums, Turners, Cadugans, all a 
half square north, windows were broken. 

The Baptist church opposite the explosion was not dam- 
aged and there was no effect on the Episcopal church a square 
north. 

Fire Chief Towell's residence, a square east, was well 
shaken and the chief thought his own house had gone up. 



CHAPTER L. 



The Discovery of Natural Gas and its Effects Upon 
THE Development of Madison County, Together 
With Other Matters of Interest — Important 
Manufacti'ring Establishments. 




THE FIRST GAS WELL AT ANUEUSON, .MARCH 31, 1887. 

The excitement caused by the discoverv of natural gas in 
tlie surrounding towns of Kokomo, Marion, Xoblesville and 
other localities, caused the Anderson people to awaken from 
their lethargy. After considerable discussion, pro and con, 
had been indulged in by the leading citizens of the town, in 
reference to the formation of a company for the purpose of 
exploring for the fluid which has made Anderson so famous, a 
company was finally organized. A meeting was held in the 
court house on Tuesday evening, January 25, 1887, at which 
a stock organization with a capital of $20,000 was effected. 
A board of directors was elected as follows : Colonel Milton 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 443"- 

S. Robinson. W'm. Crim, Harry Brelsford, James W. Sans- 
berry, Sr., H. J. Daniels, E. P. Schlater and J. L. Kilgore. 

Among the many objects set forth in the articles of as- 
sociation. Article No. 2 reads as follows : " The object of 
the formation of this company' shall be for the purpose of 
sinking or constructing one or more gas wells by drilling, or 
otherwise, with a view to the discovery of natural gas, or 
other products of the earth, and the furnishing of a supply of 
the same for all purposes to which it may be adapted or util- 
ized. The term of e.xistence of the corporation shall be for 
fifty years." 

The initiatory steps to the organizatiori of this company 
were taken on the 17th of January, 18S7, and articles of asso- 
ciation were signed by the following named gentlemen : La- 
fayette J. B.-irr, G. D. Searle, C. K. McCullough, Thomas 
McCullough, Harr)' Brelsfoid, R. P. Grimes, George C. For- 
rey, E. P. Schlater, Nichol & Makepesce, J. F. Wild, A. B. 
Buck, E. T. Brickley, James Wellington, Peter Fromlet, Har- 
rison Canaday, Joseph Schwabacher, Patrick .Skehan, George 
Matthews, J. F. Brandon, Samuel Kiser, W. T. Durbin, I. E. 
May, J. A. Munchof, Sansberry & Sansberry, N. C. McCul- 
lough, William Crim, Milton S. Robinson, John H. Terhune, 
J. L. Kilgore, Thomas M. Norton, L. D. Adams, Thomas J. 
McMahan, A. J. Brunt. W. L. Maynard, B. L. Bing, W. A. 
Kittenger, H. J. Daniels, F. W. Makepeace and H. J. Bron- 
nenberg. 

The above list comprises the names of the citizens who 
were at that time residents of the sleepy country town of 
Anderson, who had the courage to go down into their pockets 
and risk the uncertainty of the development of the product 
for which they were hunting, and to them is due much of the 
honor of starting Anderson upon its career of wealth and 
prosperity. After much discussion as to the proper place to 
sitk a well, the matter was brought to "ahead" by Mr. 
John Hickey, who kindly offered to donate the ground upon 
which to drill the first gas well. This was at a point imme- 
diately south of the Midland Railway station near Meridian 
street. In a few days after the organization of the Board had 
been effected, a contract was made with Mr. John Porter to 
drill the well, and he immediately set about his work. The 
progress of the drilling was watched patiently by the people ; 
daily measurements were taken and announced through the 
press of the depth to which the drill had penetrated, and. 



444 HISTORY OF IIADISOX COUNTY. IXDIAXA. 

finally on Wednesday morning. March 31, 1887, the stock- 
holders of the company and the people of Anderson were re- 
joiced to hear from Mr. Porter that he had succeeded in striking 
a gushing gas well. The drill in its descent had passed through 
130 feet of drift, 200 feet of Niagara limestone, 512 feet 
of Hudson river shale, and then immediately entered Trenton 
rock for a distance of several feet, the total depth of the well 
being 847 feet. 

This was the beginning of Anderson's greatness. The 
people went wild with e.xcitcment. It was heralded through- 
out the country in the daily reports of the newspapers, and 
the dispatches of the Associated Press, and in all the leading 
dailies of the United States, and it was but a short time 
before people from all points of the compass began to flock 
to Anderson, some as sight-seers and some as capitalists, who 
were looking for a place in which to invest their money. For 
weeks a pipe was attached to the well through which the gas 
was allowed to flow without hindrance, being ignited and 
sending the flames 100 feet into the air, and at the same time 
making a noise like the running of a heavy railroad train. 
This attracted strangers and passers by, ^vhose attention was 
called to the town from the fact of its being designated as a 
natural gas town. The people for fully one month after this 
find were seemingly unconscious of the great benefit that 
might be derived by placing the gas under control so as to 
use it in their houses. At last sentiment began to crystalize 
in the minds of the leading busine?s men, and steps were 
taken to place the fluid in such shape that it could be used 
for the benefit of the citizens and manufacturers. On the fol- 
lowing 24th of May, a meeting was called at the court house 
for the purpose of organizing a Board of Trade. George Xichol 
was called to the chair, and E. E. Hendee acted as secretary. 
A letter was read from a Connecticut manufacturer in the 
line of augurs, bits and shovels, who desired to locate in the 
Indiana gas belt, and who wanted to know what inducements 
were being offered by the citizens of Anderson in that direc- 
tion. This was the first inquiry made about the location of a 
manufacturing establishment. 

A committee was formed to formulate by-laws, rules and 
articles of association, and after due deliberation reported such 
articles and code of bj'-laws, which ^vere adopted. On the 
following Tuesday evening another meeting of the Board was 
held at the law office of Chipman & Chipman. It was attended 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 445 

by George Nichol, H. J. Bionnenberg, J. W. Lovett, J. L. 
Kilgore, I. N. Hoover, Harrison Canaday, Chas. L. Henry, 
Jas. Wellington, W. S. Diven, and Samuel M. Hodson. Geo. 
Nichol was unanimously chosen president of the board, and 
M. A. Chipman secretary. At this meeting a proposal from 
a glass manufacturer was received and discussed informally, 
but no action was taken in the matter. 

This appeared to be the end of all united efforts toward 
locating manufacturing establishments until late in the fall, 
when communication was opened between the Board of Trade 
and the Fowler Nut and Bolt Works of Buffalo, N. Y., which 
resulted in that establishment removing its plant to this city. 
This was the first establishment in Anderson to utilize natural 
gas for the purposes of manufacturing. Immediately thereafter 
the Union Strawboard Company, through negotiations with 
the Board of Trade, located its extensive plant on the Hazlett 
farm north of the city. This was soon followed by the An- 
derson Flint Bottle Company, of Butler, Pennsylvania. The 
American Wire Nail Company, of Covington, Ky., and the 
Knife & Bar Works of Dayton, Ohio. Following these many 
other large and extensive plants were built up in different 
parts of the city, the names of which are given in detail in 
another place in this volume. 

Prominent among those who stood in the front and who 
did the most toward bringing these industries to this localitj' 
were George Nichol, the Hon. Chas. L. Henry, Hon. Jno. W. 
Lovett, James Wellington, J. L. Kilgore, Henry J. Bronnen- 
berg, Milton S. Robinson, L. M. Cox and .Stephen Metcalf. 
The first donation of land for manufacturing purposes was 
made by James W. Sansberry, Sr., Thomas J. McMahan and 
John W. Lovett, who owned the ground upon which the 
Fowler Bolt Works were located. They not only donated the 
site but a gas well also as an inducement for its establishment 
here. 

The newspapers of Anderson, the liKUctiii , the JlcralJ, 
and Democrat , it must not be forgotten, did heroic work in 
their columns to induce manufacturers and other people to 
locate in the city, as is plainly evident by a perusal of their 
columns published in those days. 

Anderson, being the chief city in Madison county, was an 
inviting fiqld for capitalists, who were anxious to put in mains 
for the purpose of supplying fuel to the people for domestic 



446 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

use. The first parties to make a proposition to the City 
Council in order to procure a franchise, was a company of 
Ehvood financiers together with one or two persons living in 
Anderson. Gustave Cramer, Patrick O'Brian and H. C. Cal- 
loway, of Elwood, together with Frank A. Vogt and Rev. F. 
C. Weichmann, of Anderson, presented a petition to the City 
Council, on Monday, the 24th of January, 1887, asking for an 
■exclusive franchise of the streets for a term of ten years, with 
the privilege of piping the city with natural gas. As an induce- 
ment to the City Council to grant their charter, they proposed 
to furnish the school houses, churches and all the public build- 
ings free fuel for the entire period for which their franchise 
ran, provided the gas would hold out during tliat time. There 
was quite an opposition to tliis scheme on the part of the lead- 
ing business men of Anderson, prominent among whom were 
William Crim, Col. M. S. Robinson, N. C. McCuIlough, 
Thomas J. McMahan, H.J. Daniels, John W. Lovett, J. W. 
Sansberry, Sr., LaFayette J. Burr, E. P. Schlater and W. T. 
Durbin, who attended the meeting of the Council on that oc- 
casion and made a fight against the granting of the charter. 
The Council was called to order by the Hon. J. F. McClure, 
the Mayor, and the petition was read after which Dr. Jonas 
Stewart, a member from the Second ward, took the floor in 
opposition to the granting of the charter and made the effort 
of his life. Several members of the Council favored the pro- 
position, and after a thorough debate on the subject, and con- 
sidering the opposition of the business men, on a vote being 
taken, the measure was lost, and thus Anderson was saved 
from a corporation getting its clutches upon the fuel lying be- 
neath its streets. And to Dr. Jonas Stewart the honor of the 
defeat of the scheme is due. 

The excitement at Anderson growing out of the discovery 
of natural gas, was caught up by other towns and villages 
throughout the county, and on the 14th of Februarj-, 1887. a 
company was organized at Pendleton and funds to defray the 
expenses of boring for natural gas were raised and a stock 
company was organized. The following prominent citizens 
of Pendleton were chosen directors of this company : B. F. 
Amien, J. R. Clark, Dr. O. W. Brownback, W. G. Campbell, 
W. H. Lewis, and J. W. Zeublin. This company was known 
as the Pendleton Natural Gas and Oil Company, and was 
capitalized at $15,000. They immediately contracted for the 
drilling of a well, and in a short time thereafter were success- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 447 

fill in finding an abundant flow of gas, which has since been 
utilized in that place. 

A gas company was also formed at Summitville about the 
same time. Alexandria was the place at which gas was first 
discovered, in Madison county, and it was also there that the 
first gas company was organized. A full and detailed account 
of these matters will be found in the history of the different 
townships in the county, in another part of this work. 

M. A. Chipman, the first secretary of the Anderson Board 
of Trade, was very active in his efforts to attract the attention 
of capitalists and manufacturers to the gas fields. Much is 
due to his energy in the initiative steps of locating manufac- 
tories in this county. He was succeeded by Stephen Metcalf, 
and later by A. A. Small, who did valuable service in the 
good work, John F. McClure being treasurer and a valiant 
worker. 

Hon. Charles L. Henry was the " head center " of all. 
He took the lead in donating ground and procuring subsidies. 
He had in his office at the time Stephen Metcalf, now editor 
of the Anderson Herald , who was an untiring worker for 
Anderson, and devoted much time and good service to the 
cause. 

The Board of Trade was composed of men who worked 
day and night for Madison county's growing greatness without 
compensation, and at the same time going deep into their 
pockets as individuals to help the cause along. 

Mr. George Xichol was the continuous President of this 
organization, and to his sound sense and good business judg- 
ment is largely due its grand aciiievements as a promoter of 
enterprise. 

The Hon. John H. Terhune, James Wellington, John L. 
Forkner, H. J. Bronnenberg, W. S. Diven, John W. Lovett, 
S. M. Keltner, John F. McClure, Stephen Metcalf, Isaac D. 
Bosworth, C. L. Henry, were nightly attendants at the meet- 
ings of the board, and at midnight on more than one occasion 
factories have been "signed up and located" when the un- 
suspecting public was asleep and surprises sprung upon it the 
following morning by a vigilant press. 

In the month of May, 1887, a new impetus was given the 
gas excitement by the opening of an immense well known as 
"Vesuvius," in the McCuIlough park, at the east end of 
Eigiith street. This was the largest well in the gas belt and 
was the wonder of the nineteenth century. It was visited by 



448 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

thousands of people from all parts of the United States. The 
railroads ran excursions from all directions to witness the 
wonder. A continuous blaze of fire was kept pouring out a 
volime into White river, making a seething foam of fire and 
water, accompanied by a roaring noise equal to Niagara, for 
months. 

Enough gas was wasted at this well to have run the fac- 
tories of Anderson for more than two years. 

After the development of the last named monster well, 
which was the private enterprise of Neal C. McCullough, the 
problem of the abundant supply of natural gas was solved 
and capital began to pour in, and town lots began to take a 
boom. Lots that had previously been a drug in the market at 
two and three hundred dollars, at once commanded from five 
hundred to a thousand. But little progress was made then, 
however, in building until late in the fall, when the first fac- 
tory located; when the building craze took possession of the 
people and every idle or surplus dollar was invested in lots and 
residences to rent, and many new and handsome business 
blocks began to spring up. 

The Standard Oil Company sent representatives to the 
scene and a brisk trade was opened up in leasing lands for gas 
and oil. 

No effort was made to utilize the gas for domestic pur- 
poses until the summer had been well advanced, when C. T. 
Doxey who had in the meantime purchased the stock of the 
original holders in the company that made the exploration for 
gas, combined his interests with N. C. McCullough, who 
owned the artificial gas plant, and formed a company to pipe 
the city for domestic use. 

Much talk and speculation was indulged in as to whether 
or not the Standard Oil Companj' was not really the " power 
behind the throne," and prophecies were made that in the final 
outcome Anderson would be in the hands of an " Octupus." 
The newspapers took it up, agitation became rife upon the 
streets, and while the company was laying the mains, street 
talk was indulged in quite freely. The people demanded that 
a price be named to consumers, which was refused by the 
officers of the company, and this added to the distrust in the 
minds of the people. The formation of a rival company was 
fully discussed which resulted in a meeting being held at the 
court house on the 13th of July, 1887, when a Citizens' Com- 
pany was formed with $50,000 capital, whereby each stock- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 449 

holder who paid into the capital stock the sum of $50, was 
allowed the free use of gas for one house or business room. 
By this move the Standard Oil Company was driven from the 
field and disposed of all its leases. 

John L. Forkner was elected president, G. M. Ballard, 
secretarj', and L. M. Cox, treasurer of the company, the 
directory being composed of Chas. L. Henry, H. J. Bronnen- 
berg, A. C. Davis, G. M. Ballard, John I^. Forkner, Jonathan 
Jones and L. M. Cox. 

The company at once put down a well on the land of 
Harrison Canaday, who donated the site near the residence of 
Hon. J. \V. Sansberry. In August they were rewarded by 
striking a wonderful flow of gas. Mains were at once laid in 
the streets and Anderson had two full-fledged companies from 
which to supply the people with fuel. 

The Citizens' Company was a great factor in advertising 
Anderson. It was the means of giving Anderson what no 
other city on the globe could boast of — free fuel. The fran- 
chises issued by the company attached to the real estate and 
were transferable with the same, and was a great inducement 
for people coming here to invest in homes. 

These two companies continued as competitors until 
September, 1893, when the Doxej' plant was absorbed by the 
Citizens' Company, thus ending a six years' struggle of tur- 
moil and strife between the two organizations. 

To the Citizens' Gas Companj' more than any other cause 
can be attributed the wonderful tide of immigration to Ander- 
son. Many who wished to live in ease, who had retired from 
business were attracted here on account of the free fuel, and 
made their homes in our midst, whilst capital was also lured 
here by this inducement. 

Albert Cole drilled the first well for the Citizens' Com- 
pany, getting a fine flow. He was considered a "mascot" 
for the organization, and continued in its employ for a long 
while as a driller. 

Much credit is due to the Hon. W. S. Diven, T. J. Mc- 

Mahan, Stephen Metcalf, Dr. Z. Hocket, J. W. Sansberry, 

Harrison Canaday and others, who stood by the Board of 

Directors in their fight against strong opposition, and in the 

infancy of tlie company contributed of their means and 

valuable time to make it a success. The consolidation of the 

two companies was a happy conclusion of all the gas troubles, 

and gave Anderson the finest plant in the State of Indiana ; 
29 



450 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTY, IXDIAXA. 

and healed up the sore places made by a bitter warfare, and 
enabled the different interests to present a solid and substan- 
tial front for Anderson and her future. 

THE INDUSTRIES OF MADISOX COUNTY. 

It was the original intention of the writers to give a brief 
sketch of every manufacturing establishment in the county, 
and in order to obtain this information, postal cards 'were ad- 
dressed to the secretary of everv establishment in the county, 
some of which met with a response, while others were ignored. 
To those who took the pains to give us the desired information, 
we give brief space, while as to others of which we can secure 
no data, we are obliged to content ourselves with giving them 
a passing notice. 

Among those who answered our communication is the 
Anderson Knife and Bar Company. This establishment was 
organized by W. H. Manning and S. E. Farmer of Dayton, 
Ohio, who located in Anderson in September, 188S, employ- 
ing a capital of $25,000 and eighteen employes. William 
Rogers, of Philadelphia, is the president, and E. E. Lovejoy, of 
Lowell, Massachusetts, secretary and treasurer. This com- 
pany manufactures all kinds of machine knives for wood 
working, paper cutting, shear blades and fly bars. E. W. 
Randolph is the resident manager. 

The Colli iiihia Encaustic Tile Company was organized 
by Indianapolis parties, who located in the south-eastern part 
of the cit}' of Anderson, where they manufacture unglazed 
tiles for floors and a full line of enameled tiles for hearths 
and mantels; also opaque and embossed enamel tiles. Mr. B. 
O. Haugh is the president, George Lilly, vice-president and 
treasurer, and Harry Haugh, secretary. 

Among the many public buildings for which this firm has 
furnished decorated floor tiles, they mention the court houses 
at Grand Rapids, Mich.; Uniontown, Pa.; Cadiz, Ohio; 
Ottumwa, Iowa ; Hartford City, Ind. ; Winamac, Ind.; Wapa- 
koneta, Ohio ; San Antonio, Texas ; Olympia, Wash. ; Fresno 
and Auburn, Cal. 

The capita! stock is $100,000. and the average number of 
employes one hundred. 

Union Glass Company. — These works were established in 
Collingwood, a suburb of Anderson in the month of August, 
1890. Several extensive buildings were erected on South 
Pearl street. On the 20th of December in the same year, the 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 451 

plant was placed in operation for the manufacture of window 
glass — four montiis and one day from the time the company 
was organized. 

Mr. Forbes Holton is the President and General Manager 
of the concern which enjoys the reputation of being one of the 
finest manufactories of window glass in the United States. 
Among the favorite brands which are most widely known to 
the trade are the Arm and Hammer brand, and the American 
window glass. 

Mr. Holton owns a patent system of flattening by the use 
of water, a feature which is only used bv this company. 

Mr. Noble Holton is Secretary of the company, and is 
actively connected with tlie affairs thereof. 

American Wire Nail Company. — One of the largest man- 
ufactories of steel rods and wire nails in the United States was 
established at Covington, Kentucky, in the year 1875. In 
1888, attracted by the benefits accruing from the use of natural 
gas, the capital stock was increased from $60,000 to $300,000, 
and the plant was removed to Anderson. The officers of the 
company are L. H. Gedge, President; F. C. Gedge, Vice- 
President; C. P. Garvey, Secretary, and E. J. BufHngton, 
Treasurer. 

The daily output of the mill is 200 tons of wire rods, 200 
tons of plain wire, 75 tons of galvanized wire, 8,()00 kegs of 
wire nails, and 500 kegs of fence staples. 

This is the most extensive manufacturing establishment in 
Anderson and employs an average of 500 people. 

Anderson Iron and Bolt Company. — This institution was 
incorporated on the 6th daj' of October, 1800, and is the only 
institution in the city that is made up exclusivelj' of Anderson 
capital. The originators of the concern were L. S. Taylor, 
N.J. Pilger, R. J. Walton, J. L. Forkner, W. S. Diven, T. 
J. McMahan, John R. Page, A. J. Brunt, William Leib, 
Charles Leib, George Nichol, A. I. Makepeace, J. E. Canaday, 
J. J. Netterville, L. M. Cox, C. S. Burr, C. T. Doxey, Lafe 
Swank. 

The capital stock is $75,000. The officers are C. T. Doxey, 
President; John R. Brunt, Secretary and General Manager; 
A. J. Brunt, Vice-President, and J. L. Forkner, Treasurer. 

Indiana Box Company. — This organization has a capital 
stock of $25,000 and was located in Anderson in September, 
1891. The concern manufactures boxes for the glass factories 



452 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of Anderson, Ehvood, Alexandria, Gas City and other sur- 
rounding towns. 

The officers are H. Park, of ISIuskegon, Michigan, Presi- 
dent; Thomas Munroe, Vice-President; J. F. Mclhvraith, Sec- 
retary and Treasurer. The company employs about 100 hands 
on an average. 

iVatioiial Ti)i Plate Coinpa>ty. — This company was or- 
ganized in July, 1894, and became legally incorporated during 
the same year. The plant was located in North Anderson. 
The capital stock is $150,000. Four hundred people are em- 
ployed, having a weekly pay-roll of many thousand dollars. 

The company manufacturers tin plates of all grades, and 
roll their own black plate. 

The officers are Philip Matter, of Marion, Indiana, Presi- 
dent ; W. H. Donner, Secretary and Treasurer, and Joseph I. 
Irwin, of Columbus, Indiana, Vice-President. Mr. Donner is 
also the General Manager. 

This is one of the largest and most prosperous manufac- 
tories of its kind in the United States. 

The American Straw Board Company- — This factory was 
established in 1889 by C. Fairbanks, of Terre Haute, C. B. 
Fatout, of Lima, Ohio, and ^Yilliam Baker, of Akron, Ohio, 
with a capital stock of $500,000. It was originally known as 
the Union Straw Board Company, but was reorganized under 
its present name. Mr. C. L. Crum, of Winchester, Virginia, 
superintended the construction of the building, and was gen- 
eral manager of the plant after it was placed in operation for 
nearly two years, when he was succeeded by !M. R. Williams, 
the present incumbent. It is one of the largest institutions of 
its kind in the country, and has done a large and profitable 
business from the day of its completion. 

The Schofic/d Bolt Works. — This was the first manufac- 
turing establishment to locate in Anderson after the discovery 
of natural gas. It came from Fowlersville, near Buffalo, New 
York, in November, 1877. It ^vas originally known as the 
Anderson Bolt Company and ^vas owned by Fowler & Sons, 
of Buffalo, New York. It was incorporated as a company 
under the name of the Fowler Bolt Works. L. S. Taylor was 
the first manager but was succeeded by E. S. Fowler who had 
charge of the plant until it was sold to its present owners in 
1895, and became the Schofield Bolt Works. 

The Buckeye Manufacturing Conipanv. — This company 
was formed in Union City, Ohio, in the spring of 1884, under 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 453 

the firm name of Lambert Bros. & Co., with a capital stock of 
$2,000, at which time they began the manufacture of buggy 
neck yokes, with a force of six men and a few boys. The firm 
was soon afterwards changed to J. H. Osborne & Co., and a 
line of hardware specialties was added to tiie business. In 
1890, J. H. Osborne withdrew from the firm and it again as- 
sumed the name of the Buckeye Manufacturing Company. In 
1891 the plant was consumed by fire entailing a loss of $15,000 
with an insurance of $12,000. New buildings were at once 
erected, and in 1893 fully covered 60,0(10 square feet of floor 
surface. In 1S94. the Lambert gasoline engine was perfected, 
and patented, and was at once added to their line of manu- 
factures. In 1894 the company was reorganized and incorpor- 
ated with a capital stock of $100,000 with John W. Lambert, 
President, Geo. Lambert, Vice-President, and C. A. Lambert, 
Secretary and Treasurer. The plant no\v was removed to An- 
derson where the buildings were erected in what is known as 
the Evalvn addition. About three hundred men and boys are 
employed annually. 

It has a large output of manufactured articles of various 
kinds, and a weekly pay-roll of several thousand dollars. 

Peiiiisv/vai/ia G/ass Coiiipanv- — This company was orig- 
inally located at Meadville, Pennsylvania, and was removed 
to Anderson in the year 1888, since which time it has been 
one of the leading industries of the city, employing 500 peo- 
ple at their two plants with a weekly pay-roll of $1,500. 

T. J. McMahan is the President of the company, John 
Schies, Secretary and Treasurer, and Flerj- Toms, Manager. 

Anderson Paper Company. — This company was organ- 
ized in 1892, with E. J. Blake as President, and A. Reynolds 
as Secretarj- and Treasurer. The present officers are C. Fair- 
banks, President; M. R. Williams, Secretary; \V. T. Durbin, 
Treasurer and General Manager. The plant is situated in 
Ha/.lewood addition, and does a large and extensive business. 

Anderson Glass Company. — This company was organized 
in North Anderson in 1890 by Philip Matter and G. W. 
Burke, of Marion, and Charles L. Henry, of Anderson, with 
a capital stock of $200,000. It is one of the largest manufac- 
tories of window glass in the gas belt. It employs 400 men 
annually and has a weekly pay-roll of $2,500. 

The Anderson Flint Bottle Company. — This was the first 
glass factory to locate in Anderson, and came from Butler, 
Penn., in 1888. It has a capital stock of $00,000, and employs 



454 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

100 people under Mr. Alexander P. McKee, Secretary-, Treas- 
urer and General Manager. It has a weeklj* pay-roll of .$1,500. 
It was through the influence of Conrad Smith, one of the large 
stockholders, that this plant was located here. He, as well 
as Mr. McKee, is well known to the glass trade throughout the 
United States. 

Philadelphia Quartz Company. — This institution is situ- 
ated in the south-eastern portion of the city. It came from 
Philadelphia in 1890. It has a capital stock of $100,000, and 
is owned by T. and J. Elkington and Ephraim Smith. The 
resident manager is \V. H. Stanton. The company manu- 
factures silicate of soda. They employ about sixty people 
and have a weekly pay-roll of more than $500. 

The Cansjield Stationery Company. — This company came 
from New York in January, 1893, and has been doing a thriv- 
ing business in the manufacture of box files and stationers' 
supplies. Mr. Samuel H. Cansfield is the President of the 
company, and General Manager of the concern. The product 
of this factory is sold in every State in the Union and in 
Canada. 

The Clyde Windou) Glass Company of Frankton, is one 
of the busy industries of Madison county. Its capital stock is 
$50,000. It employs one hundred men. Mr. M. J. Blodgett 
is President, F. Dussler, Secretary, and John Lux, Treasurer. 
The works were moved from Clyde, Ohio, in 1890, after which 
place the company was named. It was incorporated in 1890. 

United Windov: Glass Compa?iy at \\'est Alexandria. 
— This company has a capital stock of $250,000, and em- 
ploys 225 men under the charge of Superintendent John A. 
Sweat. T. D. Catlin is president and treasurer, and W. T. 
Gray, vice-president. The company manufactures window 
glass and does a large business. 

The Alexandria Windozv Glass Company. — This com- 
pany was organized by Harper and Cruzen, of Findlay, 
Ohio, in 1889. These gentlemen were unsuccessful in 
the operation of the plant, and it was purchased at assignee's 
sale by Sylvanus Free and others, since which time it has 
been successfully operated by the present company, com- 
posed of Henry W. Heer, M. Miller and Sylvanus Free, under 
the firm name of the Alexandria Window Glass Company. 
They have a capital stock of $40,000, and employ about 100 
people. The factory has a large output and has a large 
weekly pay-roll. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 455 

We are sorry tliat all the manufacturing establishments 
to whom we sent postal cards, did not see the importance of 
being fully represented in this work. While we have been 
unable to give an extended notice, we have endeavored to 
make mention of ever}' factory in the county. 

Among other factories of importance are the Sefton Mfg. 
Company, Cathedral Glass Company, Wright Shovel Company, 
Victor Window Glass Company, Arcade File Works, Ander- 
son Forging Company, Coping and Glass Cresting Company, 
Raible Bros'. Box factory. Anderson Paint Company, Wooley 
Foundry Company, Haugh-Kurtz Steel Company, Electric 
Power Company, Irondale Steel and Iron Company, Fisher 
Cradle & Snath Company, Gedge Bros'. Roofing Company,. 
Anderson Pottery Company, Anderson Broom Works, The 
Gould Steel Company. 



CHAPTER LI. 



Historical Miscellany — The Original White River 

Bridge. 



The handsome and substantial wooden covered bridge 
spanning White river at Anderson, where the present magnifi- 
cent iron bridge stands, near the cemetery on North Main 
street, was, on the morning of November 23, 1883, swept 
away by a terrific flood, the effect of a week's heavy rain. 
The crashing and falling timber arrested the attention of peo- 
ple in the vicinity and all eyes were turned toward the bridge 
just in time to see that old landmark break in two and sink 
into the angrv waters. The water had undermined the mid- 
dle pier until the weight caused it to tilt over to the west. 
Two large sycamore trees standing near the west end prevented 
it from being carried away entirely by the current. 

This old bridge was one of the landmarks in the history 
and prosperity of Madison county. It was built in the years 
1863 and 1864, upon the Buckingham truss plan, and was con- 
structed by the County Commissioners, who made an appro- 
priation out of the county funds for that purpose. A large 
number of tax payers of the county also subscribed to the 
fund, giving their notes, some of ^vhich were never redeemed 
and are yet on file as mementos in the office of the County 
Auditor. Mr. William Crim was superintendent of the work 
and Benjamin Thomas, contractor for the masonry and G. W. 
Webster, of Grant county, for building the superstructure. It 
cost $20,000 and was in its day the best bridge within a radius 
of fifty miles. 

Immediately upon the washing away of this bridge the 
Auditor of Madison county convened the Board of Commis- 
sioners in special session and steps were taken to erect an iron 
structure in its place. They advertised for sealed proposals, 
and after examining the same tlie contract for building the new 
bridge was awarded to the firm of McCormack & Sweeney, 
who were then engaged in building the court house. These 
gentlemen secured the contract for the stone work, and the 



i 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 457 

contract for the superstructure was awarded to the Massillon 
Bridge Co. The new bridge was completed in 1884. Some 
interesting reminiscences relative to the old bridge will be 
found in another part of this volume. 

THE FIRST GAS LIGHT IN ANDERSON. 

Prior to the year 1S65 Anderson was but a small unim- 
portant country town, and existed only as an ordinary town 
corporation. In the spring of that year it began to show 
signs of improvement and an increase of population, and the 
citizens concluded that Anderson could best subserve the in- 
terests of the taxpayers and the people by throwing off its 
town garb and assuming the proportions of a city. Accord- 
ingly at a meeting held at the court house, it was resolved to 
take on city airs, and Milton M. Harriman was appointed to 
take a census in order to ascertain the population, and see if 
the town possessed a sufficient number of people to entitle it 
to a city charter, the required number under the statute being 
2,000. It is said that Mr. Harriman in taking the enumera- 
tion, not only copied the names on the hotel register, but also 
visited the cities of the dead, and secured names from the 
tombstones, in order to get the required number. Be this as 
it may, a sufficiency was obtained, and in the spring of that 
vear Anderson obtained a charter and became a city. R. N. 
Williams, Esq., was elected Mayor to serve until the next 
general election ; Milton M. Harriman was chosen marshal, 
and Calvin D. Thompson, Esq., elected city clerk, and Joseph 
Fulton treasurer, who all held their offices until the general 
election in the spring of 1866. During Harriman's incum- 
bency as marshal he agitated the subject of lighting the streets. 
He and John P. Barnes, who was then a member of the city 
council, contracted for and erected iron posts around the busi- 
ness part of the city, which were lighted with coal-oil lamps. 
These contrivances served to furnish light until 1875. In the 
spring of that year the agitation for more light became so gen- 
eral among the tax-payers that the city council contracted 
with Mr. P. F. Good, of Ashtabula, Ohio, and H. C. Bard- 
well, of New York, and gave them a franchise of the streets 
of the city for a term of twenty years. These gentlemen im- 
mediately %vent to work to erect a gas plant for the purpose 
of furnishing light to private consumers, as well as for light- 
ing the streets of the citj'. On the 2d of July, 1875, the 
work of putting in the plant was completed and accepted by 



458 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the council, and on the evening of the 3d of July, for the first 
time in her history, Anderson was lighted by gas. On that 
evening the streets, stores and residences provided with gas fa- 
cilities were beautifully illuminated. The city began to assume 
something of a metropolitan character. The great superiority 
of illuminating gas for artificial light over the usual methods 
of coal-oil lamps was very forcibly illustrated. Stores that 
had heretofore been provided with a multitude of lamps, and 
but dimly lighted at that, now almost shone with the bright- 
ness of noonday. People who had lighted their dwellings 
were happy to find a flood of soft light illuminating their 
rooms, a thing which they had never dreamed was possible. 

The gas was generally considered to be good and gave 
the utmost satisfaction. The mains were then limited to the 
following territory : Main street, from the Bee Line depot 
to the Pan-Handle railway ; Meridian street, from the Bee 
Line railway to Hanna street ; Jackson street, from Lane to 
Anderson ; William street, from Main to the Catholic church ; 
Bolivar street, from Jackson to Delaware ; Anderson street, 
from Main to the Fair Grounds ; East Washington street, from 
Meridian to Water street; Lane street, from Jackson to 
Brown street; Hamilton street, from Meridian west to its 
terminus; Hanna street, from Meridian to its western ter- 
minus. 

P. F. Good & Co. operated the plant for about one year 
under the superintendency of J. C. Lord, who is now in 
charge of a similar institution at Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. N. 
C. McCullough, late President of the Citizens' Bank of An- 
derson, investigate'd the profits of this enterprise and became 
satisfied that it was a financial success and purchased the en- 
tire stock of the original owners and operated it successfully 
until 1887, when the finding of natural gas in Anderson de- 
stroyed its usefulness. The old building and tank that now 
stand at the foot of Eighth street on the line of the Pan- 
Handle Railway are silent monuments to what was once con- 
sidered one of the best paying " bits '" of property within the 
city limits and are now slowly going to decay. 

FREE MAIL DELIVERY IN ANDERSON. 

On the 3rd of June, 1890, the free mail delivery was 
inaugurated under an order from the post-office department. 
Postmaster H. J. Daniels appointed Charles .Stewart, Jacob 
Bravy, Joseph Morrey and Kinkaid to be letter carriers. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 459" 

which appointments were confirmed by the government. 
Charles Stewart was allowed a horse, beiiiir the first mail-car- 
rier in Anderson to deliver mail in that manner. Each car- 
rier was required to give a bond of $1,000 to be approved by 
the Postmaster General for the faithful performance of his 
duty. Each carrier was to receive as a compensation for his 
services $600 for the first year's work and $8QP for the second. 
There were distributed through the difTerent portions of the 
city 30 mail boxes for the collection of mail matter. These 
boxes were located under the direction of Postmaster Daniels. 
The mail-carriers were required to make four trips a day for 
the delivery and collection of mail. After the adoption of the 
free delivery system, dropped letters were required to have a 
two-cent postage stamp, whereas before that time they only 
required a one cent stamp. Parker Short and Charles Tyre 
were appointed as substitutes, their duty being to take the 
place of the regular carriers when any of them were sick or 
taking their vacation. This was a great event in the history 
of Anderson and marked a new era in the city's progress. 
We speak of this matter in order that hereafter the residents 
of Anderson, when it becomes a metropolitan city, may look 
back to the establishment of the first free mail delivery here, 
and note the changes that have taken place. 

FIRST NATURAL GAS ACCIDENT. 

During the laying of the mains for the Citizens' Natural 
Gas Company of Anderson, in September, 1887, a bad accident 
occurred, by which John Clancy, a laborer, was severely injured 
and rendered a cripple for life. His leg was broken, his shoul- 
der dislocated, and he was otherwise severely bruised. The 
men were working at the time on West Eleventh street near 
the corner of School, when the accident took place. It was- 
customarv in putting down pipe to test the strength of it after 
the connection had been made by turning on a full pressure of 
gas from the wells. This had been done in this instance, and 
the pipe proving to be of sufficient strength, the men at the 
well were signalled to turn off the gas, the plug was removed 
from the end of the main, when almost instantly the gas was 
turned on again from some cause, and came rushing through 
the pipe with dreadful force. The last joint that had been 
attached to the line bursted with a terrific noise, being heard 
for several squares, and a section of pipe 20 feet long was torn, 
loose from its fastening and whirled against the fence on the 



460 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

opposite side of the street. The air was filled with the black, 
escaping gas, which coupled with the noise it produced caused 
great consternation among the working men and the people in 
that vicinity. Several parties were slightly bruised, but John 
Clancy was the worst injured. He was standing close to the 
pipe when the accident occurred. He was struck by the fly- 
ing mass of iron> and his left leg broken and badly mangled. 
The bone protruded through the flesh and was severely muti- 
lated. The left shoulder was also dislocated and other bodily 
bruises were inflicted. Clancy was immediately taken to his 
home and Drs. H. E. Jones and Geo. F. Chittenden were 
called to his relief. It was at first thought that amputation of 
the limb would be necessary, but to this Mr. Clancy strenuously 
objected. By the wonderful skill displayed by the physicians 
his limb was saved and a permanent cure was effected, 
although to some extent Clancy -was rendered a cripple. 

This was the first accident of any account that had hap- 
pened in the county with natural gas. 

Mr. Clancy is yet living in Anderson, and after his recov- 
ery served for several years as janitor of one of the public 
school buildings. H. J. Bronnenberg was at the time of the 
accident superintendent of the Citizens' Gas Company and 
had charge of laying the mains. He gave it as his opinion 
that the cause of the accident was due to the disobedience of 
his order in the turning on and off the gas at the well. 

The gas company realizing that there might be a chance 
for litigation and damages went to work to effect a compro- 
mise with Mr. Clancy which they consummated by paying 
him handsomely, and attending to him during his confinement 
at his home. They paid all his doctor bills and other expenses 
in consideration of which he gave tlie company a receipt in 
full and a release from any suit for damages. 

VISIT OF A COMPANY OF SCIENTISTS TO ANDERSON. 

On the 20th of August, 1890, Anderson was visited by 
some of the most learned and distinguished educators and 
scientists in the United States. They were chaperoned by 
Hon. Charles W. Fairbanks, of Indianapolis. They visited 
this locality for the purpose of investigating the natural gas 
field. It had been announced for a day or two prior to their 
arrival that the gentlemen would at first go to Indianapolis 
and then come to Anderson. The Board of Trade at Ander- 
son held an impromptu meeting and appointed a reception 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 461 

committee to welcome the visitors and show them about the 
city. The committee consisted of ISIajor Dixon C. Williams, 
Hon. Charles L. Henry, Hon. W. T. Diirbin, John L. Fork- 
ner, John H. Terhune, George Nichol and Stephen Metcalf. 
They \vere met at the train by Hon. Chas. L. Henry and IMajor 
Dixon C. Williams, who gave each of the distinguished per- 
sons a beautiful souvenir, and a meal ticket at the Hotel 
Doxey, and also tickets for passage on the street cars. Car- 
riages were also in \vaiting, which, together with the street 
railway, were at the disposal of the visitors to convey them to 
the hotel and places of public interest. After a substantial 
meal had been served they were conducted to the beautiful 
Riverside Park, where an exhibition, the like of which they 
had never before seen, was given them. Old " Vesuvius," 
the monster gas well on the river bank, \vas turned loose into 
the river \vith about sixty feet of pipe extending into the 
water, and the gas was ignited, thus affording the visitors one 
of the grandest sights upon which the human eye ever rested. 
These learned gentlemen, accustomed to ferreting out the 
secrets locked up in the subterranean chambers of Mother 
Earth, looked upon the sight with amazement, mingled with 
awe, and were unable to realize that what they had witnessed 
was a factor of nature subserved to the use of man. 

After this exhibition the visitors were conducted to the 
Doxey Opera House, where they were entertained with speech- 
making and fraternal greetings. Hon. Charles L. Henry 
came forward and delivered the following address : 

" Ladies and Gentlemen and Members of the American 
Association for the Advancement of Science : I am heartily 
glad to have you among us. I regret that we have been 
obliged to lay aside some of our plans for entertaining you. 
We had hoped to have you here a few hours in the day-time, 
so that we could ha^-e shown you our pleasant little city. We 
hope you have had a pleasant tour through the town, and we 
welcome you because we are glad to have 3'ou with us." 

To this Professor Mason, of Washington City, responded 
as follows : 

" I don't think I ever met with such a hearty welcome 
as you have given us. Before reaching your city I was handed 
a street-car ticket, and when I alighted at the station I step- 
ped into the car to go to the hotel. I was immediately noti- 
fied to get out of the car, and being obedient, I was trans- 
ferred to a carriage that was driven by Judge ^1. A. Chip- 



462 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

man, which I found was a good change from the rear of a 
street car. Say, you are the only people I ever saw ^vho set 
a river on fire.'' Professor Mason also expressed the hope 
that Anderson would have a happy and prosperous future. 

Short addresses were also made by Hon. C. W. Fair- 
banks, Professor Goodale, of Harvard; Ellery Avery, of Cleve- 
land : Professor Coulter, of A\'abash College ; Mayor Sullivan 
of Indianapolis; Hon. John Jiiy, of London, England; Pro- 
fessor Mill, of Alabama, and H. X. Brown, of the Indianapo 
lis A^ezvs, who responded to a toa'.t pioposed to the press in a 
happy manner, and elicited loud applause. The opera house 
■on this occasion \vas packed to its fullest capacity- by the citi- 
zens of Anderson, \vho listened with delight to the eloquent 
and instructive addresses that were made. This was one of 
the happiest meetings that ever took place in the city of An- 
derson. It sowed broadcast, not only in the United States, 
but in the countries across the Atlantic, the great advantages 
that Madison county possessed, and was one of the chief 
sources of adding to Anderson's prosperity, and was the 
means of bringing to her borders manufacturing and commer- 
cial industries. Perhaps never in the history of Anderson 
■will she again be honored with so many wise heads at one 
meeting as were assembled on this occasion. 

THE FIRST SINGING TEACHER IN ANDERSON. 

The old-timers learned to sing as well as the present gen- 
-eration, and when they worshiped God it was not done by a 
brass band and pipe organ, but by preaching without money 
and without price, and by singing psalms by the word of 
mouth. 

The first instructor in vocal music in Anderson was 
Joseph Shannon, the father of Thomas Shannon, who now^ 
resides in this city. He taught the pioneers the beauties of 
the "scale" and how to do-ra-me-do, in 1832. James Hol- 
lingsworth and many others yet living were under his tutor- 
ship. 

Anderson's crack military company. 

During the j-ear 1883, Dr. Horace E. Jones, who is a 
prominent member of the order of Odd Fellows, organized a 
military company, which afterwards proved to be one of the 
best disciplined and most thoroughly drilled companies in the 
United States. They were members of the Independent 
■Order of Odd Fellows, and, under a dispensation granted by 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 468 

the Grand Master, assumed the name of "Uniformed Patri- 
archs." They had a splendid cornet band, composed of mem- 
bers of the organization, under the superb leadership of Dallas 
K. Elliott, who w^as the acknowledged champion of the 
western country as a cornet player. This company, after 
being thoroughly drilled by Captain Jones, set out to capture 
every prize that was offered at the competitive drills in differ- 
ent cities throughout the countrj-. One of their contests was 
at Indianapolis, in the month of May, 1884, when they drilled 
upon the State Fair grounds against several of the leading 
organizations in the State, the judges being Colonel Nicholas 
R. Ruckle, Major J. R. Ross and Major J. R. Carnahan. 
The}- performed their evolutions with remarkable celerity and 
exactness, so much so that the committee promptly awarded 
them the first prize. 

Upon their return to Anderson they were given a grand 
ovation by the people, and a banquet was spread at the 
Doxey House in their honor. At Chicago, in 1883, they 
contested with several companies, prominent among which 
\vas one commanded by Colonel Eddy, of New York, who 
had promulgated the original tactics used by these organiza- 
tions. The Anderson company was at a disadvantage on the 
grounds where the drill took place, as thej' ^vere at quite a dis- 
tance from the judges' stand, and had it not been for this 
thej' would have received the first prize ; as it was, they car- 
ried off the second. Later on, at Columbus, Ohio, in the 
contest of all the leading Patriarchs of the United States, they 
were easily the winners of the first prize. The band on this 
occasion was also the recipient of a handsome medal. At 
Lake Minnetonka, near St. Paul, Minn., in 1886, this company 
took first prize against all competitors. 

The Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows, however, from some 
cause unknown to the writer, took exception to the military 
features of this organization and placed a "damper" upon it 
by ordering it to disband. Since this time Anderson has hot 
enjoved the privilege of beholding the military bearing and 
recounting the achievements of such a military organization. 

Dr. H. E. Jones is undoubtedly one of the best drill- 
masters in the United States, having had a thorough military 
education in the United States navy and is besides naturally of 
a military turn of mind. He, as well as the entire population 
of Anderson, was very proud of this organization and was 
very sorry to see it disband. 



464 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV,^INDIANA. 

susETTE & Clifton's minstrels. 

The most gorgeous and dazzling aggregation of burnt cork 
artists ever organized by a home talent company, was the re- 
sult of the young men of Anderson getting the " minstrel 
fever " in the spring of 1867. The company bore the name of 
" Susette & Clifton's Plantation ^Minstrels, combined with 
O'Neil & jMunson's Burlesque Opera." 

It was headed by William E. Cook, who was at one time 
the editor of the Ajidci%oii Slandai-d and later the founder of 
the Plaiiidcalcr, the immediate predecessor of the Anderson 
Democrat. 

With him were associated many of the young men of An- 
derson, some of whom have become successful business men. 
Daniel F. Mustard, the banker, was one of the musicians who 
belonged to the band that accompanied the show, consisting 
of twenty-four pieces. David A. Ranck, a prominent busi- 
ness man of Chicago, was also a member of the party. 

Thomas H. O'Neil afterwards a famous newspaper cor- 
respondent, and at one time the train dispatcher for a railroad 
company, was one of the "stars" on the stage, and did some 
clever work. 

The company gave an exhibition in the old Union Hall to 
a crowded house after which it went by wagons to Marion, 
Ind., there being no railroad from Anderson to that place, 
where they showed one night. 

On returning to Anderson for a few nights' rehearsal they 
went to Logansport, and made a one-night stand to a moder- 
ate house. From Logansport they went to Delphi where the 
company disbanded from the lack of patronage and by reason ■ 
of the treasurer "taking a walk" with the cash he took in at 
the door, leaving the boys, some of whom had to walk out of 
town. Samuel D. Makepeace was musical director, and got 
possession of the band instruments and tramped out of the 
place with several brass horns and a bass drum strapped 
around his body, and did not return to Anderson for several 
years thereafter. Mr. IMakepeace is yet living, and is engaged 
in the profession of instructor in band music in which he is 
quite proficient. 

The writer was not a member of this company, although 
he had a small contribution of money in it, and a handsome 
base ball uniform upon which he fondly doted, that went up 
in the wreck. 



HISTORY OK MADISON COITNTV, INDIANA. 465 

Tliomus H. O'Neil sang a soni;; entitled, '• Hark, I Hear an 
Angel Sing,'' with much pathos and brought fortii loud ap- 
plause. He also made a burlesque " stump speech" that was 
simply superb, and filled the house with laughter. It was full 
of local hits that all enjoyed. 

After the boys all strolled back to their homes they each 
settled down to quiet lives fully satisfied with their brief stage 
experience. William .Snelson, who is now a prominent phy- 
sician in Iowa, took the company to Marion in two large farm 
wagons to fill their engagement there, and brought them back 
to Anderson. 

At Marion the performance did not come up to the stan- 
dard of the amusement going people's ideas, and serious trouble 
was averted by Mr. William Neal, a prominent citizen of the 
place, quieting the disturbing element. 

Among the most prominent members of this party, were 
Capt. Henry Vineyard and Capt. Leroy Anderson. They 
were the business managers and "did" the financial " act'' for 
the company. 

Wm. E. Cook, the originator, afterwards drifted to San 
Francisco, California, where he was engaged in the job print- 
ing business when Gen. Grant made his famous trip around the 
world, and printed the souvenir cards for the menu at the ban- 
quet given in honor of the distinguished guest when in that 
city. Cook finally went to Honolulu and it is said died there 
several years since. 

Anderson's first lahor day demonstration. 

In Anderson's early history such a thing as a Labor Day 
demonstration would never have been thought of, as but a 
few factories were located here, and but few people earned 
their livelihood by working at difi'erent trades in these indus- 
tries. The first Labor Day demonstration held in Anderson 
took place on the 7th of September, 1891. It was one of the 
grandest parades that ever occurred in the city. Bands of 
music and banners were in the procession and thousands of 
people in line, and the parade moved with a precision and 
regularity as though it was conscious of the impression it 
made upon those who witnessed the scene. Everv store and 
business place was closed, and farmers, laborers, lawyers and 
clerks mingled in one iiappy mass to celebrate this event. It 
was estimated that fully twenty thousand people took part 

and witnessed the procession. After the parade tinough the 
30 



466 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

principal streets of the city the march was taken up to the 
park of the Madison County Trotting Association, in North 
Anderson, where a meeting was held, being addressed by 
Moses Hull, of Chicago, C. A. Robinson and J. A. Allen. 
Jeremiah O'Sullivan acted as grand marshal of the procession. 
The Anderson Fire Department turned out with two hose 
wagons and the hook and ladder trucks. The wheels of their 
apparatuses were decorated with the American flags and pre- 
sented a very beautiful appearance. Many of the merchants 
turned out with their wagons trimmed with bunting and laden 
with merchandise of different kinds, adding splendor to the 
occasion. As this was the first demonstration of this kind in 
Madison county, it made a deep impression upon the people 
and brought forcibly to their minds the importance of the 
laboring classes to the community. The final climax to the 
day took place at Music Hall, in the evening, where a merry 
dance and other ceremonies took place. 

Since this memorable occasion Anderson has always 
observed Labor Day and it has become one of the holidays 
that is looked forward to witii pleasure by the people at large. 

A HAUNTED HOUSE IN ANDERSON. 

At the corner of Meridian and Fifth streets in the city of 
Anderson, now occupied by tiie spacious dwelling of James 
Wellington, there stood a neat frame cottage. On the 8th 
day of June, 1877, it was whispered around from house to 
house that this dwelling was haunted. It was owned by 
James Wellington and occupied by Isaac Sharp and Frank 
Knight as tenants. These two families lived in the building 
for quite awhile, and nothing had ever occurred to disturb 
tlieir neighborly relations, or to vex the current of their do- 
mestic lives. They glided along life's gentle stream without 
a ripple. About 7 o'clock one evening a loud noise was 
heard at the front door, and it was answered simultaneously 
by both ladies going to their respective doors ; but on open- 
ing the front door they saw no one there. They were con- 
siderably startled. The mysterious noises were heard again 
at occasional intervals until 9 o'clock that evening, the ladies 
growing more and more disturbed with each repetition. The 
raps, as described, were very loud and clear; in fact, the 
neicrhbors living on opposite sides of the street could hear 
them distinctly, and, to use the description of one of these, it 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 467 

sounded like the knock of an impatient person, who, liaving 
once knocked, rapped a second time. 

The rapping was again heard that night, and when tlie 
ladies spoke of it to their husbands they only laughed at them. 
The next morning at it o'clock the sounds were again heard, 
and were kept up almost incessantly during the day. It be- 
gan operations next morning an hour earlier than the preced- 
ing day. In tlie meantime it seemed to have passed the Ru- 
bicon and was knocking incessantly around the interior of the 
house, first at one point and then another, but showing a de- 
cided partiality for the hall, with an inclination to go up- 
stairs. The raps no\v became quite loud and sounded like the 
knocks of a gun upon the floor. 

The men of the house, however, were not favored with 
the visitation that so distinctly jarred upon the ladies. On 
the next evening, being Saturday, and the unmistakable evi- 
<lences being present that there was some supernatural agency 
at work, Mr. Isaac Sharp left his place of business at an 
earlier hour than usual and went home, and with his aricular 
organs waited and watched to the keenest point of curiosity, 
and was hoping that the mysterious agent would furnish him 
with some of its knocks to gratify him, even saj'ing he would 
give a hundred dollars to hear it just once, when rap, rap, rap, 
came through the stillness of the room, and Mr. Sharp was so 
disturbed and frightened that he at once got out of bed and 
lighted a lamp; then he went to watching and stayed up 
the remainder of the night. At 4 o'clock in the morning the 
rapping began again and continued until 9 o'clock, and was 
so loud and noisy that it attracted the attention of Mr. Lafe 
Burr, who at that time lived on the opposite corner. 

The news spread through the city in relation to the 
haunted house and thousands of people from all quarters 
flocked to the scene of the strange phenomena. Mr. Welling- 
ton, the ovv'ner of the house, acting upon the advice of many 
credulous people, had the floor raised, expecting the cause to 
be discovered in loose boards or some natural reason. But the 
search was unsuccessful and nothing was discovered that 
might account for the mystery. A great many people who be- 
lieved in ghosts and spirits became interested in the affair and 
declared it was nothing less than "spirit rappings." According- 
ly mediums came from different directions within and without 
the city and demanded admission into the house to hold com- 
munion with the spirits, which was denied by the occupants 



468 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of the liouse, and came near causing serious trouble. The 
whole population in Anderson and the surrounding country 
became wrought up over it. The newspapers in other cities 
sent reporters to the scene and asked for dispatches in relation 
to it. Some went so far as to have cuts made of the building 
and to print long accounts of the mysterious affair. 

It was afterwards developed that the whole thing wa.*; 
only a trick of one of the lady occupants, who was a servant 
in one of the families in the house. She had invented the 
contrivance in the back part of the stairway, which she could 
manage by stepping on a certain board, or pulling a wire, 
unnoticed by the people, and cause the knocking. In this 
way she could at her will produce this unearthly noise. 

This was a sad blow to those who had gone so far as to 
stake their existence, and who were willing to wager their 
earthly possessions, that it \vas spirits. 

The affair in due time blew over but these two families 
separated and found homes in different parts of the city; and 
had no desire to again occupy the premises. This house still 
stands on the lots now owned by H. B. Reed, on North Dela- 
ware street, where it was removed to give way to Mr. Welling- 
ton's new home, that now occupies its former site. 

A newspaper in Helena, Montana, had a picture of this 
house, and a three column, blood-curdling account of it, 
which was mailed to some friends in Anderson. 

One old gentleman, who lives in Madison county, came 
from his home and demanded admittance and was finally al- 
lowed to go in. He proceeded to the corner where the noise 
had been coming from, and striking an attitude, he exclaimed : 
" If you are a spirit speak to me.'* This he repeated several 
times. At last when he was not looking for it, " bang, bang, 
bang " it went. It is said he flew out over chairs, tables and 
anything else that came in his way, and he " never came 
back." 



CHAPTER LII. 



Jn Whkh a Number of Happenmngs of More or Less 
Interest Are Recalled. 



RENDERED A CRIPPLE FOR LIFE. 

H. J. Bronnenberg, one of Anderson's most enterprising 
young business men, met with an accident on the 2'2d of Au- 
gust, 1888, that has rendered him a permanent cripple. The 
circumstances of the case were about as follows : Wr. Bron- 
nenberg was an intimate friend of Mr. Charles L. Crum, 
who was superintendent of the construction of the straw- 
board mill situated in the north part of the city. On the 
morning of the day on which the accident occurred, he, in 
company with Mr. Bronnenberg, visited the gas well that had 
been recently put down in the ground belonging to the Straw- 
board Company, near White river, north of the mill. When 
the driller had finished his work he connected a two and a 
lialf inch pipe therewith, and placed it in a horizontal posi- 
tion, running out sexeral feet from the well, attaching a valve 
tor the purpose of regulating the flow of gas. Mr. Crum 
and Mr. Bronnenberg were in the act of lighting the gas from 
the well. When Mr. Bronnenberg was turning on the gas, 
the pipe leading out from the well became disconnected in 
some manner, about five or si.x feet away. The intense pres- 
sure of the gas caused a violent rotary motion of the elbow 
cap, to which the pipe had been attached. In the first revo- 
lution Mr. Bronnenberg was struck, and knocked some twenty 
or thirty feet distant. He was for a time rendered un- 
conscious bv the severitv of the blow, and lay for several 
minutes as though he were dead. Dr. Cullen, his family phy- 
sician was summoned, and on arriving made a hasty ex- 
amination of Mr. Bronnenberg, who was then placed on a 
stretcher and carried home. It was found that he had sus- 
tained a compound fracture of the right arm, the bones being 
badly splintered and protruding through the flesh. He also 
sustained other severe bruises and injuries about the sides and 
limbs. It was at first thought that amputation of the arm 



470 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

would be necessary, but the physician subsequently concluded 
tiiat the arm could be saved, and perhaps, rendered of use to 
Mr. Bronnenberg, and therefore the operation of am]Hitation 
was forgone. 

It has been a question with Mr. Bronnenberg and many 
of his friends, whether it would not have been better to have 
submitted to the amj)Utation, as he has been an intense sufferer 
during all these years since the accident occurred, and, per- 
haps, will remain so the remainder of his existence. This 
was not only a sad blow to Mr. Bronnenberg, but also to the 
communit}' at large. During his many years as a resident at 
Anderson no man was more enterprising, nor was there any 
one who cared more for the \velfare of Anderson, in a busi- 
ness way, than did Mr. Bronnenberg. Upon the discovery of 
natural gas, he was one of the first to suggest the organization 
of the Board of Trade, and put on foot the movement for 
bringing capital to our borders. During his membership of 
the Board none contributed more liberally, or was a more 
earnest worker in behalf of Anderson's prosperity than he, 
and even now there is no one who has the city's interest more 
at heart. 

He has been a successful business man, and prior to this 
occurrence had accumulated for himself a handsome fortune, 
the income of whicii now supports iiim and his family in ease 
and comfort. 

A TRAVELING MAN DROWNED. 

On the 14th of June, 1892, D. A. Cone, a traveling sales- 
man, stopped at the Hotel Doxey and registered his name 
and had his baggage cared for, and immediately went to the 
river to take a bath. It was very warm, and a cool, refresh- 
ing bath was something a person could better obtain in the 
river than in a small bath room. He went to the "old swim- 
ming hole,'" back of Norton's brewery, and plunged into the 
water. Some boys who were in the neighborhood noticed 
that he did not come up after diving; so the}' at once gave 
the alarm and a search was made for his body. It was soon 
found and brought to the hotel and his friends notified. It 
was at first thought that it might be suicide, but there was no 
cause for this, as his employers testified that he was all 
'•straight" and enjoyed their undivided esteem and confidence. 
He was a man about twenty-one years old and unmarried. 
Dr. C. L. Armington held an inquest and returned a verdict 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 471 

of accidental diDwiiing. His remains were sent home by his 
friends for burial, and tiius anotlier victim was added to tlie 
fatal swimming hole. 

A SERIES OF NATURAL GAS EXPLOSIONS. 

Several years after the laying of the gas mains through 
the city of Anderson and other places in Madison county for 
the purpose of conducting the fluid from the streets for the 
purposes of domestic use, gas explosions occurred at frequent 
intervals before the pipes had become sufficiently settled in 
the trenches to prevent breaks in the lines. The severe cold 
weather also had the effect of contracting the iron to such an 
extent that in many places the lines were separated, and in 
some instances the couplings and joints became broken, allow- 
ing the gas to escape from the mains, which invariably fol- 
lowed the service pipes into residences and cellars under busi- 
ness houses, causing much anxiety to the gas companies and 
endangering the lives of the citizens. 

The first gas explosion of any note that took place in 
Anderson was on the 4th of February, 1888, when a frame 
building that had formerly been occupied as a residence by 
Oliver P. Stone, on the ground at the present time known as 
Lincoln Terrace, was blown up with terrific force. The house 
was at the time occupied by the Sisters of the Hoh- Cross ; 
this was before the erection of the new hospital. A break 
had occurred in the pipes in front of the building opposite the 
residence of Dr. George F. Chittenden, the cellar of whose 
house was also thoroughly saturated with gas. The front 
part of the Stone building was entirely blown out and the 
timbers were badly wrecked, but fortunatelv fire did not 
ensue nor was there any loss of life or limb. 

Dr. Chittenden, detecting the gas in his cellar, was cau- 
tious enough to enter the place without a lighted match : as a 
result his building was saved from destruction. 

A few days afterwards, in the same month, an explosion 
took place in the cellar of the business rooms occupied by 
Stephen Markt on North Main street. Mr. Markt had de- 
tected a smell of gas about the building, and on going into the 
cellar to make an investigation thoughtlessly lighted a match, 
and in an instant he was hurled to the opposite side of the 
building, being terribly burned and bruised, from the elTects of 
which he did not fully recover for more than a year. The dis- 
covery at the time it was made was very timely as but little 



472 insTORV of madison county. Indiana. 

lluid had collected in the basement, otherwise the entire block 
•of buildings adjoining would have been totally destroyed. 

It is said that Mr. Markt had hardly recovered from the 
shock and got upon his feet, when he remarked to some one 
that he supposed the people would say that "the d — d foo! 
struck a match." 

On the 7th of February, 1S88, one of the most terrible e.x- 
plosions of natural gas took place at the residence of Thomas 
Norton on North Main street, nearly opposite the Markt build- 
ing, which originated from a break in the gas mains at the cor- 
ner of Main and Seventh streets. The gas had followed the 
service pipe from the street into the basement of the Norton 
building where it had been pouring in for quite a while. The 
familj' noticed the leak, but failed to locate the point from 
which it made its escape. The night prior to the explosion 
]Mr. and Mrs. Norton had been entertaining a number of 
friends, and remained up until a late hour. 

In the morning the family arose about 7 o'clock, and after 
preparing the morning meal Mrs. Norton entered the room 
occupied by Mr. Fenton Rogers, who was a guest in her house, 
to awaken him. He had not been feeling well for a few days, 
and for this reason remained in bed later than usual. Mrs. 
Norton then proceeded to light the fire in his room so tliat it 
might be warm when he arose. No sooner had siie done so 
than a terrific explosion took place. She was hurled through 
the doorway into the adjoining hall, and was badly burned 
about the face and hands, but luckily escaped serious injury. 
Mr. Rogers was instantly killed. The front and side walls of 
the house were blown out and he was crushed beneath the fall- 
ing debris. Two ladies. Miss Norton and Miss Bridget Breen, 
were occupants of the same room on the second floor immedi- 
ately above that which was occupied by Mr. Rogers. They 
were precipitated to the ground; the bedstead on which they 
were sleeping sliding to the front yard, and, strange to relate, 
they were not injured in the slightest degree. 

Mr. Rogers was at one time a dealer in musical instru- 
ments, having a store in the Doxey opera house building. 
He was the son of a widowed mother. He was well known 
and was especially beloved by the Catholic people of Ander- 
son, being a member of St. Mary's Catholic church choir at 
the time of his death. 

The damage to Mr. Norton's property was in the neigh- 
borhood of $4,000, without any insurance. This catastroplie 



HISTORY OK MAmSOX COTNTV. INDIANA. 



473 



candied considerable litiifation between Mr. Xoiton and the 
Anderson Gas Company, against wliicli he brought suit tor 
damages, but before the case came on for trial a compromise 
was effected and Mr. Norton was fully reimbursed for the loss 
he had sustained. 

On the 13th of January, 189:^, another gas explosion 
occurred in Anderson at the residence of David Dillon, on 
Madison avenue, in Hazel wood addition. The house was a 




THE DILLON HOME, DESTROYED BY A NATURAL CAS E.XPLOSION. 

new one, having been erected only a few months prior to its 
destruction. There were several persons in the house at the 
time who were more or less injured, among whom were David 
Dillon, his wife, Maud Dillon, iiis daughter, John Donahoe, 
James Kilbain, Andrew Rogers, Cora Heaton and Cora Pulse. 
While several of these parties were severely injured, all sur- 
vived. Mr. Dillon was badly burned and carried the marks 
on his person for several years thereafter. 

The cause of the explosion was supposed to have been 



474 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

from a leak in the gas mains or from the service pipe con- 
nected with the pipes in the street, which was, however, never 
fully determined by those interested. The cellar had become 
filled with gas, the family having noticed, for a dav or two 
prior, the evidences of a gas leak, but were unable to ascer- 
tain where the difficulty lay. About 4 o'clock in the after- 
noon Mr. Dillon came home from his work and went into his 
cellar to get some apples. While there he detected the pres- 
ence of gas and made up his mind to locate it. Returning to 
the kitchen he provided himself with matches and returned to 
follow out his investigations. Upon entering the basement he 
struck a light and a terrific explosion instantly followed. The 
work of destruction could not have been more complete had 
it been planned in advance. The building reeled and tottered 
for an instant and then the walls tumbled to the earth with a 
heav)' crash that was heard several blocks away. The east 
front of the building was torn from its fastenings and almost 
hurled across the avenue. The roof came down with a crash. 
while cross pieces and timbers fell in a heap below. Frag- 
ments of furniture were found two squares distant, the house 
being literally gutted of its contents. An alarm of fire was 
turned in at once, which was responded to promptlv and tiie 
remainder of the building was saved from destruction. The 
cries of the wounded were pitiful to hear and brought tears to 
the eyes of many who witnessed the scene. The force of the 
explosion was plainly felt upon the public square in the city, 
nearly a mile distant. John Dav, a next-door neighbor, was 
sitting at his home in a rocking-chair about five feet from the 
window. The concussion threw him against the window, 
thereby breaking the glass. The clock was thrown from tile 
shelf and broken into many pieces. Dishes and glass and all 
kinds of table-^vare lined the sidewalk. 

Shortly after the explosion at the Dillon residence anotiier 
occurred at the home of William Shively on the opposite side 
of the street. This, like the former one, occurred in the cel- 
lar, but no disastrous results followed. The glass in tiie win- 
dows was broken, a portion of the flooring was torn up and 
some of the doors were blown from their hinges, but no one 
was hurt in the wreck. The cause of the accident was attrib- 
uted to the same fact that had brought about the one in the 
Dillon residence. Considerable litigation was the result ot 
this disaster. The parties who were injured brought suit 
against the Hazlewood Gas Company for damages to be 



HISTOHV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 475 

awarded in compensation for their injuries, all of whicii were 
amicably adjusted by a compromise between the parties. 

A fatal explosion of natural gas took place in Anderson 
on the 11th of May, 1803, at 116 and 118 South Central ave- 
nue, in which Mr. Eli Murray and his wife both lost their 
lives. The accident occurred in a double frame house owned 
by James T. Knowland, and was occupied by the Murraj' fam- 
ily and George Greyer, the jeweler. 

The accident is supposed to have been caused by leaving 
a gas jet burning in a room in wliich there was a leak in tlie 
pipes, or by a sudden rise in the pressure in the street mains 
causing the lights in the house to be partially'extinguished, 
and the escaping gas coming in contact with the burning jets, 
after filling the room, exploded. It will, perhaps, never be 
known what the real cause was, the \vhole matter being con- 
jecture. It was about ten o'clock at night, after the Murray 
family had retired, the Greyers not yet having gone to bed. 

The explosion was a most terrific one, being heard for a 
long distance, and blowing Mr. Murray out of the house 
through the front door. His wife was also blown a con- 
siderable distance, both being terribly burned and bruised. 
They were taken to Emergency hospital and cared for by 
physicians, and also by kind friends, but botli soon died of 
their injuries, suffering untold agonies. 

The Greyer family escaped serious injury, but were more 
or less burned and terribly shaken up. The building was en- 
tirely destroj'ed and the family lost all of their household 
goods. Mrs. Greyer had just gone into the bath-room to get 
some water and was blown out of the house, severely bruising 
and badly frightening her. The most remarkable circum- 
stance was the escape of the children in the building, who 
were not injured in the least. 

The loss of the property was about .iio,(MI(). The Murray 
estate brought suit against the Citizens' Gas Company for 
damages, and in a compromise was awarded |i',00(X 

The lion. Ben. Smith, of Rushville, represented the ad- 
ministrator of the Murray estate, and, in his argument in the 
case, made a wonderful and telling speech. 

On the 1st of February. 1898, at about the hour of mid- 
night, the house occupied by Ulysses Bronson, at the corner 
of Main and Twelfth streets, was wrecked by a natural gas 
explosion, and the inmates terribly burned. The explosion 
was caused by a leak in the street mains, allowing the gas to 



470 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTY, INDIANA. 

I'liid its way into the cellar of the house, and when coming in 
contact with the burning jets on the upper tioor, exploded. 
The building was demolished and entirely destroyed by fire. 
The family were all terribly burned, but recovered. The 
property was owned by C. K. McCullough, and was forinerly 
part of the possessions of the old artificial gas plant. 

The report of this explosion was heard many miles in the 
country, and the shock was perceptible in every part of the city. 

At about the hour of 1 1 o'clock p. m., on the night of 
January '2'6, 1S93, the terrific noise of an explosion shocked 
the people of Anderson, shaking their houses and scaring 
them out of their wits. It was soon discovered that an ex- 
plosion of gas had occurred in the basement of the Doxey 
House under the National Exchange Bank, in which corner 
this establishment was located. The entire room was blown 
to the four winds, or as much thereof as was in shape to be 
atVected bv the explosion. The floors were raised to the ceil- 
ing and the contents of the room were demolished. The 
promptness of the fire department saved the hotel and adjoin- 
ing buildings from destruction. The safe and vaults in the 
bank were not injured and in a short time the next morning 
the officials had quarters in the court house, where the busi- 
ness went on as if nothing had happened. The guests in the 
hotel were so frightened that some left tlie city on the first 
outgoing train. 

One fellow came down in the office from his room en- 
treating his friends to not get excited ; at the same time he 
was in his nightshirt, with his pants under his arm, with a 
'■ plug "' hat on and making for the railroad station, to get out 
of town. • 

This fellow in an excited manner asked the hotel clerk 
what time the train went out. 

•■ On what road?" asked the clerk. 

" It don't make a d — d bit of difTerence which road — the 
first train out." He was pointed to the nearest depot and has 
never been seen in Anderson since. The entire front of the 
room in which was situated the bank was blown out, but the 
other part of the building was not injured. 

The e.xplosion was caused by a leak in the street mains as 
usual, which caused the gas to accumulate in the basement, in 
which was a hot air furnace. As soon as a sufficiency of gas 
had gathered to come in contact with the fire in the furnace, it 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. -ill 

ignited aiul exploded with wonderful force. Luckily no one 
\vas injured, as it was at a time when no one was in the bank. 
Xo accident ever occurred in Anderson that caused more 
excitement or looked more like a big conflagration would fol- 
low. If any person had been in the bank at tiie time of I he 
explosion, he would have been instantly killed and cremated, 
as there was no possible means of escape. 

THE F.\LLING OF .\ SHED. 

For many years there stood at the corner of Twelfth and 
Main streets, in Anderson, a building known as the " N'allev 
Groceiy," which was owned and conducted by Amos J. Davis. 
In addition to this there was a row of old rickety buildings to 
^vhich a large shed had been built, and which projected in 
front. Part of the building was occupied by Maurice Wallace 
as a meat market. 

This place was a great resort on Sunday afternoons for 
men and boys who congregated there to shelter themselves 
from the rain or the rays of the burning sun. And here they 
would tell jokes and relate stories. 

On the 23d of January, 188"., while a crowd was thus 
congregated, the shed gave way because of the heavy weight 
of snow piled upon it, and buried several persons, among whom 
were Grant Baker, William Carr, Michael Boland, Patrick 
O'Neal, Clarence Gustin and Maurice Wallace. Wallace re- 
ceived the most serious injur}', having his right shoulder dis- 
located, lie also received several painful bruises which con- 
fined him to his room for some days thereafter. Mr. Carr 
received a fracture of his right leg. The injuries of the other 
parties were but slight. Considering the weight that fell upon 
them, it may be regarded as miraculous that none of them 
was more severelj- wounded. It took a long time and a good 
deal of iiard work to liberate the parties from their imprison- 
ment under the fallen shed, and great excitement prevailed 
until they were finally and safely rescued. 

FOUND DEAD. 

On the 20tli pf December, l^i?-"). Vincennes Guenlhens- 
berger, a German citizen of Anderson, was found dead in his 
place of business, on .South Meridian street, on the lot where 
tiie street car stables stood a few years ago. He operated a 
stone yard at that place, and had it well equipped for the 
business. He had large saws and all modern machinery, and 



478 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

vfas prepared to saw out door and window sills and other stone 
ready for the masons to use in the erection of buildings. He 
did quite a prosperous business, and was a man well respected 
by the community. His only fault was the cup. It is sup- 
posed that this was the cause of his sudden taking off. He 
left a wife and several children, one of whom is now Mrs. 
Amory Graham, of Anderson. His widow yet survives iiim, 
having married a Mr. Solomon .Sheets, who has since died, 
leaving her again a widow. 

SHOOTING OK WILLIAM KYLE. 

Policeman .Samuel Bass, of Anderson, shot William Kyle 
on the 24th day of September, 1891, while the latter was 
attempting to escape from custody. Kyle had been fined 
before the Mayor for intoxication and placed in charge of 
Officer Bass, and along with four or five other prisoners had 
been taken to jail. Mr. Bass had taken the prisoners into the 
jail office when Kyle, seeing the door leading to the residence 
portion of the building standing open, made a dash for his 
liberty. After reaching the lawn he ran down the hill to- 
wards the railroad, and the officer followed in close pursuit. 
When a little distance beyond the Pan Handle railroad, Kyle 
b'egan pulling off his clothes for the purpose of swimming the 
river. The officer ordered him to halt, but K3le paid no 
attention to his command. The officer, seeing that he would 
be likely to escape, opened fire on him, the ball striking Kyle 
in the upper portion of the left hip, lodging in the right groin. 
He was taken back to the jail, and his wounds were dressed 
by Dr. H. E.Jones. He afterward recovered and Officer 
Bass was held justifiable for the shooting. 

A DISASTROUS WRECK. 

A very disastrous railway wreck occurred in Anderson 
on the 18th of June, 189(1, on the Pan Handle Railway near 
the Philadelphia Qiiartz Mills, the "Merchandise train" and 
through freight, consisting of forty-two cars, in charge of Con- 
ductor Spangler, of Logansport, being ditched. Thirteen box 
cars laden with various kinds of merchandise, pianos, books, 
pottery, lumber, hardware, and agricultural implements and 
furniture, were heaped up in one mass of broken lumber and 
splinters. The track was twisted out of shape for sixty or 
seventy yards from the scene of the disaster. No one appears 
to have seen the wreck at the time it took place except a car- 



niSTOHV ()|- MADISON COIINTV. INDIANA. 479 

[K'ntev. who liiul been at work in llie locality and \\ ho was 
waitiiiLf for the train bound north. Ilis statement was to the 
effect that in facing the train he noticed that it had been dis- 
connected from some cause, and that the engine with five or 
six cars was some distance ahead of the other section of the 
train ; that the draw-bar of one of the front cars of the last 
section was dragging along the ground, and he believed that 
it entered the ground and threw the first car from the track, 
causing the others to pile on top of it. He had a narrow 
escape himself in getting out of the way of the falling cars. 
Neither the engineer nor fireman could give an authentic ac- 
count of the accident. Arrangements had to be made to 
transfer the passengers around the wreck. Elsie Castor, son 
of Lewis Castor, section foreman at Frankton, had a remark- 
able escape from death. He was on top of the second car, 
and when the first car left the track they began to pile up one 
upon the other, and the concussion of the colliding cars threw 
him from the top of the train, but he sustained no serious in- 
juries. He was stunned by the fall and it was thought for 
awhile that he was internally injured. He was removed to the 
house of William Wise, his uncle, where his wounds were 
dressed and he soon recovered. 

The destruction of property was greater than in any simi- 
lar d-isaster that has ever occurred in the vicinity of Anderson. 

A WRECK ON THE BIG FOUR. 

On .'Saturday, the L'oth of August, 1.S83, one of the most 
destructive railroad wrecks that ever took place in this section 
of the country happened on the Big Four railroad where the 
road runs through what has for many vears been known as the 
John Kindle farm, east of Anderson, in a curve in the road. 
The accident occurred through the negligence of the con- 
ductor in disobeying orders. His train was on the side track 
at the crossing in .Vnderson, and his orders were to remain 
there until the next incoming freight had passed him. 
Another train not running on schedule time, known as a " wild 
train," passed, and the ccuiductor mistook this for the regular 
freight, and •' pulled out." l?oth trains were running at the 
rate of twenty miles an hour when they collided. The engi- 
neers and firemen on the trains saved their lives by jumping 
before the crash came. 

The two trains remained on the track, but were badly- 
torn up anil ruined. Fourteen freight cars were piled up, 



480 HISTORY OF JIADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

one on another and weie badly shattered. Their contents, 
consisting of boots, shoes, clover luillers, beer bottles, in fact, 
merchandise of all sorts that could be named, were scattered 
about promiscuously. 

The wreck occurred about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and 
the noise of the collison was heard plainly at the railroad 
crossing nearly a mile distant, (ireat crowds of people from 
Anderson and vicinity visited the wreck. The evening mail 
train coming to Anderson was loaded with people who had 
been to Muncie to attend Barnum's show, who were side tracked 
at Daleville until the next morning. Many of the passengers 
who were anxious to get home " hoofed" it to town on the 
track. The damage done by this wreck aggregated many 
thousand dollars. 

ACCIDENTALLY SHOT HIM.SELI-'. 

All of the older citizens of Anderson will remember Arm- 
strong Taylor, who so long held the office of City Treasurer. 
It was said by one of his opponents in a race for this ofHce, 
after Taylor had defeated him, that there was only one way 
to defeat Taylor for City Treasurer, and that was to kill him. 
Mr. Taylor was a cripple, having the use of only one of his 
arms, the other having been maimed in his youth, making him 
an object of sympathy, as well as being popular with the peo- 
ple in his intercourse with I horn. It was almost an impossi- 
bility to defeat him at the polls. For several years he was 
nominated, without opposition in his own party, for City 
Treasurer, and always elected, many Democrats voting for 
him through sympathy. Many of the most popular Demo- 
crats in Anderson have measured strength with him at the 
election and came out defeated. He was at one time Recorder 
and once Treasurer of Madison county, and while serving in 
the latter capacity, on the 1st of May, 1855, he accidentally 
shot himself in the fleshy part of his leg while fooling with an 
old single-barreled pistol. The ball was removed, and in a 
short time he was able for duty again, not having caused him 
much inconvenience. 

Mr. Taylor was a dear lover of the sport of hunting, and 
had but few rivals in the county who cquld even interest him 
in a contest with a rifle or shot gun. lie only had the use of 
one hand, but could load a gun as readily as most people 
would with two hands. When he went hunting he always 
came home with a shot pouch full of game. Armstrong Tay- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 481 

lor was one who filled liis place among men of his daN- in a 
befitting manner, and left an honored memorj' behind iiini 
when he passed away. He died in Anderson a few years ago, 
leaving a respectable family to mourn his departure. 

A NARROW ESCAPE. 

On the 25th of April, 1881, about 2 o'clock in the after- 
noon, when the citizens of Anderson were busy .at their \oc:i- 
tions, they were suddenly startled by a heavy rumbling noise, 
culminating in a deep thud. It was soon ascertained that the 
roof of the Boring-Hannah building, on the north side of the 
square, then in process of construction, had fallen in. The 
building had been under way for about two months previously 
and Messrs. O'Neil & Crickenbarger were engaged in plas- 
tering it. The workmen were on a scaffold about twelve feet 
high, and were warned of the impending danger by the 
plastering giving away from the center of the building. In 
leaping from the scaffold, Mr. Crickenbarger was caught in 
the flying debris, and suffered a severe fracture of the bones of 
the left foot. His fellow workmen, who escaped injury, car- 
ried him from the building, and just as they were outside the 
door the entire roof fell in with a terrible crash. It was a 
narrow escape froin a frightful death. 

The building had been rented by the Commissioners of 
Madison county, to be occupied by the Circuit Court, Sheriff's 
and County Clerk's offices, and would have been so occupied 
in a few daj-s if this accident had not occurred. It was, indeed, 
very lucky that the defects in the construction made them- 
selves known by this occurrence, for it might have been much 
worse. Had the room been occupied by the court, there is 
reason to believe that many persons might have been killed. 
Mr. D. S. Crickenbarger has been a cripple ever since, and 
will be during the remainder of his life, although he is able to 
attend to the ordinary duties of business life. He was at the 
following spring election, owing to the sympathies of the 
people, regardless of political affiliations, elected to the honor- 
able office of Justice of the Peace for Anderson township, 
which he filled successfully for the term of four years, and in 
the fall of 1894 he was again elected to that important office, 
and is at this time administering its duties. 

This block stands immediately west of and adjoining the 
Robinson & Lovett building on- the nortii side of the public 
square. 

31 



482 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY. INDIANA. 

After the burning of the court house in 1880 it was 
used for some time for a court house, until the present edifice 
was ready for use in 1885. 

This was the second serious accident tliat happened dur- 
ing the construction of this building, Andrew Thomas having 
fallen off the walls, an account of which is given elsewhere. 

UNFORTUNATE RATIFICATION :M FETING. 

On the 11th of J"ly, 1868, the Hons. James M. Dickson 
and William C. Fleming, who were then giants in Madison 
county politics in the Democratic fold, returned from the city 
of Xew York bringing with them the news that Hon. Horatio 
Sevmour had been placed in nomination by the Democratic 
party for the office of President of the United States. It was 
then agreed by the central committee of Madison count_y that 
a grand ratification meeting should be held that afternoon in 
tlie court house yard. Jacob Hubbard was then a young and 
sprightly man full of vim and vigor and a Democrat all the 
way through. He headed a party consisting of himself, Will- 
iam McKahan, Milton M. Harriman, T. J. Fleming and others, 
whose names the writer does not now remember, who procured 
a small cannon that was in the possession of John P. Barnes, 
which had been kept by him for several years for Such occa- 
sions. It was planted in the court house yard pointing 
directly to the north-west. After music by the martial band 
and other ceremonies had been gone through with, the firing 
of the cannon commenced under the direction of McKahan who 
held the cartridges, which were made of powder and put up 
in red flannel bags. Milton Harriman acted as " thumber '' 
and Jacob Hubbard as " rammer." After several shots had 
been fired the cannon iaecame quite warm from not having 
been thoroughly swabbed, a spark of fire was left in the breech. 
Hubbard had placed the cartridge in the gun and had the 
rammer in his left hand and the cartridge well pushed in 
when the cannon becaine so hot that it burned Harriman's 
hand. He removed it from the touch hole, thus allo%ving 
the air to enter, and the charge immediately exploded, blowing 
off the end of Harriman's thumb and tearing off Hubbard's 
arm nearly to the elbow. The rammer which he held in his 
hand was literally blown into pieces. His tlesh was torn and 
the bones in his arm were crushed in a most frightful manner. 
He was blown a distance of nearly twenty feet, falling limp 
and helpless. The bystanders, thinking that he was dead, 



HTSTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 488 

picked him up. He soon rallied and was taken to his residence 
on West Eighth street, and Dr. Cullen was called and imme- 
diately responded. In consultation with Dr. G. F. Chitten- 
den and other physicians, it was decided that an amputation 
of the arm was necessary and therefore it was taken off at the 
elbow. 

Among the by-stiinders wlio received slight injuries was 
Samuel Cridge, a farmer who lived about three miles south of 
Anderson. He was severely burnt about the face and came 
near losing the sight of one eye. H. C. Ryan, who is now a 
prominent attornev, was then a mere boy standing by and re- 
ceived slight injuries on the head. 

The entreaties of Hubbard to the physicians and others 
who took him to his house will ring in the ears of those who 
heard him as long as they live. He begged for them to kill 
liini and asked them to knock him in the head and stop his 
misery. After being taken to his home and an;vsthetics had 
been given to him, he soon recovered from the shock and sat 
up like a brave soldier and had his arm amputated without 
the least emotion or signs of pain. 

But while this was a very sad occurrence to Mr. Hub- 
bard, to some extent it was modified by the action of the Dem- 
ocratic party in the next campaign. In the year 1870 he was 
placed in nomination for the high and responsible office of 
County Recorder. He was elected and afterwards re-elected 
in 1S74, and filled the office to the satisfaction of the people 
for a period of eight years. Mr. Hubbard, while in office, 
was one of the most accommodating and genial men that ever 
held tiiat place, and he retired with the undivided good wishes 
and respect of the people of Madison county regardless of 
politics. Mr. Hubbard is yet a resident of Anderson ; he has 
always lived well and never was miserly. He has enjoyed 
the comforts of life and has a competency in the way of money' 
and property to last him during his declining years and will 
leave to his family a sufficiency. Mr. Hubbard has been 
pleasantly spoken of in difYerent places in these pages. 

The ratification meeting at the court house on the evening 
of this occurrence was addressed b\' Colonel W. R. Pierse, 
William C. Fleming, J. M. Dickson, James W. Sansberry. of 
Anderson, and Hon. Alfred Kilgore, of Muncie, Indiana. 
The accident put a clamper on the enthusiasm of the meeting 
and it was adjourned at an early liour. 



484 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

A CASE OF BODY SNATCHING. 

A most brutal and outrageous case of body snatching took 
place on the 14th of January, 1876, when the body of Mrs. 
Abner Brothers was removed from the Whetstone cemetery 
about three miles south of Anderson. 

Mrs. Brothers was a very highly respected lady, good- 
looking, and had a host of friends. She had been married but 
fi short time when she was seized with sickness from which she 
died. Her remains were interred in the Whetstone cemetery, 
but were allowed to remain there but a few days when the 
ghouls, in the most horrible manner, resurrected her body for 
the purpose of dissection. 

It is supposed, however, that they were mistaken as to 
the person whose body thev intended to take, as it was after- 
wards ascertained from evidence, brought out in the examina- 
tion that the resurrectionists were in search of the body of a 
pauper who had died about this time. The pauper had been 
buried in that cemetery by Samuel Myers, townsliip trustee. 

When the news of the dastardly act became known, great 
indignation seized the citizens and a great deal of talk about 
lynching the guilty party was indulged in, but the sober judg- 
ment of the people prevailed and no violence was resorted to. 

The facts as elicited on an investigation of the case were 
about as follows : On the evening of the exhumation, Tunis 
Whetstone and John Stewart were returning home from a 
dance on the Fall Creek Turnpike near where the Whetstone 
burying ground is located. The attention of these parties, in 
approaching the cemetery-, was at first attracted by noticing 
two men with two horses and a buggy hitched to the fence. 
They also detected an offensive odor pervading the air. It 
was a beautiful moonlight night and save the barking of 
dogs, everything was oppressively quiet. The suspicions of 
the young men became aroused. When they neared the fence 
they were horrified at beholding the nude corpse of a woman 
which had been taken from the grave, about twenty feet away. 
The young men immediately went to the residence of Dr. 
Railsback, which was about ten rods north. They awakened 
him and told him what had been done and requested him to 
keep watch on the movements of the two men in the cemetery. 
Railsback showed a timidity about leaving the house and 
locked it securely and then peeped out of the windows. 

Meanwhile the young men had departed to give the alarm 



'history Ol- MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 485 

to the neighbors. About this time the horses became scared 
•and broke loose from their hitching phice. They ran at a rapid 
rate down the road to a bridge and bounded off from it on to 
the ice. One of the horses fell and was badly bruised while 
two of the wheels of the buggy had several spokes broken out. 
Notwithstanding this mishap they were brought back to the 
cemetery by the unknown persons and the corpse was thrown 
into the buggy and driven toward Anderson at a frightful 
speed before any person could prevent it. Why these persons 
did not have the courage at once to arrest the offending par- 
ties has always been a mystery to the public an4 can only be 
accounted for on the ground of timidity if not downright cow- 
ardice. 

On the following morning a thorough investigation was 
commenced by Henry McDaniel, a brother-in-law of Mr. 
Brothers, and other citizens of Anderson, who became deeply 
interested in the case. It was certain that the body which had 
been taken was that of Mrs. Abner Brothers, who had died a 
few days previously at the residence of her husband, in the 
neighborhood. Mr. Brothers watched tenderly over his wife 
in her last illness and shortly after her death had left the county 
for a few days to do some work for Mr. Miles Webb, a timber- 
man and tie contractor who at that time lived in Anderson. 

By examination of the grave and the grounds surrounding 
it, it was ascertained that the coffin had been broken open at 
the head and a halter strap placed around under the arms of 
the corpse which was then drawn to the surface. From the 
grave, her body had been drawn across the frozen ground to 
the buggy and the greater portion of the skin had been torn off 
of her anatom)-, leaving it in a most horrible state and un- 
sightly to behold. The tracks made by the buggj' were traced 
as far north as the corner of Tenth and Main streets in Ander- 
son ; thence west to an empty house in Stilwell Park where it 
was thought the corpse was taken out and packed for ship- 
ment. Upon further investigation, it was ascertained to a 
certainty that the horses and buggy belonged to Dr. Zimri 
Hockett and that they were used for this purpose on that oc- 
casion. Suspicion pointed to a medical student under Dr. 
Hockett, who was at that time attending medical lectures at 
Indianapolis and who had only a few days previously taken 
the body of Joshua Moore, an old negro, from the Epperly 
grave-yard west of Anderson. 

Considerable evidence was obtained and the fact sub- 



486 mSTOKY OF MADISON county, INDIANA. 

stantiated that he was the guiltj- party, as he boarded, on the 
night in question, the 6 :15 train from Indianapolis. He got 
off at Anderson with a large trunk, which he called for two 
hours later at tlie baggage room. Between 9 and 10 o'clock 
that night he called at the residence of Samuel flyers, the 
trustee of Anderson township, and inquired where a man of 
the name of Taylor, a pauper, was buried, and remarked that 
they needed subjects badly at the college in Indianapolis. 
Mr. Myers informed him that he did not know where Taylor 
was buried, but that he thought that he was in some ceme- 
tery south of town. It was found that Taylor had been 
buried in the same cemetery as Mrs. Brothers, and the two 
graves were only a few feet apart. Suspicion pointed to the 
student as being one of the resurrectionists, and some parties 
in the neighborhood of the cemetery swore to his identity at 
the time. 

The body of Mrs. Brothers was recovered by her friends, 
brought back to Anderson from the Indianapolis college and 
re-interred. Marshal Xeal Daugherty, of Anderson, took 
great interest in the case and went to Indianapolis on the fol- 
lowing Tuesday for the purpose of placing the guilty party 
under arrest ; but some one who was supposed to have been 
connected with the college and who also knew the City ]Mar- 
shal, informed him in time so that he could make his escape. 

The fact that the horses and buggy of Dr. Ilockett fig- 
ured in this case caused considerable ill-feeling and talk 
against him for some time, and they even went so far as to 
charge the Doctor with being connected therewith, but he 
made a statement of the facts which thoroughly exonerated 
him from any connection with the affair. He stated that the 
young man had called at his residence on the night in (.|ues- 
tion and after a brief talk, in reply to a cjuestion by the Doc- 
tor as to how the college was prospering, he informed the 
Doctor that the^- had no subjects that winter, but that the 
faculty had made arrangements to buy them, but had failed so 
far in procuring any, and the Doctor supposed that the parties 
had gone to his stable without his knowledge or consent and 
had taken his horse and buggy and proceeded to the cemetery 
for the purpose of exhuming the body and had hauled it to 
town, as stated, and that he had no knowledge whatever of 
these ghouls except what suspicion they had thrown around 
them by calling at his house on the evening named. 

I'he excitement that prevailed at the time will long be 



IIISTOKV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 4S7 

remembered by the older citizens of Anderson and vicinity. 
For many months after this no person was buried in the com- 
munity whose j^rave was not carefully ijjuarded for a sufKcient 
length of time after the interment. 

Abner Brothers, husband of this unfortunate woman, is 
now living and is a citizen of the State of Arkansas. He 
makes frequent visits to Anderson to see his old acquaintances 
and friends. He is a iiard-working, industrious man and well 
respected in the communitv. 

The su])posed guilty jiartv for a long time made his 
presence scarce in this locality, but as soon as the excitement 
died awav he returned to Anderson. He has abandoned tiie 
practice of medicine, and is now living a quiet and secluded 
life near the site where this ghastly occurrence took place. 

GORED TO DEATH. 

Martin Edlin was a negro who was for several vears in 
the employ of the Hon. Charles L. Henry on his farm, and 
also did chores for him at his residence. He was one ot the 
many colored people who came north in the year 1880, in 
what was widely known as the " exodus."' He hailed from 
the State of North Carolina. 

One Sunday morning in March, 188G, in company with 
Mr. Edward Jarrett, a young man in the employ of Mr. 
Henry, they went to the farm, which was west of Anderson, 
where .Shadeland is now situated, to attend to some stock. 
Among other animals on the farm was a Jersey bull. Edlin 
led the bull into the barn-yard and was holding him by a 
chain. Jarrett led a similar one out and had turned it loose. 
The two men were engaged in a conversation when suddenly the 
animal which Martin led became infuriated, and turned on him. 
lifting him on his horns and carrying him a distance of twelve 
or fifteen feet, and then dashed him against a board fence. 
The animal then made a rush for him and pinned him against 
the fence before he could get upon his feet. Jarrett went to 
Edlin's rescue and succeeded, with the aid of a club, in re- 
lieving him. Several boys were present and all e.Kcept Jarrett 
became scared and retreated. Edlin received an ugly wound 
in the breast above the heart where one of the horns of the 
brute had entered, breaking three ribs and entering the left 
lung, from the efl'ects of wliich he died in a day or two. 

Edlin was a model negro and was verv industrious. He 



488 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Avas verj' obliging to his employer, whose high esteem and 
confidence he enjoyed. 

A SHOCKING DEATH. 

On the 10th of December, 1894, as Edward J- Lester, a 
workman in the National Tin-plate factory, was on his way 
to his day's labor, while crossing the bridge over White river, 
on the Pan Handle road, he was caught and almost instantly 
killed by the local passenger train that is made up at Logans- 
port and runs to Richmond, passing Anderson at 7:35 a. m. 

Just before going on the bridge he was met by Michael 
Ryan, who warned him to look out for the passenger train as 
it was due and liable to be along at any moment. Lester 
walked on and had reached the middle of the covered part of 
the bridge when the train came thundering on the north end 
of the trestle work. He got down on the side of the track and 
out of the way of the train ; the engine and baggage car had 
passed when he raised his head, doubtless supposing that the 
entire train had passed, and the steps of the second coach 
struck him on the head at the base of the skull, crushing it in 
a most shocking manner. The train was stopped and the 
unfortunate man was taken up and brought to the Pan Handle 
passenger depot, where his injuries ^vere examined by Dr. J. 
F. Fattic, who at once pronounced them fatal. Lester was 
removed in .Sells" ambulance to the home of his brother-in- 
law, William Fairless, a glass blower, at 105 West Seventh 
street, where he lingered until 10:45 o'clock, when his life 
went out. 

The deceased was single, 26 years of age, and came here 
from England. He worked in the box factory in North 
Anderson until work was begun on the tin plate factory, 
when he accepted employment there. 

INSTANTLY KILLED. 

On the 16th of June, 1854, the quietude of the little 
town of Anderson was disturbed by the news flying from 
mouth to mouth that a man had been killed near the depot of 
the Cincinnati & Chicago Railway. The people hastened 
from all directions to the locality where the accident hap- 
pened and learned that Howell J. Beaman, a workman on 
Atherton's warehouse, had fallen from the building and was 
instantly killed. 

The Anderson Sta/iJarJ. of June 23, 1854, says : " How- 



HISTORY OF MAniSON COUNTY, INDIANA. 489 

ell T. Heaman while working on ^\therton"s warehouse near 
the railroad, in the north part of the town, fell from the build- 
ing, fracturing his skull and sustaining other injuries from 
which he died almost instantly. 

" Beaman was a young married man, leaving a wife and 
one child. He was universally liked by the community, and 
his was one of the largest attended funerals that ever occurred 
in the counts'." 

The reader may imagine what excitement and deep sor- 
row would follow sucli an occurrence in a small town like 
Anderson was in IS.")!. Then people were nearer to each 
other than they are in these days of '• hustle and bustle." If 
a man in Anderson at that time was sick his neighbors stood 
beside his bed and ministered to his wants until his last breath 
was gone, and all turned out to see that he had a decent 
burial. 

A sudden death like Mr. Heaman's, of course, was more 
serious, and caused a shock to tlie whole community, and was 
talked of for months and years afterward. Many people yet 
live in Anderson who remember this accident, and were per- 
sonally acquainted with Beaman. 

The building from which he fell was what is now the 
Wellington Scbalk & Co.'s flouring mills, on the I'an Handle 
Railroad, opposite the old station at the crossing of Main and 
Fifth streets. It was built bv Willis G. Atherton in 1854 for 
a grain house, and was used for that purpose for many years, 
when it was remodeled and built for a flouring mill. 

Several accidents have taken place in connection with 
this building. By the bursting of a mill-stone in 18T<>, Mr. 
Schalk, one of the owners of the mill, was killed. 

rSl'RNJJP TO DEATH. 

A terrible accident resulting in the death of a little child 
occurred in Anderson on the 14th of February, 1878. A 
child of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Seibert, living in the south part 
of the city, near the terminus of the Midland Railroad, was 
burned to death. The mother had been called to the home of 
an old neighbor who had just died. The little lad who was 
burned to death, was a bright boy of five years of age, although 
a mute, and was left alone in the house. During the absence 
of the mother, the child obtained an oil can filled with kero- 
sene, and spilled some of it on his clothing while playing. 
There was a hot fire in the stove from wliich his clothing be- 



41(0 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

came ignited, and he was so seriously burned that before relief 
could be had he died. His screams attracted the attention of 
the neighbors, who rushed to his rescue and found the ciiild 
enveloped in a wreath of flames. The burning raiment was 
stripped off as soon as possible, but not in time to avert a fatal 
result. Jesse Seibert, the father, was well known in Ander- 
son. He was engaged in digging wells, and also worked as a 
day laborer. 

A FATAL ACCIDENT. 

On the 21st of February, 1891, Charlie, the six-year-old son 
of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Chappel, was cut to pieces while play- 
ing around an engine at the C, W. & M. round house. The 
little fellow had wandered away from his home on West 
Ninth street about 10 o'clock and went to the round liouse 
to play. 

J. J. Richardson, the colored " hostler " in charge of the 
place, had climbed into an engine, which had just come in from 
a run, and was backing it into the yard to knock the fire out. 
The little fellow, unnoticed by Richardson, had climl)ed upon 
the brakebeam just before the engine started. 

He was jostled off, and the engine passed over him, cut- 
ting off both legs and one arm. The little fellow was taken 
to his home, but died about flfteen minutes later. 

This little lad was a general favorite among not only his 
playmates, but was the joy of the neighborhood. Charles 
Chappel is one of Andersons most respected citizens and the 
killing of his little son was universally regretted b)' the whole 
communitv. It will be a long while before this sad event will 
disappear from the memories of those near and dear to this 
unfortunate child. 

SHOOTINC; OK MARTIN COUGHLIN. 

In the issue of March ;il, 1S(34, the Anderson Standard 
announces the killing of a boy in Anderson, as follows : " On 
Wednesday of last week, a party of soldiers were amusing 
themselves by shooting at a target east of the Ross House, 
and while doing so, a boy twelve years of age, the son of 
Daniel Coughlin, was struck by a misdirected ball. The 
missile entered the hip, and lodged in the stomach, causing 
death in about thirty-si.x hours. 

" The soldier who flred the unlucky shot was a member of 
the Nineteenth Indiana regiment, and departed with his com- 
pany the next day. While we are satisfied that the loss of the 



HISIOHV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 491 

boy's life was due to an accident, it was a reckless disregard of 
law to permit shooting within the corporate limits." 

Martin Coughlin, the boy, was a son of Daniel Cough lin, 
an old resident of Anderson, and a brother of Miss Mamie 
Coughlin, who is now matron of the asvliim for the deaf and 
dumb at Indianapolis. 

About the time he was killed, an older brother named 
Dennis Coughlin, who was in the army, was killed by the acci- 
dental discharge of a pistol in the hands of a comrade. 

The soldiers were shooting from the old Ross House 
corner, at Tenth and Main streets, their aim being eastward. 
The boy killed was engaged in pLiying on the hill side, near 
the Catholic church. The fatal ball struck some object and 
glanced in that direction with the results above stated. 

KILLING OF l-Rj\NK A RMSTIiONli. 

One of the most distressing accidents that ever befell a 
citizen of Madison county, occurred to Frank x\rmstrong, on 
the U)th day of October, 1886, at Noblesville. He was a 
young man about twenty-one years of age, the son of Xathan 
Armstrong, who own sand operates the planing mill on North 
Meridian street, in Anderson. He had been learning telegra- 
ph)' from the station agent, Mr. C. B. Cooper, with the ex- 
pectation of entering the service of the Midland Railroad as 
operator in one of the offices on the line of that road. 

On the morning of his death he took the train to Xobles- 
ville to visit some friends, and while there held communica- 
tion with the Anderson office over the telegraph wire. After 
the train returning to Anderson had been made up and the 
passengers taken on board, it was run back in the yards about 
a square west of the depot, and the engine cut loose from the 
train to do some switching. While this was going on, Henry 
Dunham, of Anderson, stood on the depot platform and held 
a conversation with young Armstrong, who was in the otbce 
at the time. Dunham waited until the train came past, wiiich 
was running at an easy rate, and got on board. After running 
about two squares the train stopped to unload some freight. 
The train was composed of an engine, tender, two freight 
cars and one passenger coach. As it passed the depot young 
Armstrong attempted to jump on the passenger car, but miss- 
ing his footing, fell and was dragged from the platform to the 
track, the rear car passing over his left leg just above the 
knee and the right leg above the ankle. None of the train- 



492 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

men were conscious of the accident until they arrived at 
Anderson, and there found a telegram awaiting them in re- 
gard to the sad occurrence. An engine and a passenger 
coach, with the wounded boy's father and brother Walter on 
board, was at once started back to Noblesville, the scene of the 
accident. In the meantime. Dr. Chittenden, who was at 
Indianapolis on business, was telegraphed for and met them 
at Noblesville. Immediately after the accident young Arm- 
strong was taken to the residence of a friend near by. Dr. 
Gray and other physicians of Noblesville were summoned to 
his aid but could do nothing to alleviate his sufferings. He 
gradually grew worse until about 2 :45 p. m., when he died. 
He was past all human aid before Dr. Chittenden or his 
father and brother reached his bedside. The remains were 
brought to Anderson in the evening and kept until the follow- 
ing Fridav, when they were followed to the grave by a large 
concourse of friends. The deceased was one of the best 
known young men in Anderson, was of a very quiet, ge- 
nial disposition, and was loved and respected by the com- 
munity at large. If he had an enemy in the world it is not 
known to the writers, as lie was of a disposition never to give 
offense to anyone. This accident was the severest blow that 
the father and mother have experienced in their long and use- 
.ful lives. 

A FATAL FALL. 

In the month of August, 18(3(3, James Noland, a son of 
ex-Treasurer W. \V. Noland, of Anderson, fell from the 
second story of his father's residence on South Central avenue, 
and was killed. 

He was a verj' popular young man and was universally 
liked by the community. He was at the time a deputy in his 
father's office. He had been out the night before with some 
friends, among whom were Daniel F. Mustard and David A. 
Ranck, two of his intimate associates, and on separating he 
went to his home and went up-stairs to retire for th(? night, 
when, it is supposed, he sat down in the open window to take 
off his shoes (as the weather was very warm and the windows 
were open), when he lost his balance and fell backward, alight- 
ing on a cellar door, killing him instantly. None of the family 
knew of the circumstance until the next morning, when they 
were horrified to find his lifeless remains. 

It was a heart-rending scene for the father and mother, 
who idolized him, to behold, as well as those of his friends 



IlISTOUV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 498 

who enjoyed his good friendship. His funeral was one of tlie 
largest that ever took place in Anderson. The services were 
held in tiie Christian church, conducted by the Rev. Joseph 
Franklin, there being scarcely standing room in the building 
for the people. 

The remains were interred in the cemetery at Chester- 
field, the foimer home of the family. " Jimmy," as lie ^vas 
familiarly called, was one of the foremost young men in all 
society events, and was missed by the voung people for many 
years. His father and mother removed to Riverside, Cali- 
fornia, several years ago, where Mr. Nokmd died a year or 
two previous to this writing. 

A DISTRESSING ACCIDENT. 

A verv distressing and unfortunate accident occurred in 
Anderson on Saturday evening. May 29, 1886. ■ Mr. George ■ 
W^oerner, a merchant tailor, who at that time had a business 
in Anderson, lived on what was then known as Hannah 
street. He had a little step-son, by the name of Charlie 
Lavery, who was a cripple and unable to walk. He was a 
very bright boy and a great favorite with his family and 
neighbors. On the evening above named, Charlie Helms, a 
playmate, having secured a shot gun thai belonged to a son of 
E. A. Platter, went to the house where young Lavery was at 
play with some others. They amused themselves by snapping 
the gun, and having no caps, as a substitute they took the 
shell of a cartridge and putting a match within, they placed it 
on the top of the gun and in this manner they would cause a 
report. They had no idea that the gun was loaded. Mr. E. 
A. Platter was sitting on his porch facing Mr. Woerner's 
house, reading a paper, and saw the boys phiying with the 
gun and cautioned them to throw it down, but they disre- 
garded his admonition and continued in their sport. Young 
Helms had the gun in his hand and in a plavful manner 
pointed it at Laverv, when it was discharged. The load took 
effect in his neck. The wounded boy fell out of his wagon, 
of which he was a constant occupant on account of his inabil- 
ity to use iiis limbs, and expired in a few moments. Neither 
Mr. nor Mrs. Woerner were at home at the time and Mr. 
Platter hastened to the scene, gave the alarm to the neighbors 
ami notitied Mr. Woerner who was at his store. It was a sad 
blow to Mr. and Mrs. Woerner, who idolized the boy who 
had been a constant care to them from his earliest boyhood. 



494 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Airs. Woerner was prostrated with irrief and required medical 
treatment, and it was all that friendl_v neighbors could do to 
enable her to survive the terrible shock. Mr. Woerner was 
deeply afflicted over this accident. 

The remains of the boy were interred in the Catholic 
cemetery and it was not long before the family removed from 
the city to make their home elsewhere. 

A CR.VZY MAN SHOT AND KILLED. 

A fatal shooting aft'air occurred in Anderson on the 15th 
of January, 1878, in which Charles Brothers, a son of Malachi 
Brothers, who lived west of the city, shot and killed John 
Beaver, a half-witted epileptic who I'ved at Germantown, 
Wayne county, but who led a roving life having no particular 
business, being almost an imbecile from the effects of epileptic 
fits. Brothers had for some time been sleeping in the store of 
'H. Funk, which then occupied the corner of Main and Twelfth 
-streets. On the night in question. Brothers heard some noi.se 
in the back part of the building and got up to see what was 
the cause of the trouble. He ascertained that some one was 
on the roof and supposing that they were trying to gain ad- 
mission for the purpose of burglary, he went back into the 
store and procured a revolver which was near at hand. Slip- 
ping out the back way he got on a board fence about twenty- 
five feet in the rear, from which he got a full view of the roof. 
In the hollow formed by the roof of the two buildings he saw 
a man who was acting in a very suspicious manner: he called 
to him to come down or he would shoot him, covering him at 
the same time with the revolver. The man on the roof clam- 
bered down and picked up a piece of scantling l\"ing close by 
and came at Brothers, and threatened to strike him. Brothers 
came down from the fence and as the man approached him he 
ordered him to surrender. The man, however, paid no atten- 
tion to him and struck viciously at his head with his wooden 
weapon. Brothers jumped aside and received a slight blow 
on the arm. The assailant again rushed at liim when he dis- 
charged his revolver, the shot taking effect at the base of the 
neck tearing its way through. The range was short and the 
ball effective. The wounded man uttered not a word and 
turned and ran up Twelfth street to Meridian where he 
dropped and expired. Brothers ran to his home, but a little 
distance away, in great excitement and told his folks that he 
had killed a man. The alarm was given and the City Marshal 



HISTORY OF MADISON' COl^NTV, INDIANA. 4yO 

notitied. The body was carried to the Mayor's oifice and 
thence to an undertaking establishment. The Coroner's jury 
was assembled the next day and after a full and complete ex- 
amination of all the testimony ayailable a yerdict was ren- 
dered of justifiable homicide and Brothers was released from 
arrest. Tiie deceased, John Beayer, was a harmless and unfor- 
tunate wanderer and \yhile suffering from one of his fits had 
crawled to the top of the building without any intention of 
harming any one. 

This building had been on several occasions burglarized 
and ^Ir. Brothers had been selected to sleep in the building for 
the purpose of defending it against au_y ma-auders, and the cir- 
cumstances surrounding it made it plausible to him tiiat the 
man was there with evil intent. Mr. Brothers was a respect- 
able j-oung man and no one eyer attached any blame to him 
for this afl'air. 

A DISTRESSING ACCIDENT. 

There haye been numerous accidents in Anderson that 
have caused the conniiunity to shudder, but none has caused a 
more profound impression than the accidental killing of James 
H. Jackson, which took place in May, 1858. 

Mr. Jackson was out squirrel hunting in company with a 
friend, Mr. James CoUis, the father of Mr. E. M. CoUis, who 
now resides in Pendleton, and is engaged in the jewelry busi- 
ness. He was also accompanied by his favorite dog " Tofno " 
who was his constant companion. Mr. Collis and the dog 
were the only witnesses to the accident. Mr. Jackson had 
just shot a squirrel, and had brought the gun down by his side 
with a load remaining in one of the barrels. 

He was walking around a tree looking upward to see 
where the squirrel was that he had just shot, when in some 
manner the hammer of the gun caught on something, and 
caused it to be ilischarged. The tlischarge took effect in the 
rear part of his head killing him almost instantly. 

His companion gave the alarm, and in a very short time 
the citizens of Anderson were out en masse to see the remains. 
Mr. Jackson was very popular and well known by every one, 
and the accident caused much excitement and grief in the 
town. 

The Coroner held an iiujuest, empaneling a jury, whicii 
returned a verdict of accidental shooting in accordance with 
the facts. 



496 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

He was a prominent member of the Odd Fellows and they 
took charge of the remains, and gave him all the attention due 
an honorable member of that most worthy order. 

His burial took place in the old cemetery, on the Kjth of 
May, 1858, under the auspices of the order, a band of music 
being in attendance. 

The ceremonies made a great iinpression upon the com- 
munity, and gave the Odd Fellows quite a good place in the 
hearts of the people of Anderson. 

The Lodge met and took proper action in regard to Mr. 
Jackson's death by appointing an appropriate committee to 
draft resolutions of respect to his memory. 

The minutes of the meeting that passed the resolutions 
were signed by Isaac M. May, Noble Grand, and Enoch M. 
Jackson, Secretary, both of whom are now dead. 

Major Maj' lost his life on the field of battle at Gainsville, 
at the second fight of Bull Run, and Enoch M. Jackson died 
in Anderson a few years ago. 

This dreadful occurrence took place in •' Sparks Woods,"' 
now the park in North Anderson. It occurred just where the 
street railway crosses a ravine near the entrance to the park. 

Mr. Jackson was by trade a painter, but had quite re- 
cently before his death been engaged in the grocery business 
with Geo. W. Kline as his partner. 

All the older citizens of Anderson remember Mr. Jack- 
son, and his sad ending is frequently talked of among them 
when assembled together. 

Mr. Jackson left a wife and two children, who yet live in 
Anderson. These incidents dating back to the time Ander- 
son was a mere village are food for the old inhabitants to refer 
to, and cause many sighs of the heart of the old-timer, as they 
are called to memory. 



CHAPTER LIII. 



Personal Sketches of Men and Women. 



DEATH OF ROBERT G. WORTH, ONCE A I'ROMIN'ENT CITIZEN 
OP~ ANDERSON. 

Robert G. Worth, who died in the city of Anderson, on 
the 7th of July, 1882, was at one time a prominent railroader 
and filled the honorable position of General Train Dispatcher 
for the Bee Line railroad system. He was among the oldest 
and best telegraphers in the country. From 1854 to 185h he 
was in charge of the lines of the Bee Line and the old Madi- 
son and Indianapolis railroads under the superintendencv of 
the late Governor John Brough, of Ohio. For many years he 
served as private secretary and confidential man to the Gov- 
ernor, by whom he was held in the very highest esteem. 

Mr. Worth was a man of natural ability at anything he 
took hold of. and was a man of more than ordinary common 
sense ; he was very genteel and polite in his deportment, 
and was universally respected by all who knew him. 
From 1858 to 1875 he worked at his chosen profession in the 
principal cities of eleven States in the Union. During the 
war he was the chief telegraph operator in the .\rmy of the 
Potomac under Gen. George B. McClellan. 

In 1878 he removed to Anderson where he resided con- 
tinuously up to the time of his death, and was engaged in 
keeping an eating house and restaurant on North Main street. 
His wife, who yet survives him, was the daughter of the late 
Judge Wm. H. Mershon, and a sister of the wife of the Hon. 
Wm. R. Myers. Mr. Worth left two daughters, the older of 
whom is married to Mr. Morss of the Daily Telegram, of An- 
derson : the other daughter is the wife of Scott Bone, late of 
the Anderson Dciiiocral , but now connected witii the Wash- 
ington Post. 

Men admired Mr. W^orth for his natural ability, and his 

sunny disposition. While he had faults, like all frail human 

nature, his many virtues covered them all and left standing out 

in bold relief; Robert G. Worth, a man. 
32 



498 HISTORY OF madison county, ixdiaxa. 

HON. WILLIAM CRIM. 

The Hon. William Crim, of Anderson, died at his home 
in Anderson on the 14th day of October, 1891, leaving a large 
estate and an interesting family behind him. He was born 
in Rockingham county, Virginia, in 1821. In early life he 
removed to Indiana and settled at Middletown, where he re- 
sided for several years. He at one time lived at Yorktown, 
and was postmaster there, and also resided for a short period at 
Alexandria. In April, 1849, he removed to Anderson, then 
a small village, and engaged in the gr^in business. He was 
one of the promoters of the agricultural interests of Madison 
county, and was one of the pioneers in that line in the State. 
He was for many years a member of the State Board of Ag- 
riculture, and was for two years President of the Association, 
being known throughout Indiana for his activity and zeal, la- 
boring to promote agricultural enterprise. For several years 
he was a member of the Board of County Commissioners, 
and served one term in the Indiana Legislature as a Represent- 
ative from Madison county. He also served two terms as 
a member of the City Council, and in every capacity of his 
public service was one of the most faithful and upright serv- 
ants the countv ever had. In the year 1866, he, in connection 
with Joseph Fulton, organized the Exchange Bank, and was 
for many years the sole manager of that institution. Many 
other enterprises engaged his attention, including mercantile 
pursuits and banking, and the selling of grain, and he was at 
one time a partner of the late James Hazlett, in that line of 
business. In his general demeanor he was unpretending and 
was very modest in his demands upon the public. In every 
instance where he was called upon to serve his people in a 
political sense, it might be said that the office sought him in- 
stead of him seeking the office. He was true to his convic- 
tions and pursued the even tenor of his way with a fixed 
purpose and determination. He was a Democrat of the old 
school and was firm in his fealty to that organization. He 
had on many occasions presided over conventions and meet- 
ings of his party. He possessed, as an executive officer, the 
distinction of being a man of sound judgment. 

He wa^ married to Amelia Scott on the 6th of July, 1845. 
Six children were born of this union, and all preceded him 
across the dark river except two, Mrs. H. J. Daniels, and one 
son, Otis. Mr. Crim will be remembered by the older citi- 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 499 

zens of Madison county, perhaps, as long as any person who 
lived in the community. Although a man close in his bus- 
iness transations, he was generous to the poor and charitable 
to the faults of others. He was a strict advocate of temper- 
ance, and at times differed with the leaders of his party in 
that respect. He was a strong advocate of the adoption of 
an amendment to the Constitution of Indiana prohibiting the 
sale of intoxicating liquors, but in his differences with his 
party, on this subject, he never allowed such sentiments to 
sever him from his connection with that organization. Mr. 
Crim was a inember of the Masonic Order, and was for many 
years a leading member of that society. His funeral took 
place from iiis late residence on \\'est Eighth street, his 
remains being followed to the cemetery by one of the largest 
funeral processions ever seen in the county. 

ALBERT A. SIDDALL. 

No citizen whoever resided in Anderson was better known 
or more generally beloved throughout the county than was 
Albert A. Siddall. At an early day he identified himself with 
the business interests of this communitj-, which he kept up 
constantly until the time of his death. He was undoubtedly 
one of the most popular merchants that ever stood behind a 
dry goods counter in this county. He was known by every 
man, woman and child who came here and purchased their 
supplies. 

He was born in Richmond, Ind., in 1828, and died in 
Anderson on the 5th of June, 1883. He first came to An- 
derson in 1841 and engaged in the cabinet-making business, 
going into partnership with James Collis. After following 
this vocation for a short time he retired from the iirm and 
accepted a clerkship in a dry goods store with Robert Wooster, 
in which he remained about one year, after which he engaged 
with Enos B. Wright in the dry goods trade. He also became 
a partner of the late William Crim, who was doing business 
in the same line of goods. During his partnership with Mr. 
Crim he was married in 1852 to Sarah A. Sparks, who yet 
survives him. 

He was engaged in mercantile business at different 
periods with other firms, among whom was L. M. Cox, with 
whom he carried on business in the building now occupied by 
the White House, at the corner of Meridian and Ninth streets. 

Mr. Siddall was very devoted to his family and indulged 



500 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

them in evei'ything that their hearts could wisli for. It would 
be safe to say that he never denied them any request that was 
at all reasonable. He was a close friend and a genial com- 
panion. He was a great joker and enjoyed all kinds of jokes, 
even at his own expense. In another place in this volume 
will be given some pleasantries in regard to Mr. Siddall. He 
w^as a prominent member of the Odd Fellows, and also of the 
Knights of Honor, who took charge of his remains, which were 
interred in the Anderson cemetery. 

ONCE AN EXPRESS MESSENGER. 

One to look at Judge E. B. Goodykoontz as he rises in his 
dignity to address the court in some important case, would 
never suspect that at one time he was a messenger in the 
employ of the American Express Company, yet such is the 
case. From August, 1855, to 1858, he was a route agent on 
the " Bee Line " railroad, making regular trips daily through 
Anderson, handling many thousands of dollars, as at that time 
the banks did not do such an extensive business as they now 
do, and nearly all the money in transit passed through the 
hands of the express companies. 

To be a messenger on the railroad at that time was an 
honor equal to being the president of a railroad company in 
these days. A man in that capacity had a " pull " with all 
the pretty girls along the road and was a man to be courted 
by fond and doting mothers. The Judge continued in tliis 
business until the year of 1857, when he vs'as married to Miss 
Emma Hazlett, a daughter of the late James Hazlett, of An- 
derson, when he retired from the road and entered the law 
office of the Hon. John Davis and read law, after which he 
became one of Anderson's ablest lawyers, and at one time 
Judge of the Circuit Court. He was for many years the law 
partner of the Hon. J. W. Sansberry, during which time the 
firm enjoyed a large and lucrative practice. 

THE THARP FAMILY. 

It is the pleasure of the writers to give proper credit to 
the worthy pioneers of Madison county, who braved the storms 
and hardships of early life in the wilderness, who felled the 
forests that once abounded here, and who by their labors, have 
succeeded in inaking it one of the most beautiful sections of 
the State of Indiana. 

Among the many people who at an early date made their 



HISTORY OI' MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 501 

way into this locality, none were more prominent than the 
family of Collins Tharp. Mr. Tharp and his wife were born 
in North Carolina, and at an early period in their lives emi- 
grated to Preble county, Ohio, where they remained about 
ten years. They then went to Daviess county, Indiana, and 
from that point thej' came to this county, and settled on what 
is known as the Washington Pettigrew farm, in the south- 
eastern part of Greene township. This was in the year 1820. 
At the time of tiieir removal to Madison county, where fertile 
fields now greet the eye, was one unbroken wilderness, and 
but a single pathway through the forests and thickets. One 
horse carried all the property that these good people owned. 
They also had another horse on which Mrs. Tharp rode, her 
husband walking at her side and making his way through the 
woods, and driving before him a cow and a few hogs. 

There were at this period but six white families in the 
countj- : T. M. Pendleton, Thomas McCartney, .Stephen Mat- 
thews, Judge Shaul, Samuel HoUiday and Elias Hollingsworth. 

The first year after his arrival Mr. Tharp planted two 
acres of corn, but, owing to the ravages made by the squirrels, 
he harvested but a small crop. This was not the onlv trial 
which the new settlers e.xperienced in their new home. They 
were compelled to undergo all the hardships and privations of 
pioneer life. Their dress was of the rudest and coarsest mate- 
rials, composed principally of coon skins. On one occasion 
MrS. Tharp's wardrobe was reduced to almost nothing. This 
was caused by the only dress she had taking fire, and being 
almost burned off her. To replace it Mr. Tharp was com- 
pelled to collect some coon skins, and then he went to New 
Castle and purchased material for a new dress. 

During the second year of their pioneer life on the Petti- 
grew farm, after seed time had passed, the little clearing that 
they made presented such an interesting view to the eye, with 
its six acres of growing corn, that Judge IloUidav became 
enamored of it and purchased it for fifty doll'ars. 

Collins Tharp then moved with his wife farther north 
and purchased what is now known as the Jackson farm near 
Anderson, the entire portion of which is now laid out in city 
lots and on which is located the beautiful suburb of Hazel- 
wood, where the busy wheels of industry are heard revolving 
from morning till night. 

The old cemetery in which Mr. Tharp was buried in 1845 
was a portion of his new purchase. It has been long since 



502 HISTORY OV MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

abandoned and all the bodies that were once buried there were 
removed and taken to different places for interment, the great- 
est number of them, however, being buried in the new ceme- 
tery across White river, just north of Anderson , where Mr. 
Tharp himself now lies sleeping. 

In the year 1838, Mr. Tharp bought more land adjoining 
his property on the west side, and soon after built a brick 
house, which is now known as the old Jackson homestead, on 
West Twelfth street. Collins Tharp afterward sold the 
property to Andrew Jackson, who then became the owner of 
this valuable residence, and occupied the old homestead until 
his death a few years ago, since which time that part of his 
farm was laid out and sold to different persons for residence 
property. 

Collins Tharp was a very peaceable, law-abiding citizen. 
He never had but one law suit in his life, and in tiiat he came 
out second best. It relating this circumstance he states that 
he had to sell his only horse to pay the costs of the suit. The 
case was heard in Xoblesville, and he and his wife had to walk 
through the woods, a distance of nearly twenty miles, and 
Mrs. Tharp worked in the tavern in that place for their 
board, while the trial was in progress. Mr. Tharp died in 
the vear 1845, being then in easy circumstances. By hard 
work and economy they had risen from comparative poverty 
to considerable wealth. They left behind them a respectable 
family, the eldest of whom was Mrs. Ann Allen, the wife of 
William B. Allen, at one time Sheriff' of Madison county. 

Mrs. Tharp died in 1852, and was buried by the side of 
her husband. 

These old people were strong in the Methodist faith, and 
gave the lot on which was erected the first church of that 
denomination in Anderson. Mr. Tharp was a member of 
the first grand jury that ever convened in Anderson. He was 
prominent in business affairs, private and jiublic. 

The old cemetery spoken of was on the ground now 
occupied by the residences of John E. Canaday, D. W. 
Storer, N. L. Wickersham and others. The last bodies re- 
moved from that place to the new cemetery was in 1875, 
since which time there has been notiiing to indicate that this 
was a place in whicii to bury the dead. 

Mrs. Cornelia Carter, wife of the late Dr. Carter, of 
Randolph county, is the onlj' surviving member of this 
famil}'. 



IlISTOKV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 5U8 

MKS. ELEANOR GODWIN, A PIONEER. 

Mrs. Eleanor Godwin, one of the old-tiine residents of 
Madison county, died at her home in Anderson, on tiie 1st of 
August, 1896. She was the daugliter of William Dilts, one of 
the first settlers of the county who came from near Greenville, 
Ohio, in an early day and settled in Union township, near 
Chesterfield, when Mrs. Godwin was but three years of age. 
She had for her playmates, the little Indian papooses of the 
neighborhood, and learned to love them as she would other 
children. She grew to womanhood and married Edward 
Shinier in 1884, with whom she lived until his decease in 
1848. In a few years after the death of her husband she again 
married the late Doctor Godwin, of Chesterfield, who died in 
1865, again leaving her a widow, since which time she has al- 
most continuously made her home in Anderson. She was the 
mother of Mrs. R. D. .Scott, of Ohio avenue, where she made 
her home at the time of her death. The decease of this good 
lady has removed from this county another landmark, and 
lias caused another vacancy that can never be filled. The 
pioneers are passing away ; but a scattering one here and there 
yet remains. In a few years more they will live only in the 
memory of the dim past ; their time of life and their customs 
will be only tradition; no human tongue will Vie here to tell 
the story, as they love to tell it now. 

MRS. CIIRISTI.VN BLACKI.IDGE. 

The subject of this sketch was the mother of Harvey T. 
and Oliver Blacklidge, of Anderson, and John J. and James 
Blacklidge, of Richland township, all prominent and well- 
known people. She was one of the old-time women who 
knew the trials and hardships of the dear old pioneers who 
settled in the wilderness of Indiana. She was born in Wash- 
ington county, ^'irginia, on the 22d of October, 1806, and re- 
moved with her parents to Rush county, Indiana, when but a 
little girl. She was married to Joel Blacklidge, October :26, 
1826, and settled in Franklin count}', where they resided for a 
few years, and ultimately located in Madison count)-, Novem- 
ber 18, 1837. Here she stayed until the time of her death, 
which occurred in the month of April. 1881. Her husband, 
Joel Blacklidge, died on the :?8d of April, 1847. Mrs. Black- 
lidge, in her early life, was a devoted member of the Baptist 
Church, but inasmuch as there were but few members of that 
denomination in those days in this section of the countrv, she 



504 HISTORY OI" MADISON COl'NTY, INDIANA. 

withdrew from that organization and united with the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, of which she was a prominent mem- 
ber until death called her home. In her old age she was of a 
cheerful, sunny disposition and was dearly beloved by her 
children and acquaintances, who gathered around her. If all 
people were to live as she has lived and to die as she died, it 
would not seem to be a great sorrow to be called away from 
earth. The remains of Mrs. Blacklidge were interred in the 
Anderson cemetery beside those of her husband. Her body 
was followed to the grave by a large concourse of friends and 
relatives. 

S,\MUEI. RICHARDS. 

Of all the names connected with the history of Anderson 
that of Samuel Richards, the artist, stands out in singular 
characters. He was born in .Spencer, Indiana, April 22, 1853. 
His father, Harlan Richards, was a lawyer of considerable 
ability and high character. From liis mother he inherited the 
sunny, vivacious temperament, which was one of his chief 
charms, as well as the artistic traits, which were to develop 
into such marked recognition. 

. With nothing in his environments or associations to foster 
a love of art, except the picturesque setting of his native town 
and the beautiful scenery of the river and hills of Owen coun- 
ty, he nevertheless, from infancy, began to exhibit artistic 
tendencies, which could not be smothered, notwithstanding 
most strenuous opposition, and attempts to inake anything, 
rather than an artist, out of the boy, who loved pencils and 
brushes better than all the enjoyments and diversions of the 
ordinary lad. 

On account of the lack of opportunities in his own town 
and State, he early formed a resolution to go to Europe to study, 
and to satisfy that consuming ambition, which knew no bounds. 
At the age of fourteen he entered upon a clerksiiip in Spencer 
with the sole purpose of earning money enough to take him to 
the Old World, where he could devote himself entirely to art, 
and see her wonders. He remained in this position four years 
saving his earnings, but which at the end were swept away by 
an unfortunate speculation. In the beginning of 1874 he re- 
moved to Franklin, Indiana, wliere, on September 7, 1875, he 
was married to Miss Louise Parks, daughter of Rev. R. M. 
Parks, a prominent Baptist minister. 

In the spring of 1877 he came to Anderson, where he 
lived until July, 1880. During the three years of his residence 



HISTORV OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 



505 



here, he became identified with the people and the interests of 
tiie place to that dei;;ree that his memory will ever be held in 
most affectionate remembrance, and his place in the hi.-tory of 
Anderson be referred to with pride. 

Havintjoljtaiiied orders for copies from pictures by the Old 
Masters, which he hoped would enable him to study one year 
abroad, he sailed for Europe the hitter part of July, 1S8(). His 
progress in the Royal Academy of Munich , Ravaria, Germany, 




s.\\u i-.i. Hl^^AKl)^. 



was so marked, and he met with sucii unqualified success 
there, that he finailv concluded to extend his stay indefinitely. 

Notwithstanding the fact that lie spent only one half of 
his time in the Acailemy at his study, as he took the other half 
for filling orders, which came in faster tlian he could execute 
them, he was awarded an Honorable Mention on his work at 
the close of tiie academic year in 1882. In 188S< he was given 
a bronze medal on his drawing, and in 1884 another medal in 
painting. 

He had now come to be spoken of by his professors as one. 
of the most promising Americans wiio liad ever been in the 



506 mSTOHV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Munich Academy. In ISl^-") he left the Acadeni)', and devoted 
himself entirely to his original compositions. In 1S87 he began 
his masterpiece, ■' Evangeline", but a few weeks before its 
completion in the spring of 1888, the already delicate constitu- 
tion, overtaxed by the absorption in the work on his great 
picture, succumbed to the terrible strain. 

For weeks his life was in the balance, but his indomitable 
will sufficiently triumphed, that he was finally able to finish 
his picture. It was then exhibited for several weeks in Mun- 
ich, and immediately after in the World's Fair at Paris in 1889. 
Afterwards it was brought to America, where it was on exhi- 
bition in the principal cities of the United States. 

From September, 1888, until the same month of 1891, he 
spent most of the time in Switzerland, where he painted his 
last large picture, "The Day Before the Wedding,"" exhibited 
in the Kuust Verein of Munich. He then travelled in Italy, 
having already visited man}' of the principal cities and galleries 
of Europe, and seen most of the great pictures of the world. 

While in Davos, Switzerland, he became the intimate 
friend and associate of the great English scholar and author 
of the "Italian Renaissance," John Addington Symonds. Dur- 
ing his residence there Mr. Symonds was engaged upon his 
extensive work, -'The Life of Michel Angelo Buonarroti,'" in 
the preface of which he gracefully recognizes Mr. Richards' 
assistance in the following lines : 

" My friend, Mr. Samuel Richards, the distinguished 
American painter, assisted me with technical and critical ob- 
servations upon several intricate details of Michel Angelo's 
work, and, furthermore, enabled me to give the right solution 
of the action intended in the colossal statue of David at Flor- 
ence." 

Late in 1891 Mr. Richards returned to America, but on 
account of his health was obliged to make his home in Denver, 
Colo. There he rallied sufficiently to take the directorship of 
an art school, which gave promise of being one of the best in 
the country ; but again failing health compelled him to resign. 
On November 30, 1898, he finally yielded up the heroic spirit 
and was laid to rest under Colorado skies, in view of the ever- 
lasting hills of the great Rockies. 

His principal pictures are : " A Wanderer," owned by 
Miss Margaret Hamilton, of Fort Wayne, Ind. ; "Blissful 
Hours," owned by Mr. David Gebhart, Dayton, Ohio; "A 
Letter," owned by Mr. Blew, Cleveland, Ohio; "Peasant 



i 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 507 

Stories," owned by United States Senator John R. McPher- 
son, Washington, D. C; " Evangeline," owned by the Detroit 
Museum of Art ; " Day Before the Wedding," owned by Mrs. 
Piatt, of Chicago ; " Study Head," owned by the Nationa' 
Academy, New York. On Mr. Richards' return from Ger- 
many he presented to the Anderson Club several of his paint- 
ings. 

MARION DAVIS, AN OLD-TIMER. 

Marion Davis was one among the many early and promi- 
nent farmers of Madison county who resided soutli-west of-the 
city for a number of years. He was a man of more than ordi- 
nary common sense and a great reader of public events and a 
strong advocate of his political convictions, being an ardent 
Republican. He was born in Connersville, Fayette county, 
in 1817, and died on the 10th of June, 1888. He came to 
Madison county in 1839, after which he returned to his native 
place and resided there but a little while, and then again re- 
turned to this county in 1848 and settled on the farm where 
he died. During his early life he was an active Whig and 
worked with that party until it disbanded, and upon the 
formation of the Republican party he became a member of its 
ranks. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he enlisted in the 
47th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in October, 1861, and served 
until Februarj', 1863. At the time of his death he was a promi- 
nent member of the Madison County Historical Society, in 
which he took great interest. Mr. Davis left behind him an 
interesting family, several of whom reside within the county, 
and a large number of friends tu deplore his loss. 

A SKETCH OF HON. J. H. m'cONNELI.. 

The Hon. James H. McConnell was for many years a fa- 
miliar figure in the courts of Madison county, and generally 
known throughout the commonwealth. He was one of those 
old-school Kentuckians, whose dignity was shown in every 
move he made, whether at the bar of justice or in the social 
circle. It was his nature to be polite, and if in a fit of anger 
it became necessary to give opposing counsel, or an enemy, a 
tongue lashing, it was done in the most dignified manner. He 
never stooped to use vulgar epithets, or language unbecoming 
a gentleman, even though the occasion might seem to war- 
rant it. He was a brave man and did not fear to express his 
opinion on any subject. This came near-causing him to lose 
his life on one occasion, in Centerville, Indiana, in a political 



508 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTV, INDIANA. 

fight during the war. He was a Democrat in whom there 
was no guile, and strongly espoused the cause of that party's 
battles. And more than once during the war and immedi- 
ately after, while the blood was yet warm, "Mac,'' as he was 
familiarly called, came near having serious trouble. But 
when the smoke of battle cleared away and the war feeling 
began to clear up there was none more ready to meet his for- 
mer antagonists with the hand of fellowship than James H. 
McConnell. He at one time represented Daviess county in the 
Legislature, and was one of its influential members. He re- 
moved from Daviess county to Centerville, and from there he 
came to Anderson, in 18f>('), where he resided until his sad 
death, which occurred on the 1st of December, 1880. He 
was on his way home from his oflice, walking down Eighth 
street, when in front of the Barter block, that was then occu- 
pied by the Exchange Bank, he lost his footing on the icy 
pavement and fell with such force as to cause injuries from 
which he died before he could be taken home. , This was one 
of the saddest deaths that ever occurred in Anderson. He left 
behind him a witlow and a most estimable family, who are yet 
living in Anderson. His eldest daughter is the wife of the 
Hon. W. S. Diven, and his youngest daughter is now Mrs. 
L. H. Gedge. 

One of Mr. McConnell's traits was cleanliness : no one 
ever saw him without faultlessly clean linen, and h's boots 
were always shining as though he had just emerged from a 
barber shop. James H. McConnell will live long in the mem- 
ory of Anderson's old citizens, and there is none whom the 
writers would rather remember in these pages. 



CHAPTER LIV. 



In Which a Number of Homicides, Suicides and Other 
Matters of a Criminal Nature are Related. 



HOMICIDE OF JUDSON ]. LEARNED. 

On the 7th of November, 187G, the day on which Rutli- 
erford B. Hayes was elected President of the United States, a 
riot occurred at the polls, in Anderson, in which Judson ]. 
Learned lost his life at the hands of Cornelius Daugherty. City 
Marshal, in the discharge of his duty. About half past 2 o'clock 
in the afternoon John Jackson and a colored man, whose name 
was unknown, became engaged in a quarrel near the intersec- 
tion of Ninth and Main streets. While they were thus engaged 
B. F. Whitelock, a blacksmith, approached the negro and 
struck him on the back of the head with a stone. This caused 
the negro to turn his attention to Whitelock, and the two en- 
gaged in a fight, which naturally drew about them a crowd, 
one of whom was Learned. 

The attention of Marshal Daugherty was also drawn to 
the disturbance, and he hastened to the place to C]uell it and 
to disperse the crowd, which by this time had become much 
excited and was making serious threats against the negro. 
The Marshal succeeded in separating Whitelock and the ne- 
gro, and then made an attempt to get the negro out of the 
hands of the mob, but was for a time prevented by Learned, 
who insisted that the negro should be let alone, and endeav- 
ored to carrj' out his purpose by grasping hold of the Marshal 
to release his hold on the negro. 

The crowd continued to grow more threatening, and a 
serious riot became imminent. The commands of the Marshal 
to disperse were unheeded. In his efforts to release himself 
from the impending danger and to check the rush of angry 
men, he struck back over his left shoulder with a piece of a 
billiard cue which he carried. The blow struck Learned and 
felled liim to the ground. Learned immediately got up and 
put on his hat, but still made further demonstrations toward the 
Marshal who commanded him to leave, or he would arrest 



510 HISTOKY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

iiim. This had the effect to disperse the crowd, and Learned 
walked to the drug store, and had his head bathed with arnica 
by Garrett W. Brown. The blow was on the left side of the 
head just above the temple. At that time it had indicated 
nothing .serious, the skin being but slightly broken. 

After having his head bathed he went out on the street and 
returned in about twenty minutes to pay for the service ren- 
dered. He was then smoking a cigar and appeared to be all 
right. About five o'clock he complained of nausea and went 
home. A little later he complained of being chilly, pulled off 
his hat and went to bed. In a very short time he became de- 
lirious, and about six o'clock on that evening, died. 

Peter Madara, a next door neighbor, came down town to 
inform a number of the citizens of the turn of affairs. Coro- 
ner Sims was called and an inquest was held at the residence 
of the deceased on South Central avenue on the next morning. 
The Coroner's jury was composed of the following named 
gentlemen : H. L. Trueblood, E. B. Hartley, W. \V. Jack- 
son, Joseph I. Seward, James A. Thomas, and Andrew K. 
Rockenfield. Drs. Chittenden and Jones were witnesses in 
the case, having examined the body. Drs. B. F. Spann and 
C. S. Burr concurred in the opinions rendered by Jones and 
Chittenden as to the cause of his death. 

After a full investigation of the affair, the following ver- 
dict was given ; " That we, the undersigned jurors, empan- 
eled and sworn on this 8th of November, 1876, at the resi- 
dence of the deceased in the Citv of Anderson, Madison 
county, to inquire into and to make a true presentment in 
what manner and by whom, Judson J. Learned, whose body 
was found at his residence on the 7th of Xovember, 1876, 
came to his death, after having heard the evidence and exam- 
ined the body, we find that the deceased came to his death by 
bein^ struck on the left side of the head by the butt end of a 
billiard cue in the hands of Cornelius Daugherty,on the after- 
noon of the 7th of November, 1876." 

After a full and fair investigation, it was decided that 
the Marshal acted in the discharge of his official duty as 
Marshal of th° Cit}' of Anderson, and no indictment %\as le- 
turned against him by the Grand Jury of the county. 

Mr. Daugherty immediatelv after he learned that Mr. 
Learned was dead, surrendered himself to Deputy Sheriff 
Biddle until an investigation could be had, and gave bond for 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 511 

his appearance to answer the charge on an indictment that 
might be brought against him. 

Although poUtics was up to fever heat in that memorable 
campaign, that could not be assigned as a cause for this terri- 
ble occurrenc, from the fact that Daugherty and the victim 
were both of the same political belief, being ardent Repub- 
licans. 

Mr. Learned was at the time of his death twenty-five 
years of age and married. He left a wife and one child. 

No one regretted this occurrence more than Mr. Daugher- 
ty, the Marshal. He was not even conscious of whom he 
had hit until told afterwards, his aim being only to quiet 
the riot and to preserve the peace. Mr. Daugherty is yet liv- 
ing, and is an honored and respected citizen of Anderson. 

A TRAGEDY THAT SITOCKED .\NDERSON. 

Louis Titherington was a cab driver who lived in the 
house now occupied by Dr. J. W. Fairfield as a sanitarium at 
the corner of Meridian and Thirteenth streets. 

Titherington went to his home on the lUth of October, 
1876, in an intoxicated condition and became engaged in an 
altercation with his wife and sister-in-law, a Miss Jenkins, 
who lived in the family. He was in the act of severel}' chas- 
tising Miss Jenkins, and, it is said, had whipped his wife, 
when Daniel Jenkins, her brother, came into the house and 
ordered him to desist in his abuse, when he turned upon Jen- 
kins and made threats of violence, whereupon Jenkins drew a 
revolver and opened fire upon Titherington, filling his body 
with leaden missiles, causing almost instant death. Jenkins 
was placed under arrest and indicted bj- the Grand Jury, and 
on a trial in the Circuit Court was acijuitted on the ground 
that the killing was justifiable. 

On the trial was exhibited a large lock of hair which 
Titherington had pulled out of the head of one of the women. 
Titherington was a familiar personage on the streets of An- 
derson for a quarter of a century, having been at one time a 
half owner of the "bus and transfer line, which was a good 
paying propertv. 

" Lew," as he was known bj- the people, was not a bad 
man when not drinking, but disposed to be unruly when im- 
bibing to excess. He was mixed up in a great many street 
fights and other troubles, the result of too much liquor. His 
head<|uarters for many years before his marriage was at the 



512 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

old United States Hotel. He was known bv every traveling 
man from New York to San Francisco who stopped in Ander- 
son. 

John Alderman was for many years his partner and the}- 
made money fast and spent it with lavish hands. One of the 
jurors who tried Jenkins said after the trial was. over that 
" the jury thought that he was not exactly justified, but that 
Titherington needed killing anyvvaj-, and that tiiey just voted 
to let him off." 

Neal Daugherty was City Marshal at tiie time of the 
killing and arrested Jenkins. Andrew 1. (iriflith was Sheriff 
and Randle Biddle his deputy. 

Titherington left a widow, but no children. He was a 
brother to Robert Titherington, who vet lives in Anderson. 

KILLED BY .\N ASSASSIN. 

Thomas Walden was a boy born and reared in Anderson, 
where he lived until he reached his maturity, when he started 
out in the world to do for himself. He finally arrived at 
Springfield, 111., where he secured work in a rolling mill. He 
was a son of Samuel Walden, an old citizen of Anderson, and 
a half brother of the late Elijah Walden, once Trustee of 
Anderson township. His untimely death was the result of a 
feud between union and non-union laborers in the neighbor- 
hood in which he was working. 

On the 12th of April, 1888, a party of men left the works 
and walked towards the railroad, near by which there was a 
co-operative coal shaft. 'J hey had reached the crossing, when 
a shot was fired, apparently from the lower works of the shaft 
or from some em.ptv' cars that were standing close at hand. 
This was followed by an order to fire, delivered in a loud 
voice, and instantly a rattling volley was poured in upon the 
men, who had not recovered from the surprise of the first 
shot. 

Mr. Walden was struck by a number 34 ball, which killed 
him on the spot. It was never known to a certainty who did 
the deed, but it was known to have originated out of an ugly 
feeling that existed between the two labor elements in that 
locality, young Walden being a non-imion man. 

The Coroner held an inquest over the remains, and also 
notified Mr. E. J. \\'alden, of Anderson, who had the body 
brought to this city, where it was interred in the Anderson 
cemetery beside that of his father. 



IIISIOKV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 513 

SUICIDE OF A POPULAR VOUNG MAN. 

On the Gth of October, 1878, William Arthur Hunt, of 
Anderson, took his own life by taking an extraordinar\- 
quantity of morphine. lie was the youngest son of the late 
Dr. William A. Hunt, was born in Madison county, on the 
17th of June, 1855, and had spent nearly his entire life in 
the county of his birtli. He was well known and highly 
esteemed by the people generally, and was a man of noble 
impulses and kindly disposition. Pie was a machinist by 
trade, having learned that occupation in the Anderson 
Foundry and Machine Works. 

Just before taking the drag he went to the Griffith 
House and requested the use of a room, which Mr. Griffith 
complied with. Young Hunt intimated that he contemplated 
self-destruction, whereupon he was informed that he could 
not have a room under any circumstances. He seated him- 
self in the hotel office and ]Mr. Griffith supposing the matter 
ended, turned to other duties requiring his attention. No 
sooner had he left the office than Hunt approached the porter 
and repeated his request for a room, who being unaware of 
the circumstances gave him one, at the same time supplying 
him with some writing material which he demanded. In a 
short time Mr. Griffith returned and made inquiries as to 
Hunt's whereabouts. On being informed of what had tran- 
spired during his absence, he hastened to the room and found 
that the door was locked. 

He made repeated etl'orts to gain admission, but with no 
response. A view of the interior was finally obtained over a 
transom, and Hunt was discovered seated at a table, busily 
employed in writing. Mr. Griffith abandoned the effort to 
gain an entrance, but sent a messenger for the City Marsha! 
and for Hunt's father. Thev both arrived at about the same 
time, and the door was forced open, not however, until Hunt 
had destroyed what he had written. He then accompanied 
his father home, and at his request retired to his room to 
sleep off the excitement under which he appeared to be labor- 
ing. The method of self destruction was not, as yet, under- 
stood by his father, and it was not until some time thereafter, 
that he learned that his son- had obtained during the day, of 
Pierce & Richwine, druggists, a bottle of morphine contain- 
ing sixty grains. This alarmed the father who hastened to 
his son's room. Finding the door locked he forced an 

33 



514 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

entrance, and found young Hunt lying on the bed in a coma- 
tose state trom which he was aroused, \vhen he informed his 
father that lie had taken sixty grains of morphine, and had 
thrown the bottle out of the window. The Doctor at once 
notified the boy's mother, and sent for medical assistance. 

It was but a short time until numerous friends of the 
family came and offered their as.sistance, and from that time 
until earlv next morning they did everything they could to 
save young Hunt's life, but without avail. He expired at 
half past five o'clock on Sunday morning without a struggle 
and, doubtless, without the consciousness of pain. 

The causes which prompted the deceased to do the act 
are not known or understood, as he spoke very seldom of any 
trouble. It was supposed at the time to have been the result of 
a misunderstanding between himself and a young lady to 
whom he had paid marked attention for some months previous. 

Young Hunt was an honest, upright man. and had been 
emplojed at one time by the express company as a messenger, 
and at another period was assistant to the corps of civil engi- 
neers who surveyed and marked out the right of way for the 
Anderson, Lebanon & St. Louis railroad, now known as the 
Midland. He had many friends in the community who 
mourned his loss and sympathized deeplv with his parents and 
brothers, who survived him. 

KILLED ON THE STREET. 

About 10 o'clock on the morning of April 10, iS'M, the 
people in the neighborhood of Main and Ninth streets, were 
startled by the sound of a pistol shot. Hurrying to the scene, 
it was ascertained that John Moriarity had shot his neighbor, 
McLelland .Streets. 

Before the police arrived, a Mr. Ed. King, who was 
the first upon the ground of the traged}-, took Moriarity into 
custody and held him until the police arrived. He was taken 
to the jail, while his victim was removed to the office of Dr. 
C. L. Armington, where he was examined and found to be 
mortallv wounded. He lived but a little while after being 
taken to this place, and was turned over to the Coroner, who 
held an inquest. It was ascertained that the shooting was 
the result of a neighborhood quarrel and a general disturbance 
of the people in that locality over some trivial matters. 
Moriarity had become so worked up that he had made up his 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 515 

mind to slay his enemy on sight, and carried out his design at 
the first opportunity. 

It was a great surprise to all who knew Moriarity, as 
there was never a more peaceable man in Anderson than he. 
The writer will never forget the wild, vacant stare on the 
face of Moriarity when he first saw him, immediately after 
the shooting. 

He stood in perfect silence, with no signs of remorse; 
not a muscle moved. Tiie very looks of a maniac were de- 
picted upon his countenance as he stood with the smoking 
revolver in his hand. 

It is almost certain that reason had left him before he 
committed the deed, as he was never himself again. Visitors 
at his cell were met with a cold, expressionless stare ; he did 
not even recognize his old-time friends, and did not court their 
sympathv. 

^Sloriaritv was a married man, and had a respectable 
family, who felt severely this awful tragedy. He was a very 
industrious man, and had accumulated some property, but 
left it encumbeied, so that it was not of much value to his 
family. 

This was one of the saddest occurrences that ever marred 
the peace of Anderson. It was the most unexpected. Xo 
one who ever knew John Moriarity ever suspected that he 
would commit murder. He never had murder in his heart ; 
but being goaded to desperation by petty annoyances, his 
reason left him, and in his insane fit of anger he committed 
the deed that stained his hands with the blood of his fellow 
man. 

He was incarcerated in the Madison county jail until the 
ICth of June following, when he took his life by hanging 
himself to a bedstead in his cell. 

McLelland Streets, his victim, was a day laborer, and 
but little is known of him. His family seemed but little dis- 
tressed when they were informed of his sudden ending. 

SUICIDE Ol' ALREI5T C. W.VI.TOX. 

Albert C. Walton was during his life time one of the 
shrewdest and best business men that ever resided in Ander- 
son. He was a brother of Robert J. Walton, a lumber mer- 
chant, who yet resides in this city. He moved to Madison 
county from near Willow Branch in Hancock county, in the 
year 1S78, and in connection with his brother, Robert |. \\'al- 



516 niSTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ton, was engaged in the lumber business for several years south 
of the Bee Line railroad on Dolman street. About the time 
of his location in Anderson he was seized with lung trouble, 
which terminated in consumption. He was a very proud and 
high spirited gentleman, and a man of great nerve. He fought 
the troublesome disease as well as he could ; he visited all 
southern climates and watering places within his knowledge 
for relief, but the disease had taken such hold upon him that 
there was no hope of recovery. After all his efforts had 
failed he came home, and on the 19th of May, 1884, while in 
his room at his home, he requested his wife to go out to the 
pump near bv, and get him a drink of water, and as soon as 
she had left the room he got up, went to the bureau drawer, 
and taking from it a revolver, placed the muzzle to his temple, 
pulled the trigger and killed himself almost instantly. Mrs. 
Walton was just in the act of stepping into the room with the 
water, when she saw what was taking place, and called upon 
him to stop, but he warned her to keep away, and in her pres- 
ence committed the awful deed. The only reason that could 
be assigned was that he had fought the fatal malady until lie 
had given up all hope, and rather than die a slow death, a 
victim of consumption, he decided to end it all by the means 
he had selected. He left a wife and interesting family. Mrs. 
Walton, his widow, died a few years since. 

CHARLES KVNETT KILLED BV THE CITY MARSHAL. 

On the 28tb of December. 180O, Marshal Edward Downey, 
of Anderson, was called to the old Rozelle House that stood at 
the corner of Eleventh and Main streets, to qut-11 a disturb- 
ance in which Charles Kynett was engaged. Kynett was a 
bad man when drinking and on this occasion had been indulg- 
ing to excess. The Marshal ordered him to cease his unlawful 
conduct, and to behave himself, when an encounter ensued be- 
tween the officer and Kynett, in which Kynett was the ag- 
gressor. Downey ordered him several times to desist, but 
without avail, and finally Downey in the act of self-defense 
drew his pistol, and fired, the ball taking effect in the person 
of Kynett which pioved to be fatal. Kynett died soon atter 
the shot was fired and Downey surrendered himself to the 
officers of the law until the case could be investigated. 

Coroner .-Vrmington was called and an inquest held, a ver- 
dict rendered that Downey was justified in shooting Kynett. 
Kynett was a day laborer, and was not a bad man when not 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 517 

drinking, but a demon wiien under the influence of strong 
drink. At the time of tlie shooting many were disposed to 
criticise the Marshal, but those who best knew the circum- 
stances agree that he did no unhiwful act in defending him- 
self and upholding the law. 

No one in Anderson regretted the shooting more than 
Marshal Downey, and it is said he was greatly relieved when 
his term of service as City Marshal expired. 

l!.\Tri.E BETWEEN Ol-I'ICERS AND THIE^■ES. 

One of the most exciting battles that ever took place in 
the countv occurred about four miles south of the city of An- 
derson, near the residence of Tunis Whetstone, about 1 o'clock 
on the morning of March 15, 1S81, between City Marshal Al- 
fred Coburn, his deputy, Amos Coburn, Sherifl' Randall Bid- 
die, and his son. Dory Biddle, who was then Deputy Sheriff of 
Madison county, and three burglars named Daniel Leehan, of 
Indianapolis, Ben Kramer and David Fetty. 

On the Tuesday night prior to this event several resi- 
dences in the city of Anderson had been burglarized, among 
which were those of A. B. Young, then a partner of the late 
Edwin P. Schlater; James A. Larned, a conductor on the 
Midland railroad ; e.x-Mayor Dunham, and H. C. Ryan. These 
robberies set the otHcers to work to catch the thieves. On the 
following Monday night, through some source, it was ascer- 
tained that the robbery of some farm iiouses in the south-west- 
ern section of the city was planned, and was to be carried 
into execution that night. 

At about II o'clock on Monday night the thieves stole a 
horse and buggy belonging to Joseph Sigler, near the Big 
Four depot, and drove rapidly south-west of the city to the 
residence of Tunis Whetstone. The officers who were watch- 
ing them were soon in pursuit on horseback. About one-half 
mile this side of Whetstone's place the oflicers spied the buggy 
hitched in a fence corner. They immediately fell back, tied 
their horses, returned to the buggy and laid in wait for the 
thieves. ^Vhen noticed approaching they were busily en- 
gaged in talking about robbing Dr. Brandon and about tap- 
ping Tucker's jewelry store. 

The officers waited until they were all in the buggy in 
order to make a sure case of it. When the thieves spoke to 
the horse to go, Captain Amos Coburn, the present chief of 
the Anderson police force, bade them halt. Kramer and Fetty 



518 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

surrendered immediately, but Leehan jumped from the buggy 
and started to run. The Captain ordered him to iialt. which 
he refused to do, when Coburn snapped his pistol at him. 
Kramer then made for Alfred Coburn, who met him as he \vas 
aiming his revolver at him. Kramer shot at Coburn, but the 
ball struck the barrel of Coburn's pistol and glanced off and 
struck the knuckle of his right hand, wounding two of his 
fingers. This had the effect of knocking the pistol from Co- 
burn's hand. Had the ball not struck the barrel of Coburn's 
pistol it would have undoubtedly killed him, as it would have 
struck him in the region of the heart. 

Alfred Coburn then spoke to his brother Amos and t.oId 
him to catch Kramer, that he had shot him. The contest now 
became decidedly interesting. The horse had become fright- 
ened and was plunging to get away. Pistols were being rap- 
idly discharged, and none of the parties knew whose time 
^vould come ne.^vt. Capt. Amos Coburn and Dory Biddle 
started in pursuit of Kramer, who was now rapidly retreating. 
They followed him for about half a mile. During the running 
battle fifteen shots were exchanged. Kramer finally disap- 
peared in the woods and made his escape. 

During the affray the scene at the buggy with tlv.' officer.s 
was exciting in the extreme. Alfred Coburn and Sheriff Bid- 
die kept their men under surveillance. Leehan, as before 
stated, had jumped out of the buggy, and Alfred Coburn had 
ordered him to give up, but to this he dissented with an oath. 
Coburn then asked him a second time to surrender. Leehan 
stepped back one step, put his hand to his hip pocket and 
made the same reply. a second time. Coburn then fired, when 
Leehan exclaimed, " You have shot me." To this Coburn 
made answer that if he had given up he would not have shot 
him, and that he himself was wounded and did not propose to 
take any more chances. 

The officers then returned to the city with the captured 
prisoners and placed them in jail. Kramer was an old ofTender 
and had long been a resident of Anderson, and was well known 
to the officers, while Leehan was a stranger. Shortly after 
being incarcerated in jail Leehan died. An inquest w'as 
promptly held by the Coroner, and a verdict of justifiable 
homicide rendered. 

Leehan had a sister in Indianapolis who was notified and 
came to visit her dead brother in jail, when she gave the fol- 
lowing histor}' of him : " Daniel Leehan was born in New 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 519 

York in 1854, and was twenty-seven years old on the 22nd 
day of May preceding his death. With his parents, when he 
was quite young, he went to Louisville, Ky., and thence he 
came to Indianapolis. The last work he was engaged in was 
braking on the Belt railroad. His parents died when he was 
eight years of age, and he had been witiiout a home ever 
since." 

Leehan left Indianapolis on the Thursday preceding his 
death. His sister stated that he never drank, and that he had 
always treated his parents with the greatest respect. He 
made his home with his grandmother in Indianapolis, who 
was rendered heart broken over his fate. She had been a 
cripple for about two j-ears before this sad affair took place, 
and had never walked in those two years, except with the aid 
of crutches. Leehan's body was taken to Indianapolis and 
buried in the Catholic cemetery beside his parents. His 
father wask illed in the army at the second battle of Bull Run. 

Alfred Coburn.the Marshal of Anderson at that time, 
was a fearless officer ; he was possessed of steady nerve, and 
he had sound judgment. His deputy, Amos Coburn, is well 
known to the citizens of Anderson, and has figured in a great 
many scenes of this kind. 

Randall Biddle, who was then Sheriff, is now dead. 
Dory Biddle, the Deputy Sheriff, is now one of the editors 
and proprietors of the Anderson BtiUetin. 

AN OLD SUICIDE CALLED TO MIND. 

Near what is known as the Frank Lee farm, north-east 
of Anderson about two miles, a single man of the name of 
William Nelson committed suicide by hanging himself to a 
tree in 1834. A neighbor in the settlement was walking 
along the road running north and south near where the resi- 
dence of Mr. Lee now stands. He was horribly shocked to 
discover a man hanging to a tree near by. A rope was tied 
around the limb of the tree and around the neck of the man, 
thus telling more forcibly than words the means by which the 
deed had been accomplished. It was a most horrifying sight 
to behold ; the eye-lids of the deceased were open and his 
ghastly stare met the eyes of him who discovered the body. 
He rapidly retreated from the scene, summoning the neigh- 
bors, and the body was taken down. It was discovered to be 
that of William Nelson, who had lived in the neigborhood. 
He was known as a man of quiet habits, and had been missing 



520 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUXTV, INDIANA. 



only a few days. There was no known cause assigned for 
him thus summarily taking himself off, other than that his 
mind had become unbalanced. He had relatives in the county 
who were notified and took possession of the body after the 
Coroner had viewed the same. The remains were interred in 
a neighboring cemetery. 

KILLING OF DAVID H. WATSON. 

David H. Watson was in 1858 elected Sheriff of Madison 
county, and served two years, shortly after which he unfortu- 
nately lost his life in an altercation with one Michael Howe. 
The following account of the affair is furnished by the Hon. 
James W. Sansberry, who was one of the attorneys who 




EX-SHERIKF DAVID H. WATSON. 

prosecuted Howe for the crime. We copy what Mr. Sans- 
berry says about it, and have also added some additional mat- 
ter to the same, as follows : 

When the writer came to Anderson in the fall of 1850, no 
stranger could stop over night in our embryo city without being 
thoroughly interviewed by some inquisitive Andersonian, and 
in a few hours we were informed wliere he was from and 
where he was going, and how long he was going to remain 
among us. These interviews were not, as now, published in 
some daily newspaper, and read by ravenous sensation seek- 
ers, but passed from mouth to mouth. 

In the summer of 1853, among others, and the number 
was not great, came from Virginia, two large, tall, well-built 
men, each, I should think, six feet two inches in height, half- 
brothers, by name David H. Watson and Richards; 



HISTORY OF MAniSOX COUNTV, INDIANA. 521 

the latter remained but a short time and tiien returned to 
his native State, Virginia. Watson, like Joseph of Bible 
history, was a carpenter bv trade, and having procured work, 
concluded to adopt Anderson as his home, and " grow up with 
the country." David, as we were all wont to call him, was a 
very kind-hearted, good-natured, jovial fellow, and soon be- 
came very popular; a little fond of his cups, but not at that 
time to excess. He helped to erect the first mill or warehouse 
built where Wellington's mill now stands. After a few years 
residence here he wooed and married IMiss Lydia Kindle, 
daughter of James A. Kindle, who was at that time a promi- 
nent politician, of the Democratic persuasion, having held the 
office of Countv Treasurer and other places of trust. The 
fruits of his marriage were three children, two boys and one 
daughter. Tames, John and Marv Watson. After the decease 
of both parents, Mr. Bradley Makepeace took John and gave 
him a home, where he still lives wilh Mrs. Makepeace, whom 
he treats as a mother. Mr. Addison Ilolston, a worthy farmer 
of Madison county, took James and adnpted him, having no 
children of his own. James Watson Hulstou came to his 
death in 1894, by an accidental pistol shot. Mary was raised 
and cared for by her aunt, Mrs. Samantha May Harriman, 
until her marriage to the Hon. John L. Forkner,of Anderson, 
where she and her Inrsband now reside. In 1858, Mr. Watson 
was elected Sheriff of Madison countv, and served as such 
until 1860. Mr. Watson, though a \'irginian by birth, with 
friends and relatives in the Confederate army from his native 
State, ofl'ered his serxices to the Union army, and became a 
member of a regiment of Indiana volunteers, and while at 
home making disposition of his personal affairs for the purpose 
of going into active service, unfortunately on the 2d of Febu- 
rary, 18f)2, got into an altercation with Michael Howe, of Lo- 
gansport, Indiana, in a house at tlie corner of Main and 
Eleventh streets, making some threatening demonstration 
and Howe, being a stranger and not knowing the kindly 
disposition of Watson, took his jokes for earnest. Howe was 
inside of the house when Watson was trving to gain en- 
trance and being a powerful man physically, he opened or per- 
mitted Watson to open the door, and as Watson attempted to 
enter, Howe, with an ugly, dangerous knife, struck at him 
with a downward stioke above the left collarbone from which 
wound he died ne.\t morning at his home, situated where the 
(irand Opera House now stands. The Hon. John A. liar- 



522 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



rison was Prosecuting Attorney at the time and proceeded at 
once in the prosecution of Howe for murder. Howe employed 
Calvin D. Thompson and Thaddeus Cooper, of Anderson, 
and the Hon. Daniel D. Pratt, of Logansport, Indiana, to de- 
fend him. 

Mr. Pratt was an able advocate with few equals and no 
superiors, and was equally great physically, weighing near 
three hundred pounds. The defendant's counsel instituted 
habeas-corpus proceedings and Howe was let to bail and a 




THE HON. JA.MliS W. SANSHKRKV. 

change of venue from Madison to Henry county was granted 
the defendant, where the case was tried before Judge Jehu T. 
Elliott, in the summer following. The case was on trial about 
six days and was closely contested throughout. The prosecu- 
tion was conducted bv the Hon. John A. Harrison, as prose- 
cuting attorney assisted bv J. W. Sansberrv, who engaged in 
the case by request of Mr. Harrison and through his great re- 
gard for the deceased. Mr. Pratt made the closing argument 
for the defense, a powerful appeal of si.x hours duration. 
Harrison and Sansberry spoke four hours each. The jury 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 523 

spent eiirht hours in deliberation and acquitted tiie tlefendant 
on the ground that he had cause to fear personal injury to him- 
self sufficient to justify the homicide. During the trial a wit- 
ness testified that Watson was trying to break in a door in the 
house where Howe was inside, and with cast knucks, or some 
other weapon, had pounded on the door until he made indenta- 
tions an inch deep in the wood. 

Mr. Sansberry came to Anderson, and examined the 
door, and, finding no such scars on it, went to Constable E. 
M. Roach and told him if he would produce said door before 
the jury at New Castle next day he would pay him five dol- 
lars, which Roach agreed to do. Next morning Roach went 
to the house, unhinged the door, took it to the train, thence 
to New Castle, and to the court house, where it was intro- 
duced to the jury and then returned to its former abiding 
place, having served as a truthful and silent witness. 

Wat=on was a splendid shot with a pistol, and often in- 
dulged in the sport of shooting. The old court house was full 
of bullet holes that he had shot there when he was Sheriff of 
the county. It was no uncommon thing for him, while con- 
versing with a friend, to take out his revolver and shoot 
through the door or ceiling, just to see his comrade badly 
scared. 

He was a great friend of Joseph Fulton, and made his 
office, when the latter was postmaster, one of his places of re- 
sort. He would often go to the delivery window and ask for 
his mail, and after being waited on shoot the candle light out, 
just for fun. This was as much enjoyed by Mr. Fulton as by 
Watson. 

One 4th of July he organized a company of "Rag Tags," 
composed of the young and lively gentry of Anderson, and 
gave a grand parade through the principal streets, w'inding up 
at the court house where they were addressed by Dr. Town- 
send Ryan and others. 

This company and its wonderful parade served for many 
years for the people to talk about. 

The jail register that he kept when he was Sheriff was a 
curiosity, and contained many unique entries. He always 
stated what condition a prisoner was in when received, and 
in what condition when discharged. For instance: 

• Michael O'Rourke put in for into.xication, verj- boister- 
ous during the night; his cries were continually, water! 



524' HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

water! Discharged next morning calm and peaceful but witii 
an awful head."" 

"John Jone.s came in awfully religious — fully under the 
influence of 'spirits' and prayed incessantly all night; but in 
the morning he was discharged a wiser and better man, his 
spirits having died out." 

In making returns on writs of execution, he was very brief 
and to the point. After he had held a writ until it expired by 
law and had to be returned to the Clerk's office for reissue he 
would say, " This execution found dead in my office."' 

David H. Watson was the best penman that ever held the 
office of Sheriff of Madison county, and before the court house 
was destroyed, the attorneys and court officials often perused 
his dockets and returns on the records witli admiration for his 
skill as a scribe. 

The many good qualities of heart and hand of Mr. Wat- 
son will long be treasured up by the old-timers who knew him. 
He had his faults like all frail humanity, but no truer friend, 
or more generous neighbor, ever lived than he. 

His abrupt ending stopped what might have been a brill- 
iant army career, as he was buoyed with the hope of disting- 
uishing himself in the service of his country. His command- 
ing appearance, and native ability would certainly ha\e given 
him a place in the front line of promotion. 

MURDER OK ALBERT .MAWSON. 

About three miles south-east of the City of Anderson 
there lived for many years Charles Mawson and family, on 
the farm once known as the Stevenson land. The family were 
thrifty, hard-working people and had accumulated considera- 
ble personal property and real estate, and while they did not 
circulate in the very best society, they were not at all regarded 
as bad or vicious people. The only thing that was ever said 
against Mr. Charles Mawson was that which was whispered 
around in the neighborhood after the hanging of Milton 
White, that Charles Mawson had confessed upon his death- 
bed that he was the guilty party, and that White was innocent 
of the crime. 

But little importance was ever attached to this story be- 
cause the circumstantial evidence against White was so closely 
woven together and united that White's guilt was proven be- 
yond the shadow of a doubt to the minds of the jury. 

After the death of Charles Mawson his widow, Xancy, 



HISTOKY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 525 

lived on the farm and kept house with her son, Albert. Her 
elder son, Thomas, had married and gone to Henry county. 

On the 21st of October, 1S74, news was brought to An- 
derson that the dead body of Albert Mawson had been found 
in a well on the Mawson farm. It was ascertained upon in- 
quiry from Jesse Knull, a tenant on the farm, and from 
Daniel Hoppes, a son-in-law of Mrs. Mawson, that the dis- 
covery had been made early that morning; that the well had 
been filled with stones, and that in bailing the water out of it 
there had been uncovered a pair of human feet. Knull and 
Hoppes tlien hastened to the city and telegraphed to Thomas 
Mawson at Luray. in this State, and also notified the Coroner 
of their discovery. 

It was but a short time before many people from the sur- 
rounding neighborhood and from Anderson hurried to the 
place of the murder. The well in which the body was found 
was located about fifteen rods south east of the house under 
an old shed that had been abandoned for some time. It was 
walled with stones and was quite narrow. It had been cov- 
ered with loose boards, which had been thrown to one side. 
A pile of brick and stones lay near bv which had been thrown 
out of the well, and at about eight feet from the top the feet 
of a corpse could be plainly seen. On the boulders and planks 
near the mouth of the well the stains of human blood could 
be noticed, and for a distance of several rods southward across 
the field frequent indications were found by which it was evi- 
dent that a dead body had been dragged towards the well. 
Marks of blood were also ^ isibie on stones and bits of wood 
that lay in the foot-path. 

When G. W. Maynard, the Coroner, arri\eil at the farm, 
he had the body removed. The decaying remains \vere gath- 
ered up in a sheet, and brought to the surface. It was a 
sickening, horrible spectacle, and cannot be propei ly described. 
The body was in a nude condition, and the flesh was falling 
from the bones. The front teeth were knocked in, the jaw 
broken, and the side of the head crushed in. A rope was 
around the neck. It was developed at the Coroner's inquest, 
almost to a certainty, that Xancy Mawson, the mother, liad 
gone to Albert's sleeping apartments in the dead hour of 
night when he was in a sound slumber, and with an a.xe, had 
knocked him on the head, killing him instantly. Blood 
stains were visible on the walls of the room in which he had 
slept. Mrs. Mawson was in a \erv depressed condition, and 



526 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

in her statements before the Coroner, which were interrupted 
by violent outbursts of weeping, and loud lamentations over 
the death' of her son, whom she called her baby boj-, she 
spoke of the many good qualities of her lost son, and how he 
had helped her in her lonely widowhood. She said she loved 
him dearly and truly, and that he was one of the best of boys ; 
that he was always kind and good to her, and had assisted her 
in the household work, and in turn she had helped him in 
feeding the stock. She stated that he had never been away 
from home but a few nights previous to this occurrence, and 
that he had left home to avoid arrest in consequence of some 
transactions he had had with a young lady in the neighbor- 
hood. Previous to his departure, he had told her that the 
girl's parents were threatening him with prosecution. She 
said she had offered him all the money he would need to de- 
fend himself in the courts, and told him he could have a 
thousand dollars for that purpose, if necessary, but he would 
not stay, and she fitted him up to go away. On the ITth of 
July, she had provided him with $143. She sewed the money 
in a muslin belt which she fastened around his body, and he 
had left home about sundown, saying that he would go to his 
brother Thomas, in Henry county, and requested her that she 
should tell the neighbors that he had gone to Cleveland or 
Natchez, and possiblv to his father's folks in England. Mrs. 
Mawson said that was the last she had seen of her son, and 
she had begun to think that he was dead, and had been killed 
near home, and that she suspected a family in the immediate 
neighborhood of being the murderers. She did not remem- 
ber whether her son Thomas was at home on the night of 
Albert's disappearance, or not. 

This story of Mrs. Mawson was disconnected in a good 
many respects and but little faith was attached to it. The 
real facts as they afterwards were developed were to the effect 
that she had had some trouble with her son Thomas, and Mrs. 
Hoppes, her daughter; that Albert was her youngest child, 
and that she had doted upon him, and had placed great confi- 
dence in him becoming a good and useful man, while her elder 
son was somewhat reckless, and disposed to be something of 
a spendthrift. The mother at that time deeded her lands or a 
portion of them to Albert, intending at iier death that he should 
come into possession of the property that she might leave. In 
the meantime Albert himself had to some extent grown reck- 
less, and had de"Bired to stray away from home occasionally, and 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 527 

at one time had entered the service of a railroad company as 
brakeman on a freight tiain. This displeased the mother and 
it is thought the supreme motive which compelled her to com- 
mit this horrible crime was to get possession again of the real 
estate which she had deeded to him. There could hardly have 
been any other motive for the commission of the act, as he 
possessed no money or other valuables and she did not want 
any one else to come into possession of the real estate, and it 
is said that after deeding away the land that she brooded over 
what she had done, at times, and that her son Thoinas and her 
son-in-law and daughter harrassed her about it so as to cause 
her much trouble. Several instances connected with the affair 
pointed very strongly to Mrs. Mawson as being the guilty 
party. She told \\'illiain Fosset, a ttamster. who resided in 
Anderson, and who was hauling wood from her farm to the 
city the following story : 

Fossett testitied that about ten days prior to the finding of 
the body, while he was driving along the Columbus Pike, he 
met Mrs. Mawson near the residence of one David Pittsford. 
She halted him in the road and gave hiin the first information 
that he had recei^•ed that Albert was absent. She told how 
good she had been to him and what she would have done had 
he remained with her, and then she said that someone had 
killed him or buried his bod)' in the woods or in a well, and 
that he would be found some time just as certain as she was 
looking in Fossett's face. During the conversation she re- 
iterated three or four times her story about the burial of the 
body, and that it would be found. .She was terribly affected 
and once or twice broke down crying. She also spoke with 
much levity about other matters and even told Mr. Fossett a 
joke during the conversation. Suspicion pointed to Thomas 
Mawson, the brother, as being an accomplice. The Coroner 
ordered his arrest and Marshal Cornelius Daugherty, of Ander- 
son, accompanied by Mr. Newton Burke, left immediately for 
Lura}-, a small town in Henry county, situated between Muncie 
and New Castle, in which place Thomas Mawson was living. 

On entering the village the officers soon ascertained the 
whereabouts of Mawson, who dwelt in a frame building, a 
part of which was used as a store. When the Marshal 
knocked at the door Mawson arose from his bed and asked 
what he wanted. The Marshal requested him to come down 
to the door, but he refused and told them to go awaj'. The 
officers then called him by name, when he swore if they did 



528 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNT\ , INDIAN A. 

not go away he would get a gun and shoot them. At this 
they withdrew. They then aroused several of the citizens 
and surrounded the house. When Mawson opened the door 
to speak to one of his neighbors who called him, he was seized 
by Mr. Burke, who made a prisoner of him without further 
resistance. Marshal Daugherty asked him for the trunk of 
clothes that bad been sent him by his mother. He pointed to 
an old trunk which ^vas found to contain nothing but some old 
rags. Further search revealed another trunk which contained 
two pairs of pants and two vests, which Albert's mother said 
he had worn away with him. Thomas told them that these 
were Albert's clothes, and that there was also an overcoat 
hanging on the wall which belonged to his brother. Thomas 
Mawson was brought to Anderson, placed in jail, and held 
for further investigation. He was eventually indicted by the 
Grand Jury of Madison county, and was placed upon trial, 
being defended by the Hon. Wm. R. Myers and Calvin D. 
Thompson, Esq., and after a full and complete hearing of the 
case was acquitted on the plea of an alibi, having proven to 
the satisfaction of the jury that he was at the home of liis 
father-in-law, John Geddis, in Henry county, on tiie night of 
the murder. Suspicion also pointed to Daniel Hoppes, the 
son-in-law, and Jane Hoppes, the wife, the daughter of Mrs. 
Mawson, as being accessories to the crime. The Coroner also 
ordered the arrest of Mr. and ]Mrs. Hoppes. They were 
promptly taken into custody and arraigned before Mayor Wm. 
L. Brown for examination. They were also defended by the 
Hon. Wm. R. Myers and Calvin D. Thompson, Esq., and 
after a full and impartial hearing, were also acquitted of the 
crime. 

The verdict of the Coroner's jury as to the manner of 
Albert Mawson 's death was substantially as follows : " That 
on the 21st day of October, 1874, Albert Mawson came to his 
death by a blow inflicted with an axe or some other hard sub- 
stance, in the hands of Nancy Mawson, which the jury finds 
to be the cause of the death of the victim." 

The verdict of the jury was signed by the following 
named gentlemen: Geo. \V. Hughel, J. I. Seward, P. J. 
Carr, John Allen, Caleb Brown, John R. Stephenson, Thomas 
E. vSmith, Geo. W. McGraw, John H. Stanley, and Philip H. 
Kellar. 

This murder created tiie greatest excitement not only 
throughout the county but throughout the country. The Cin- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 529 

cinnati and Chicago papers had representatives here during 
the Coroner's investigation and also at the preliminary hear- 
ing of the case. Miss Laura Ream represented the Cincin- 
nati Coii/iiicrcia/ in wliicli journal she gave a very full and 
detailed account of the murder, and the family history of the 
people supposed to be connected therewith. 

During the progress of holding the Coroner's inquest, at 
the residence of Mrs. Mawson, she very kindly prepared din- 
ner for the Coroner and the jury. Mr. Maynard, the Coro- 
ner, from some cause became suspicious that some motive 
might have prompted the hostess to be so clever, so they ex 
cused themselves and did not partake of her hospitality. It 
was afterward told in the neighborhood that the dinner was 
given to the dogs and that they died from eating it. Some 
are of the firm belief that she intended to poison the whole 
crowd. We do not vouch for the truth of this, but give it as 
a matter of common rumor at the time. 

Mrs. Mawson, after the hearing before the Coroner, was 
placed under arrest and incarcerated in the old Mad'son 
county jail that stood at the corner of Ninth and Jackson 
streets, to await the action of the Grand Jury. On the 25th of 
October, however, she put an end to this celebrated case so 
far as she was personally concerned, and paved the way of 
escape for others in the crime, by taking her own life with a 
dose of arsenic. It is almost a certainty that she had contem- 
plated this long before she was placed in jail ; perhaps froni 
the time she committed the deed. In consequence of the ru- 
mors which had overtaken her as to being one of the guilty 
parties, she had concluded that this was the best plan of put- 
ting an end to it. She had evidently intended to kill herself 
before arrest, but she did not carry out her purpose until she 
was placed in confinement. As she had no way of obtaining 
the poison after being placed in jail, she undoubtedly had it 
about her when she was put behind the bars. Sheriff Albert 
J. Ross testified before the Coroner who held the inquest 
over her remains that on the evening prior to her death he 
had noticed that she was sick. On going to her cell she told 
him that she had had a chill and asked for some water to 
drink. It being supplied to her she drank a copious quantity 
of it and seemed thereafter to be in great pain, accompanied 
with severe cramps. She told Mr. Ross that her stomach felt 
like it was burning up. She ate a hearty breakfast but de- 
clined any dinner. As she grew worse the SherilT called in 
34 



530 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

Dr. C. S. Burr, but Mrs. Mawson refused positively to take 
any medicine. Dr. Burr testified that he was called to see 
Mrs. Mawson and found her very feeble and cold and in a 
state of great perspiration. Her symptoms indicated poison- 
ing. His opinion was that she had taken arsenic or anti- 
mony. Two or three witnesses were examined, among whom 
were Dr. L. Harriman and Dr. Horace E. Jones, who corrob- 
orated the statements made by Dr. C. S. Burr as to her symp- 
toms. After her death a considerable quantity of arsenic was 
found sewed up in a little bag in one of her dresses, which 
confirmed the belief of many, as already stated, that she had 
had under contemplation for some time her own death by 
suicide. 

Mrs. Mawson's body on being removed from the jail was 
placed in a neat coffin and conveyed to her residence, from 
which her iuneral took place. Her remains were interred in 
the Bucco cemetery, south of town, and thus ended one of 
the most fearful and inhuman crimes that was ever commit- 
ted within the borders of Madison county. 

Thomas Mawson, the brother, who was accused of being 
a party to this crime, is now living, as is also his sister, Mrs. 
Hoppes, with her husband in Henry county, this State. The 
real facts of the muider will, perhaps, never be known, Mrs. 
^Mawson having put herself out of the ^vay and her evidence 
never having been given before any court in defense of herself 
or against other persons. It has always been thought that had 
Mrs. Mawson lived until such time as she could have been 
placed on the witness stand before a court and jury, that she 
would hav-e finally broken down and told the plain, simple 
truth, and that if there had been any others implicated with 
her, she would have revealed that fact. It seems impossible 
that Mrs. Mawson, as frail as she was, could have killed her 
son and conveyed his body to its hiding place without help. 

The locality in which this crime occurred seems to have 
been a fated spot, as within sight of the house where Albert 
Mawson was so brutally murdered is the place, in a small ra- 
vine in a little strip of wood^^, where ]\Iilton ^Vhite, with a 
large sassafras club, killed Daniel Hoppes, in the year 1867, 
a full account of which is given in another part of this 
volume. 

Thomas Mawson, and Daniel Hoppes and wife, being the 
only heirs to the real estate left by Mrs. Mawson and her son, 
came into possession of tiie same and all of Mrs. Mawson's 



HISTORY OF .MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 531 

personal effects; tliey derived but little benefit from it, as it 
was nearly all absorbed in attorney's fees and court costs in de- 
fending themselves from the charges made against them. 

Another theory for the commission of the crime, upon 
which there was considerable testimony adduced at the time, 
was that Mrs. Mawson seriously objected and feared that her 
son Albert would marry a Miss Lane, who lived in that neigii- 
borhood, and who had instituted criminal proceedings against 
him, so it was said. One of the witnesses testified that he 
had heard Mrs. Mawson repeatedly say that Albert was dead, 
and that she would never see him again, and that she would 
rather a thousand times that he were dead than to see him 
murrv the Lane girl. 

A SUICIDE BY H.\NGING. 

On the 2nd of August, 1891, Allen Stanley, an old bach- 
elor living with William Stanley, his brother, in Anderson, 
killed himself by hanging. He was found in an out-shed with 
a rope around his neck, hanging to a beam, stone dead. He 
was a very peculiar old gentleman, scarcely ever speaking to 
any one unless being first spoken to, and then simply respond- 
ing to the question asked. He was a brother of William Stan- 
ley, the engineer who had charge of the boilers in the Walton 
mill when the explosion took place, an account of which is 
elsewhere given, and was in the mill when the explosion took 
p^ice. Xo reason could be given for his desire to take his 
life, other than a wish to be out of the way of his friends. 
Having no family, he for many years made his home with his 
brother, and it is supposed he felt that he was in the way and 
ended his troubles bv ending his life. 

THE TRASTER MURDER. 

For many years the iirm of Traster Brothers, composed of 
Robert and William Traster, owned and operated the Moss 
Island Merchant Flouring Mills, west of this city. They did 
a prosperous and thriving business. Their brand of flour was 
known far and near. In addition to furnishing all of the 
Anderson merchants tiiey made large shipments throughout 
the country. 

Tne Trasters were very popular with the people. Tiieir 
mills were a favorite place for the surrounding country and 
city folks to congregate for sport and pastime. Tiie island 
near tlie mills was. and is yet, a favorite resort for picnic and 



532 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

fishing parties. It is no uncommon sight in the summer. sea- 
son to see forty or fifty Anderson fishermen perched upon the 
old water-gates, like turtles on a log, fishing from morning 
until night. 

The Trasters had in their employ, as teamster, a young 
man by the name of Granville Dale, a good-natured inoffen- 
sive fellow, intelligent and industrious, given a little to drink, 
but not sufficient to in any way interfere with his duties. He 
was a " trusty '" for the firm, had care of the teams and did all 
of the chores. He often came to town with loads of " mill 
stuff," and returned with the cash proceeds. One Sunday 
inorning, on a bright April day in 1867, a party of Ander- 
sonians, consisting of ex-Sheriff Ben Sebrell, Captain Ethan 
Allen, R. C. Reed, with others whose names are not now 
remembered, all friends of the Trasters, started for Moss 
Island for a day of fun and fishing and a good dinner at the 
miller's homestead. Fishing tackle, canteens and other ac- 
coutrements necessary for such an expedition, were in ample 
store ; in fact the party was well fixed for a day's sport. A 
merrier lot of good fellows never left Anderson, nor one that 
was more capable of enjoying such an occasion. 

Ben Sebrell was the master of ceremonies. He was a 
brother-in-law of the Traster boys and was one of those big- 
hearted men, full of life; did not care which way the wind 
blew and was always read)- for a " time." The journev' to the 
mill was soon made; the fishing party assembled on the bank 
of the river and business set in. Jokes and stories went the 
rounds, and an occasional wliift' at the canteen was indulged 
in, until the party became quite merr)-. At last a tap on the 
dinner bell announced a repast for the party. They packed 
their tackle in response to the cry, "Come to dinner." On 
their way to the house the party halted at the barn. The can- 
teen was again passed around. Dale, the teamster, was at- 
tending to the horses. A slight misunderstanding came up 
between him and William Traster. Angry words followed. 
Finally Traster made some move toward chastising Dale, 
when tiie latter stooped to the ground, picked up a rock the 
size and shape of a goose egg, hurled it at Traster, and hitting 
him on the head, felled him to the ground never to rise again. 
It flashed across Dale's mind in a minute that, in a rash mo- 
ment, frenzied with drink, he had killed his employer and 
best friend. The fishing party was summoned to the scene. 
Traster's body was taken to tiie house and every means re- 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 533 

sorted to to bring him back to life, but all proved of no avail. 
Thus the partv was abruptlv broken up. The Coroner was 
notified and an inquest was held, and a finding made in ac- 
cordance with the facts. Dale gave himself up to the Sheriff". 
He was incarcerated in the Madison county jail until court 
convened, when he was indicted by the Grand Jury, tried 
and convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years' 
imprisonment in the Northern Indiana Prison at Michigan 
City, where he served his time. After the expiration of his 
sentence he went to Indianapolis, where he was for many years 
a cab-driver. He never returned to Anderson. He never made 
any pretentions to deny his guilt, but spoke of it with regret. 
The man he killed was his best friend and had given him em- 
plovment, for all of which he felt grateful. They were both 
under the influence of licjuor at the time. Traster was a 
large, muscular man. Dale was small and delicate and feared 
that if Traster got hold of him his life would be in danger; 
hence his resort to the stone. He had no idea of killing 
Traster. 

The stone he used was for many years kept in the Clerk's 
office, with many other relics of early-day tragedies, but was 
destroj-ed by fire when the court house burned in 1880. The 
killing of William naturally broke up the business of the 
Traster Brothers. He was the sturdy wheel-horse of tiie firm. 
\\'hen he was gone the business soon went down. The old 
mill stands there, a silent witness to the many scenes of jov 
and sorrow which have taken place on that famous retreat. Moss 
Island. 

A IIOKIJIBI.E ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE. 

On the 24th of January, 1882, the citizens of Anderson, 
in the neighborhood of the old Mary Croak residence, on 
South Meridian street, situated on the ground now occupied 
by W. W. Read & Co.'s wholesale grocery store, were horri- 
fied to find that David Englefield, a CJerman bachelor, about 
forty years of age, had cut his throat in the basement of that 
building, which he used as a shoemaker shop. 

He was alone at the time, and no one knows just how 
long he had been lying in his own blood before he was dis- 
covered, which was about half-past S o'clock in the morning. 

The family of Mrs. Mary Croak, who occupied the floors 
above his room, heard him making an unusual noise and 
went down to ascertain the cause, when they were horrified 
to find him in this condition. 



534 IIISTOHV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Captain Amos Coburn was then City Marshal, and was 
called in, when he had him removed to a place where he 
could be cared for, and a physician was called. It was ascer- 
tained that he had taken a shoe knife, and, at one "slash," had 
cut his throat from ear to ear, almost severing his wind pipe. 
He was very fleshy, and the wound presented very much the 
appearance of a hog that had been butchered and hung upon 
the " gamling sticks." 

Tile sight was a most sickening one, and will linger long 
in the memories of those who beheld it. Dave was an inof- 
fensive, good-hearted German, who followed "cobbling" for 
his living, and always had his shop in some basement or cellar, 
seldom ever coming out, only to buy some eatables, he having 
always done his own cooking. 

His habits of living under the ground gave him the name 
of "Ground Hog Dave," by which he went by the people 
who knew him. There were few people in town who knew 
his real name at all. 

He had no relatives in this part of the country except a 
brother at Logansport, wiio was said to be well fixed in life. 

Despondency and ill health from his long life in damp 
cellars was the cause of his rash act. 

He evidently aimed to make good work of liis attempt at 
self destruction, as he left lying on his work bench the fol- 
lowing note : 

"My sickness is getting worse, so I do not wish to live 
longer. " David Englefiei,d." 

The doctors sewed up his wounds and he was removed 
to the poor farm, where he was kindly cared for until he re- 
covered, and then he was sent to his friends, and is, in all 
probability, living yet. 

Til is was one of the most wonderful cases on record, 
wiiere a person had so nearly cut his head off, and was then 
brought back to life. All of the older people of Anderson well 
remember "Ground Hog Dave." 

SUICIDE OF ELIAS SKINNER. 

Elias Skinner, who was well known to many of the older 
citizens of Anderson, committed suicide at the Pan Handle 
Hotel, on the 2r)th of December, 1894, by taking poison. It 
is said that troubles of a domestic nature caused him to com- 
mit the act. He was a rather good-natured, inoffensive man. 



mslORV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 535 

who had no known enemies in the workl, and seemed to have 
a disposition to get along in tiie world as well and cheerfully 
as possible. His wife was Miss Emma Ili.xon, a daughter of 
Mattliew Hixon, who formerly lived in Anderson. Mr. and 
Mrs. Sk'nner had been separated some time prior to this oc- 
currence, and it is said he had taken to strong drink after the 
separation, and undoubtedly grew melancholy, anil while 
laboring under this condition took his own life. 

KILLING OK MRS. ALVIN \1NE-SAKD. 

Mrs. Vineyard, the wife of Alvin Vineyard, was instantly 
killed at Florida, in LaFayette township, on the Uth of April, 
1894. She had been to the village doing some shopping, and 
in attempting to cross the railroad track, coming from behind 
a building, which obstructed the view along the railway, she 
did not see an approaching train, which was running very 
fast, and being unconscious of its approach, walked immedi- 
ately in front of it, thus meeting instant death. Her body 
v^-as thrown a considerable distance, receiving such injuries as 
caused her death. Mrs. Vineyard was a very estimable lady, 
well known in the neighborhood in which she lived as well 
as among the people in Anderson. 

SUICIDE OK ELIJAH J. WALDEN. 

For many years Elijah Walden was one of the prominent 
figures in Madison county. lie was a large dealer in grain, 
lumber and merchandise for a number of years, and at different 
times was associated with other leading men. notably, A. J. 
Brunt. He and Mr. Brunt carried on the largest lumbering 
establishment in Madison county; they had their yards near 
the Pan Handle railroad station. 

Mr. Walden was, during his earlier life, one of the best 
fixed men, financially, in Anderson, and in his day was the 
owner of much valuable real estate. He was twice elected to 
the office of trustee for Anderson township, and on several 
occasions was prominently spoken of in connection with the 
County Treasury. Later on in life he became involved in 
speculations to such an extent that it was the cause of his finan- 
cial downfall and finally of his death. On the 25th of June, 
1S85, Mr. Walden visited Indianapolis for the purpose of hav- 
ing an interview with his daughter, who lived in that city and 
whom lie desired to see for the purpose of securing from her 
help in his financial troubles. When he reached tlie city he 



536 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

became disheartened and went to the Bates House, where he 
addressed a letter to his family at Anderson in which he said 
that he could not bear the idea of asking his daughter for relief, 
intimating at the same time that he intended to commit the 
rash act which he afterwards carried out. On the same even- 
ing he returned to the city and went to his home on South 
Fletcher street, where he immediately retired, after taking a 
large dose of morphine. His family did not realize ^vhat had 
happened until it was too late for medical relief to do him an}' 
good. The wife was at first attracted by his heavy breathing 
and attempted to arouse him, but without success. Dr. G. F. 
Chittenden and other phvsicians were immediately summoned 
and did evervthing known to medical skill, but without avail. 
Mr. Walden breathed his last at 1 p. m. on that night. He 
left a wife, two estimable daughters, and one son, who yet 
survive him. His two daughters, who are married, reside in 
Indianapolis; his wife and onlv son, Robert, are yet residents 
of Anderson. Mr. Walden was a prominent Mason, being a 
member of Anderson Commandery of Knights Templar, which 
organization took charge of his remains and buried them in 
the Anderson cemetery with all the honors of the order. He 
was a man of good habits and was generally and socially liked 
by every one in the community. He was very secretive in his 
disposition as to his business affairs and no one in the city real- 
ized that they were in as bad a condition as they were. 

SUICIDE OF MISS EVA PIPER. 

On the 28th of November. 1890, Miss Eva Piper, a domes- 
tic in the family- of John S. Davis, in Anderson, committed 
suicide by hanging herself in an out building on the premises. 
She was the daughter of Mr. Thomas Piper, who lived near 
Pendleton, but for several years had been a member of the 
household of the Davis family, who esteemed her very highly. 
The cause of her rash act was said to have been the result of 
disappointment in a love affair. Mr. and Mrs. Davis were 
very much affected over the affair, as well as the relatives and 
friends of the unfortunate girl. 

SUICIDE OF FRED. W. IRWIN. 

On Saturday morning. May 18, 1895, a handsome, well- 
dressed stranger, threw the population of Anderson into a 
fever of excitement by committing suicide. 

He entered East's hardware store and selecting one of 



IIISTOKV OF ^r.\D[SON COUNTV, INDIANA. .537 

tlie best revolvers in stock, loaded it carefully, and muttering, 
"I believe this would kill a bull dog,' placed the muzzle to 
his right temple and ended his existence by sending a bullet 
through his brains. 

With not a clue to work on as to his identity, he left the 
officers in a difficulty. His act, though rash, had been delib- 
erate, and it was evidently his ambition in his last mo- 
ments to occupy an unknown grave. He had, with a fore- 
sight seldom exhibited in these cases, in his endeavor to erase 
all clue, not only destroyed his personal efTects, including 
papers and letters, but he had gone so far as to cut his laundry 
mark off of his collar, cufTs, and shirt, then going to his room 
completing the work by cutting the marks out of his soiled 
laundry, as well as destroying all that came under his notice. 

His work was complete, and when he entered the hard- 
ware store, giving the impression that he wished to buy a re- 
volver, there was not a thingon his person that bore any clew 
as to who he was or where he came from. 

BafHed in this manner, there was but one thing to do. As 
an unknown he was placed before the public, and at least 4,(K)0 
people looked on his features for identification. 

He was finallv identified by a traveling man named Fer- 
guson, as Fred. \\ . Irwin, an employe of Dadge, Andrews & 
Co.. of Columbus, Ohio, who were communicated with. 

There was no apparent reason why he should c[uit the 
company, and Mr. Dadge was thunderstruck at the announce- 
ment of his death. 

Irwin came to Anderson and put up at the Big Four 
Hotel. He did not register, and did not say what his name 
was. He talked to Walter Teal, but simply alluded to Co- 
lumbus, Ohio, being his old home, in speaking of SelTs circus 
wintering there. 

His widowed mother and sister came and claimed his 
remains and took them to Columbus, Ohio, for burial. The 
young men of Anderson turned out to escort them to the 
station, having six pall bearers and a large procession on foot. 

SUICIDE OK GEORGE BUNGEH. 

George Bunger, a shoemaker, committed suicide in an out- 
building near the Pan Handle freight depot in Anderson, on 
the ir)th of June, 189(j. He was a harmless, good-natured 



538 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

fellow, who made his headquarters in Geo. Hettel's shoe store 
for several years, and came with that gentleman from La- 
fayette, Indiana, to Anderson, about the year 18^7. 

He had been drinking for several days previous to his 
death, and is supposed to have been in a tit of melancholy 
when he committed the deed, disappointment in a love affair 
in his younger days is said to have borne heavily upon his 
mind and caused him to drink to excess at times. His rela- 
tives at his old home came and claimed his remains and re- 
moved them thence for burial, after an inquest had been held 
by Coroner Sells. 

It is said the young lady to whom he was at one time 
engaged to be married is now an ininate of the Insane Asylum 
at Indianapolis. 

A PECULIARLY SAD SUICIDE. 

Dallas McCallister. son of James McCallister, and 
brother of Robert McCallister, committed suicide at i', ;80 
o'clock p. M., April 11, 1898, by shooting himself through 
the head with a revolver. He was formerly employed as 
driver for the American Express Company, and was of a jolly 
disposition. 

The cause that led ^McCallister to commit the act is stated 
as follows : 

J. C. Clark, special agent of the American Express Com- 
pany-, had been in Anderson several days. The result of an 
investigation showed that McCallister was short $950 with the 
company. 

A warrant was placed in Patrolman Rodgers' hands, 
who, meeting young McCallister at the door of the Griffith 
House, began to read the writ, when the young man drew a 
revolver and fired, the ball entering his forehead. 

He fell to the sidewalk, the brains oozing from the wound. 
He died almost instantly, and was removed to the home of 
his parents, where an inquest was held by Coroner C. L. 
Armington. Young McCallister's funeral was one of the 
largest ever in Anderson. 

It is not only the opinion of the writers, but of a large 
majority of the people of Anderson, that McCallister was the 
victim of a conspiracy — that some one else was the rogue, and 
that the young man had a confession wrung out of him under 
promise of protection, after which he was betrayed. When 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 589 




peopi 
bonie ;x good name. 

TRAGIC DEATH OF DOTE M 'CULLOUOII . 

" Dote" McCullough, a desperate character, met ^vith a 
tragic death in Welsh's saloon on North Main street, in An- 
derson, May 1>6, 1894. 

He attempted to kill young Dora Welsh, but failed, and 
in self-defense the latter sent a bullet crashing through his 
brain. 

About half past nine o'clock in the evening a young man 
by the name of Paxon. and Laura Skidmore, a woman of the 
town, went to Welsh's saloon, on North Main street, and 
entered the wine rooms. 

While tliey were in the rooms "Dote" McCullough 
came in the back way and entered the wine room. He had 
been a lover of the Skidmore woman, and was in a jealous 
frenzy wlien he entered the place. He began to threaten 
Paxon and the woman, when Welsh entered. The latter told 
McCullough he would either have to behave himself or gel out. 
McCullough was a stranger to Welsh and he retorted by mak- 
ing some threat. McCullough then passed out, and in about 
five minutes entered the room again. He had a revolver in 
his hand, and when he saw Welsh standing a few feet away 
he leveled the gun at him and swore he would kill him. 

\Velsh jumped toward McCullough and struck his arm. 
The blow lowered the weapon, and, as it was discharged, the 
bullet passed through the fleshy part of Welsh's left thigh. 
Welsh and McCullough then grappled and the latter attempted 
to use his gun again. Welsh in the meantime had got out his 
re\olver, and, breaking away, brought it down, and sent the 
ball crashing through McCuUough's head. 

McCullough never spoke after the shot. Welsh picked up 
the smoking weapon of his antagonist, and passed into the 
saloon and laid it and his own pistol on the bar. 

Policemen Robbins and Smith attracted by the shooting 
rushed in and placed Welsh under arrest. He was taken to 
jail and the ambulance was called. Coroner Armington was 



540 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



also notified. He came and viewed the body and ordered 
it taken to Sells' undertaking establishment. 

After an inquest his body was taken to Oxford. Ohio, 
for burial. 

The firm of Diven & McMahan was retained to defend 
young Welsh. 

Welsh was acquitted at the preliminary trial on the 
grounds of self-defense. 



I 



CHAPTER LV. 



Which Gives Some Account ok a Number ok Fatai- 
Happenings. 



DEATH OK MOSES TliEADWAV 



Moses Treadway was an old and highly respected citizen 
who was one of the early settlers of Madison county, on a 
farm north-east of Anderson, now owned by Robert C. Shep- 
herd, who is the son-in-law of Mr. Treadway. He was an 
honest, upright ok) gentleman, and had a host of friends in 
Anderson and vicinity. He was unpretentious in his manners 
and always prided himself on being prompt in paying an 
honest debt. He was a thorough type of the earlj' settlers of 
this county, and in his unfortunate taking otT was removed 
one of the landmarks of this community. 

On the afternoon of Tuesday-, the 17th of June, 187-3, Mr. 
Treadway, while on his way home in a wagon, his horses 
became frightened as he was crossing a bridge over the hy- 
draulic canal, a few rods from the Samuel Myers' ford, 
east of White river. At this place he met a man employed on 
the Myers farm, who was driving a yoke of oxen attached to 
a cart. The horses, imaccusfomed to such a sight, became 
excited and, after passing the oxen, started to runaway. Mr. 
Treadway was unable to control them, and when thev had 
run about thirty rods thev turned st|uare oft' from the road and 
up-set the wagon. It is supposed that Mr. Treadway was 
thrown out as the wagon up-set, and that one of the wheels 
struck him in the forehead, fracturing his skull and producing 
instant death. His feet were entangled in the lines and his 
bod)- was dragged ([uite a distance before the horses stopped. 
Some boys who were fishing in the river near by saw the team 
running away and hastened to the spot and found the old 
gentleman dead and bleeding profuselj- from his wounds. The 
driver of the ox-cart was prevented from seeing the accident 
because he had passed by a large rick of wood on the side of 
the road and this shut out the view of the scene. 

Mr. Treadway was born in Knox county, Tennessee, in 



542 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

1809. He moved with his family to \'irginia, and from 
that State to Ohio, and from tliere he immigrated to Madison 
county, in the jear 1832. This county was then almost a 
■wilderness, and Mr. Treadway was quite a young man, and, 
being industrious and frugal, had sufficient means to pre-empt 
the land that he owned w'hen he died. He made this place 
his home until the time of his death. His wife died in the 
year 1848, leaving Mr. Treadway with one child, a daughter, 
now the wife of Robert C. Shepherd. He was a man of 
strong mind and possessed of more than average intelligence. 
He kept himself posted on current events and w'rote a most 
excellent hand. In politics he was a sterling Democrat, and 
yet his mind was of a liberal cast and he could see and appre- 
ciate the good qualities of his opponents and the faults of his 
political friends. His remains were interred in the Stover 
graveyard, near Prosperity, where they are now sleeping the 
sleep of the just. . 

KILLING OF ROLLA FRANKLIN'. 

Rolla Franklin was a young man who was born and 
reared in Anderson, being a son of Rev. Joseph Frankln, 
formerly pastor of the Christian Church. YoungFranklin 
had left Anderson and gone to Veedersburg, where he was 
employed in the heading factory of W. H. Coleman, of that 
place. On the 22d of May, 1888, while engaged at his work 
in the factory, a pulley on a shaft bursted and a piece of the 
metal struck Franklin. \vho was at the time working at one 
of the circular saws. It struck him on the neck, almost sever- 
ing his head from the body and killing him instantly. The 
body was taken to his boarding place, where it was cared for 
by the proprietor of the mill, and young Franklin's friends 
and relatives in Anderson were notilied of the occurrence. 
He was a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias, who 
took charge of his remains. After the Coroner's inquest had 
been held they were removed to Anderson and were taken to 
his home. The Anderson Lodge of Knights of Pythias met 
the remains at the depot and escorted them to the family resi- 
dence on Ohio avenue. The funeral obsequies were conducted 
under the auspices of the Anderson Lodge and took place at 
the Christian Church, Rev. \V. H. Ziegler officiating. His 
body was interred in the Anderson cemetery. He was a 
young man universally respected and his parents were old and 
influential citizens of the community. 



HISTOHY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 543 

KILLING OF EDWARD POMEROY. 

Edward Ponieroy, a brakeman on the Midland Railroad, 
met a horrible death on Saturday, the 21st of December, 1889, 
by being run over by a locomotive. Pomeroy had taken a po- 
sition on the pilot of the passenger engine, and in getting off 
to open a switch he stepped between the guard and the main 
rail, catching his foot in such a manner as to hold him a 
prisoner until the wheels of the locomotive had passed over 
hs body. His left foot was crushed to a shapeless mass. The 
right leg was taken of!" at the hip, while his right arm was 
mashed to a pulp. In this mangled condition he lived until 
noon of the next day. He retained his consciousness until his 
eyes were closed in death. Drs. Hunt and Preston were 
called to attend to his injuries, but at once pronounced them 
fatal. He was twenty-two years old and unmarried. His 
home was at Lebanon, but while in this city he boarded with 
William Childers, on South Meridian stieet. Rev. C. G. 
Hudson attended him in his last moments until death relieved 
him of his sufferings. 

FOUND DEAD IN HIS RED. 

D. M. Williams, a carpenter, was found dead in his bed, 
two and a half miles south of Anderson, on the 4th of June, 
ISIX). He had worked hard all day, and went to bed in seem- 
ingly good health. In the morning his wife got up and had 
gone to the barn to do the milking. Her husband was awake 
at the time she left, and he chatted with her. When she re- 
turned to prepare the breakfast she did not go to the bed- 
chamber at once, but when she was ready to call her husband 
for his meal she found that he was dead. His body was still 
warm, and he had evidently died while she was near him, un- 
conscious of the fact. Coroner Armington held an inquest 
and returned a verdict of death from heart failure. He left a 
wife and five children. He was an honest, industrious and 
hard-working man, and well respected bv the communitv. 

A IIOHRIBLE .\CCIDENr. 

John R. Reed, an employe in Ralva's heading factorv, 
which was once situated near the crossing of the Pan Handle 
and Big Four Railroads, in Anderson, met with a horrible death 
on Thursdav, the 23d of November, 1882. while running a cut- 
off saw in that establishment. One of the belts which ran the 



544 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

saw slipped oft' tlie pulley, and Mr. Reed attempted to put it 
on, \vhen it began to coil about his head, causing him to step 
back\vard to get out of its way. The saw ^vas about ten feet 
distant from where he was attempting to replace the belt. In 
stepping backward he stumbled over a pile of rubbish which 
had accumulated there and fell against the saw with his arm, 
which was severed from tiie body. He was also drawn over 
the sa^v, cutting him in several places, running diagonally 
from under the right shoulder through his breast, and also 
nearly severing his head from his bodv. He was thrown into 
the air above the saw and came down upon it again, cutting 
another terrible gash througii his bodv, just below the pit of 
the stomach. He was left almost nude, and presented a 
ghastly spectacle as he lay on the ground, mangled and 
bleeding. 

Mr. Reed was about thirty-five years old. He left a wife 
and three children to mourn his loss. He had removed from 
Frankton to Anderson but a short time before the accident 
occurred. 

BURNED TO DEATH. 

On the night of the 4th of June, 1890, the stable owned 
by Patrick Croke, near the Big Four railroad, in the neigh- 
borhood of the crossing of Meridian street, was discovered to 
be on fire. The department was called out, but too late to 
save the building from the fianies. 

During the progress of the fire it was discovered that 
Daniel C. Croke, a boy about ten years of age, a son of Pat- 
rick Croke, the owner of the stable, was in the building and 
his body ■was burned to a crisp before he could be removed. 

Thomas and Patrick Croke were brothers, and at that time 
were dealers in "junk'" and used the stable as a warehouse. 
The boy and his parents did not live agreeably together, and 
he was sleeping in the stable. How the fire originated is not 
known, but bv some it was supposed to be spontaneous com- 
bustion from old rags piled up in the building. Coroner 
Armington held the inquest. 

KILLED BY KALLINCi IROM A TREE. 

On the 81st of October, 1890, Andrew J. Gustin, an old 
man of the age of (')7 years, fell from a tree at the residence of 
George Kline at the corner of Meridian and Fifth streets, in 
Anderson, and was instanth- killed. He and his son-in-law, 



HISTOftV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 545 

a Mr. \Vigner, were pruning trees for Mr. Kline. The old man 
had gone up into the tre2-top to cut out the limbs while \\'ig- 
ner stood below to carry them away. Mr. Gustin missed his 
footing and fell to the ground, breaking his neck. He died 
almost instantly. Coroner Armington was called, and held an 
inquest merely as a matter of form and the old gentleman \vas 
taken to his home where kind hands laid beautiful flowers on 
his bier. Mr. Gustin was a man well liked by all who knew 
him, and was honest in his dealings with his fellow-man. 

KILLED nv AN ENGINE. 

On the morning of March 24, 1891, Lizzie Bond, a young 
lady twenty years of age, who was employed by The J. W . 
Sefton Company at the "Butter-dish"' factory, was on her 
way to her day's labor with her dinner pail on her arm, as 
merry as the lark in the field, when, without a moment's warn- 
ing, she was ushered into eternity, by being run over by an 
engine on the Michigan division of the Big Four railway, 
at the crossing of Twelfth street. Her remains were imme- 
diately removed to an adjoining house, and Coroner Arming- 
ton called and an inquest held, after which she was removed to 
the home of her parents, bhe was a bright young lady, well 
respected by her co-laborers, as well as a large circle of friends. 
Her parents were poor and her sad death overcame them. 
The place where this event transpired is a veritable death trap, 
and it is only a wonder that more fatalities have not taken 
place there. 

HORRIBLE DEATH OK J. E. HIGGINS. 

A most horrible occurrence took place in Anderson on 
the night of September iBrd, 1898, in which J. E. Higgins 
was burned to death. He was a roomer in the residence of 
Mrs. Elizabeth Pratt on West Eighth street, while his wife 
was away visiting friends. In some manner the house caught 
tire in the room where he was sleeping, and was destroyed, 
burning Mr. Higgins into a crisp. It is supposed he was 
reading by a light and perhaps had been smoking and had 
fallen asleep and the bed clothing took fire. 

Mr. Higgins was a man of excellent habits, a salesman in 
the Lion Store, and well liked by all who knew him. 

Mrs. Pratt, who owned the property, was the widow of 
tiie late Asa Pratt, Esq. The property was fully insured. 

35 



546 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

A FATAL RIDE. 

Sherman Eastman was one of the young business men of 
Anderson, who came here after the finding of natural gas, and 
was employed as bookkeeper bj' the Indiana Box Company, 
lie was popular with his employers as well as the general 
public. He was the son of H. O. Eastman, who was for 
many years road-master of the " Bee Line" railroad system, 
and a brother to Charles and Ruby Eastman of the Anderson 
Glass Company. He came to Anderson from Union City, his 
native to%vn, haying been born there, and where his parents 
yet reside. 

On the eyening of December 28, 1895, as he was coming 
from North Anderson, his home, to do some shopping for the 
family, as he reached the east side of the public square, he at- 
tempted to alight from the car without stopping it. It was 
on a yery sleety night, and in dismounting his feet went from 
under him, and he fell backward under the rear car that was 
used as a " trailer," and had his head nearly seyered from his 
body by the car passing over him. 

His body was taken into the drug store of Cassel Bros. 
on the east side and medical aid summoned, but life was ex- 
tinct before the physician arrived. 

His brothers and his family were notified and his remains 
were taken to his home and afterwards to Union City for 
interment. 

Mr. Eastman left a young wife and a small family to 
mourn his untimely death, besides several brothers and rela- 
tives who were much attached to him. During his stay in 
Anderson he was highly esteemed by the business men, among 
whom his acquaintance mostly consisted, as he was unpreten- 
tious and made no effort to be proininent in society, choosing 
rather to attend strictly to business and spend his leisure 
moments with his family. The young business men of Ander- 
son missed him greatly and felt the loss quite severely. 

BOY DROWNED IN A CISTERN. 

A distressing accident occurred in the family of Cjeorge 
Houk on the 19th of November, 1888, by which a son, a boy 
of four years of age, was drowned in a cistern. Mr. Houk 
lived on what has for many years been known as the Gunder 
farm, north-east of Anderson, on the Chesterfield road, near 
the residence of James Larrimore, where the accident occurred. 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 547 

There was no covering over the cistern, hut a few loose 
boards lay near its mouth. The supposition was that the 
little boy had been playing around in proximity to the cistern, 
and had fallen in by stepping on a loose board. His mother 
soon missed him and after searching the premises went to the 
cistern. She saw that the boards had been removed, and on 
looking down was horrified to behold the body of her little 
son floating in the water. He was at once removed, but life 
was extinct. His remains were interred in the Anderson 
cemetery on the following Tuesday. He was a very bright 
boy, and the sudden and tragic death caused a gloom in the 
homes of the surrounding neighbors and friends. 

A BOY DROWNED. 

On the I'lst of June, 1881, James Finan, a little lad of 
seven or eight years of age, met his death by being drowned 
in the fatal swimming hole near the Pan Handle railroad 
bridge near Anderson. He was in company with William and 
Peter Kellar, sons of Phillip Kellar, who at that time kept a 
restaurant on south Main street. They were boys about 
Finan's age or perhaps a little older. This was at that time a 
favorite spot for the boys to congregate and swim ; although 
many accidents had happened there, it did not seem to deter 
the lads from risking their lives in this fatal place. The boy 
jumped from the bridge and dived into the deep water below, 
and did not again appear. This soon alarmed his companions 
and little "Pete" Kellar, at the risk of his own life, plunged 
into the river to rescue his little friend, while William ran 
<lown the bank of the stream, screaming for help. This at- 
tracted the attention of Daniel Knotts and James Hanson, 
who were gunning along the river near by. They has- 
tened to the scene, but too late to render any assistance, as 
young Finnan was dead before they reached the place. Little 
"Pete," hero that he was, did more than many men of ma- 
ture years would have done. He grappled Finan and came 
very nearly getting him out, but had not sufficient strength to 
take him ashore. Every one of Anderson's older citizens re- 
members "Pete" Kellar. Although his surroundings were not 
the best, he was in all a manl_v little boy, and never knew 
what the word fear meant. He was as brave as a lion and 
would face death for a friend in time of peril. This was a 
heart-rending affair for the parents Of young Finan, who yet 
live in Anderson, and mourn the loss of their little one. The 



548 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Kellars live in Chicago, and little "Pete" is now a man and is 
said to be a useful and respected citizen. Thomas Finan, the 
father of the unfortunate boy, has for a long while been em- 
ployed by the American Wire Nail Company. 

A TERRIBLE DEATH. 

For many years after the building of the Pan Handle 
railway through the city of Ander.son, there was a large strip 
of vacant ground lying directly west of the railroad and south 
of Tenth street, a portion of which had formerly been used as 
a Catholic burj'ing ground. In making the heavy fill for the 
railroad bed it was necessary to take out a large amount of 
gravel and earth from along this strip of ground. The Cath- 
olics in the meantime removed their cemetery to the present 
site south of the city. The locality above spoken of was for 
many years inhabited by a class of people who did not own 
real estate but had merely " squatted " there and built their 
little shanties and small frame houses in which they lived, 
being tolerated by the indulgence of the railroad company and 
others who owned the property in that vicinity. It was 
known as "Happy Hollow," and by some people it was called 
" No Man's Land," because no person living there had any 
title to the real estate. Among others who dwelt in that 
neighborhood was an old lady of the name of Johanna O'Con- 
nor, a widow who had living with her a deaf and dumb sister 
and a small girl of the name of Hannah Dunn, who helped 
about the household work and did little chores for Mrs. 
O'Connor. 

On the 3d of August, 1877, little Hannah was ordered by 
Mrs. O'Connor to light the fire for the purpose of preparing a 
meal. The child at once obeyed and hastened to the stove, 
and in making preparations to light the fire, picked up a two- 
gallon can of coal oil and began pouring it upon the wood in 
the stove, until she had emptied nearly half of the can. It 
seems that there were slumbering in the bottom of the stove 
some burning embers. When the coal oil came in contact 
with this it at once ignited and communicated with the can in 
her hand which exploded. The flames blazed furiously up 
into her face setting fire to her clothing, and in almost an 
instant she was burned to a crisp. It was with great eflFbrt 
that Mrs. O'Connor saved her house from being destroyed, 
but nothing could be done to rescue the little child. She 
screamed loudly and made a great struggle to save herself, but 



iriSTORV OF MADISON COUNTV, IXDIANA. 540 

with no avail. Her screams could be heard for squares 
around. It was a most horrible sight to see her little body 
reduced to ashes. She was an orphan and for this reason the 
instance was regarded as more pitiable. Her remains were 
taken in charge by the neighbors and interred in the Catholic 
cemetery south of the city. 

KILLING OF M.MITIN KOGEKS. 

On Thursday, the 16th of March, 1876, as the gravel 
train on the Anderson, Lebanon & St. Louis Railroad, now 
known as the Midland, was going to unload some gravel in 
ballasting the roadwaj', an accident occurred just east of the 
crossing which resulted in the death of Martin Rogers, one of 
the laborers on the road. Rogers was sitting on the side of a 
Hat car, his legs hanging over the edge. As the train neared 
the fence, which was built up close to the side of the track, 
there was not sufficient space between the ends of the rails 
and the side of the car to permit his legs to pass in safety. 
Rogers attempted to hold them up above the fence until the 
car passed by, but as he did not raise them sufficiently high 
his feet were caught in the rails and he was dragged off. In 
falling he was thrown under the wheels and his arm and side 
horribly mangled. His head was severely cut and bruised ; 
besides, he received internal injuries. 

The train was stopped and the unfortunate man taken up 
and brought back to his boarding-house, where he lay in great 
suffering until two o'clock the next morning, when death 
came to his relief. He was attended in his last moments by 
Rev. Father Crawley. 

Rogers came to Anderson from Peoria, Illinois, lie was 
a single man and had a brother living in New York. He had 
no friends in this part of the country and was employed by 
Burnett Brothers, railroad contractors, who did everything in 
their power to alleviate his sufferings, and when Death had 
taken his victim they also met the funeral expenses, for which 
kindly act they won the plaudits of the public. 

This was the first fatal accident that happened on this 
railroad. 

DROWNING OF JOHN CRAWLEY. 

John Crawley, who was a son of Michael Crawley, 
brother of the Rev. Father J. B. Crawley, for many years 
pastor of the Catholic church of Anderson, was drowned 



550 IIISTOKY 0^' MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

while bathing in White river, near the Pan Handle railroad 
bridge, on the 25th of July, 188H. He had gone to the place 
with John Lavery and Eugene Metcalf for the purpose of 
enjo3'ing a swim, this being a favorite place of resort for the 
Anderson youth. The lad got beyond his depth, and is 
supposed to have been seized with cramps, and being unable 
to extricate himself, gave the alarm to his companions, who 
did all in their power to rescue him but without success. A 
large crowd soon gathered upon the bank, having been at- 
tracted by the cries of the boys who were in company with the 
unfortunate young man. A search was immediately com- 
inenced for the recovery of the body when, it \vas rescued by 
Robert Striker, near the spot where it had gone down, having 
been in the water nearly an hour. 

The young lad was about fifteen years of age. An inquest 
was held by tlie Coroner, William A. Hunt, and a \erdict of 
accidental drowning was rendered. 

Young Crawley had for several years made his home with 
his uncle. Father Crawley, who was very much attached to him, 
and was deeply affected by his sad ending. It had been 
Father Crawley's intention to send his nephew to St. Mary's 
college, Kansas, and give him a good education. 

The funeral services took place from St. Mary's church, 
after which the remains were interred in the Catholic cemetery. 

KILLING OF SIMEON GOODING. 

During the fair held at Anderson in 1874, on Friday, the 
last day of the exhibition, Simeon Gooding and wife and two 
grand-children were returning home when they met with an 
accident which was the cause of Mr. Gooding losing his life. 

They were driving a span of small mules attached to a 
common road wagon. After crossing Whitinger's ford on 
W^hite river, and while they were in the act of ascending a 
steep hill at that point, the team, from exhaustion, came to a 
stand-still, and the wagon started backwards and was over- 
turned in a ravine by the side of the road. 

Gooding jumped clear of the wagon and fell heavily in 
the road. Tvlrs. Gooding threw one of the children out, and, 
with the other in her arms, jumped, and as the wagon turned 
over it fell heavily upon them. 

Mr. Gooding was resuscitated after considerable effort, 
and with the help of friends, who soon arrived, he was re- 
moved to a house in the neighborhood, where he died before 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 551 

medical aid could be procured. He was about forty-eight 
j'ears of age, and well known in the township where he resided. 

SUDDEN DP:ATII OF W. H. FERGUSON. 

During the summer of 1S9() William H. Ferguson was a 
familiar character in Anderson and the vicinity, by reason of 
his having a contract and of superintending the work of con- 
structing the extension of the C. W. & M. Railway to Rush- 
ville. He was a boarder at the Griffith House, where he met 
his deatii, and was well liked b}' all tho^e who made his ac- 
quaintance. He was seemingly in the best of health until a 
few moments before his taking off, \vhich occurred about 10 
o'clock on the 5th of .September, at which time he was 
stricken with apoplexy. The only indication of illness that 
he gave out was that he complained to his bookkeeper, a Mr. 
McGinty, of feeling a depression about his heart. He passed 
Mr. jSIcGinty's room and laid down upon a bed and then re- 
quested that a physician be summoned. Dr. M. V. Hunt re- 
sponded, but on entering the room he found Ferguson in 
the throes of death and past all medical aid. Ferguson's 
brother and wife were at Evansville at the time, where they 
lived, and were notitied of his death. On their arrival the 
remains were taken to his home for interment. He was a 
man about forty years of age, and left an interesting family to 
mourn his loss. 

A HORRIBLE BOILER EXPLOSION. 

At about the hour of nine o'clock on the morning of Oc- 
tober 19, 1889, when the busy wheels of industry had just 
begun to move in the many factories of Anderson, a terrific 
sound broke out on the balmy atmosphere, as if the whole city 
had been blown up by some awful explosive. People ran out 
of their houses to see, if possible, what had happened. It 
was but a short time until word was received at fire head- 
quarters, that R. y. Walton & Go's, saw mills had exploded 
their boilers, and that several men had been killed. Terrible 
excitement prevailed in all parts of the city. From nearly 
every quarter of the city, men were employed in the mill. 
Men, women and children, hurried to the scene to see if some 
loved one had been killed or wounded. W'hen the dust and 
smoke had sufUciently cleared away a rescuing party com- 
menced tiie task of removing the dead and wounded. It 
was soon ascertained that Horace Kuhns, an employe, was 



552 HISTORY OF MADISOX COrXTV, INDIANA. 

killed, having his skull crushed by falling timber; Walter 
Mingle, the swayer, was horribly hurt, having his skull frac- 
tured ; Allen Stanley, a bystander, was slightly injured; 
William Rumler, of Ovid, a customer of the mill, was in- 
jured about the head and shoulders; Samuel Cooke, an em- 
ploye was hurt somewhat, and several others about the mill 
received more or less shaking up. Mr. R. J. Walton, one of 
the proprietors, was standing just outside of the mill talking 
to a customer when the explosion took place ; the flying tim- 
bers and a part of the boiler went over his head, and his 
escape was certainly providential. William Stanley, the 
engineer, was standing inside the mill near the boilers when 
they went out, and how he escaped from being instantly 
killed is unexplainable. As it was, Stanley was only slightly 
shocked, and received no serious wounds. The mill was a 
complete wreck. It was simply wiped from the face of the 
earth, with hardly a thing left to tell where it stood. The 
cause of the explosion has always been a mystery to those 
who were in charge of it, as the engineer is certain that he 
had plenty of water in the boilers. He was a sober, compe- 
tent man, and had run the engine steadily for six years prior 
to the accident, and was noted for never being absent from his 
post of duty. The mill was the property of Robert J- 
Walton and John L. Forkner, doing business under the name 
of R. J. Walton & Co. The loss was complete as they had 
no insurance against explosions. 

This was one of the most horrible explosions that ever 
occurred in Anderson. The boiler was thrown two hundred 
)-ards from the mill, and the frame work was scattered in all 
directions. The mill was immediately rebuilt and was opera- 
ted on the spot of the fatal accident until it was sold to T. J. 
Riggs & Co., and removed to Logansport, Indiana. 

Kuhns, who was killed, was a married man about twen- 
ty-five years of age, and left a widow and one child. 

THE SAD DEATH OF J. E. D. SMITH. 

James E. D. Smith, who was for many years a resident 
of Madison county, met an untimelj- death near the village of 
Hamilton, in Jackson township, on the 14th of October, 1864. 
He was engaged in hauling logs to the sawmill at Anderson, 
and while loading one on a wagon the ropes in some manner 
slipped or gave way, and the log rolled back, catching him 
beneath it and instantlv killing him. 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTV, INDIANA. 553 

He was a worthy citizen of Anderson, and was at one 
time the partner of his brother-in law, Mr. Xathan Armstrong, 
in contracting. His widow is yet living in Anderson, with 
lier daughter. Mrs. R. P. Grimes. 

Mrs. Smith, the widow of the deceased, was the daughter 
of the late Benj. W'alker, a prominent and old-time resident of 
Madison county, who for many years prior to his removal to 
Anderson, resided in Richland township. 

The death of Mr. Smith caused unusual regret in Ander- 
son and wherever he was known. 

He built tiie palatial home now occupied by the Hon. John 
H. Terhune, on West Eighth street, where he resided with his 
interesting familv at the time of his death. 

Kn,Lp;D liV LIGHTNING. 

< )n the morning of June 19, 186S, Pryor Siiaul, a young un- 
married man who lived witii his mother on the farm now owned 
bv the McCulloughs, about three m'les southwest of Ander- 
son, was going into the field to plow corn, riding a horse witli 
harness on. It was almost a cloudless dav ; the sun was sliin- 
ing brightlv. and he was thinking, no doubt, of anything else 
but being suddenly called to his account, when in the twink- 
ling of an eve a sudden flash of lightning knocked him and his 
horse to the ground, killing them botii instantly. 

Tiie occurrence caused great commotion in the surround- 
ing neighborhood, and was considered a strange freak of na- 
ture, from the fact that it was on a clear day, and no report 
was heard of the explosion for any distance around. Had the 
horse not been killed it would have been thought that young 
Shaul had come to his death from some other cause. 

It happened in a field in the neighborhood of the large 
brick house standing on the McCulIough farm, near the Big 
Four railroad, and was pointed out for many years as the fatal 
spot where Mr. Shaul so suddenly lost his life. 

KII.LIN(; OF JOHN WALLACE. 

A most distressing accident occurred on the farm of J. H. 
Stanley on the 9th of Jul.V. in the year 18()5, whereby John 
Wallace, an Anderson boy about seventeen years of age, was 
killed by the accidental discharge of a shotgun in the hands of 
Patrick McGraw, an engineer on the Bee Line railroad. 
Young Wallace was in company with McGraw and Thomas 
McGord, a fireman on the same road, hunting. When on the 



554 HISTOKY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

farm of J. II. Stanley, near the river, the party scared up a 
inuskrat, and, in attempting to get a shot at it, McGraw hav- 
ing his gun in a horizontal position, with the muzzle in front 
of him, it was discharged prematurely, the contents taking 
effect in Wallace's back, killing him instantly. The gun lock 
caught on a grapevine, and both barrels were discharged simul- 
taneously, with the above result. 

Young Wallace was a brother of Morris and Richard ^^'al- 
lace, who yet live in Anderson, and was a young man well re- 
spected. The affair caused much grief among the friends, and 
regret of those connected with the accident. 

McGraw was the man who headed the Fenians who left 
Anderson in the spring of 1866 to invade Canada, and was 
their captain. 

SUDDEN DE.VTH OF LIMON ,M. COX. 

Limon M. Cox, a prominent citizen of Anderson, died 
suddenly at the Auditorium Hotel in Chicago on the 24th of 
July, 1895. He had left Anderson at noon the day before his 
death, going to Chicago for the purpose of buying clothing to 
replenish his stock. On his arrival in that city he called upon 
his friend, Mr. Don Carlin, of whom he was in the habit of 
purchasing goods. After chatting with Carlin a few mo- 
ments, Mr. Co.x complained of feeling sick. Mr. Carlin in- 
vited him to the Auditorium Hotel, where he placed a suite 
of rooms at his disposal. After seeing him comfortablv situ- 
ated, Mr. Carlin returned to his place of business. 

About two o'clock in the afternoon one of the maids of 
the hotel entered the room in which Mr. Cox had been left by 
his friend and was horrified to find him sitting in an upright 
position in the bath tub dead. An alarm was at once given, 
and those in charge of the hotel promptly notified Mr. Carlin, 
who at once telegraphed to the friends and relatives of Mr. 
Cox in Anderson. 

The news soon spread throughout the city and caused 
great surprise and much grief to the friends of Mr. Cox. Mr. 
Clem. Hooven and Charles Cox, a brother of Limon, imme- 
diately went to Chicago to bring the remains to Andejson for 
burial. Mr. Cox was a prominent member of the Masonic 
Order and was buried by that fraternity- with all the honors 
of that society. Mr. Cox was one of the most public-spirited 
citizens that ever resided in Madison county. He was liberal 
in donations of money and real estate to induce capital and 



]IlSTOKV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 555 

manufacturers to locate their establishments here, and much 
of the thrift and enterprise of Anderson is due to his efforts, 
along with others with whom he was intimately associated. 

He had at different times during his residence in Ander- 
son been connected with various manufacturing establish- 
ments, and was at the time of his death one of Anderson's 
leading clothing merchants. During the panic of 1893, like 
many others. Mr. Cox became somewhat embarrassed finan- 
cially, but being a man of iron nerve and excellent financial 
ability, and having a host of warm friends among those who 
could command money, he was soon on the road to recupera- 
tion, and had he lived another year he would have regained 
his place at the head of the column among the successful busi- 
ness men of Anderson. 

No person ever died in Anderson who left warmer friends 
to mourn his loss, or whose death was more universally re- 
gretted than that of Mr. Cox. He was of a kind and cheer- 
ful disposition, scarcely ever becoming angry, and if at times 
he did so, his anger was but of short duration. He was al- 
ways willing to reach forth the hand of friendship and to ex- 
tend the olive branch to those with whom he had any misun- 
derstanding, and when his remains were covered over and tiie 
evergreens were placed upon his grave, it is doubtful if there 
was a person living in Anderson who did not deeply regret his 
demise. 

Mr. Cox had never held any political office, but was at 
one time a candidate for the office of Clerk of the Madison 
Circuit Court. He \vas for years a prominent member of the 
Anderson School Board, and always took great interest in 
educational matters. He was a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. At the time of his death he was a 
widower, his wife having died about two years previously. 

He left two interesting daughters to mourn his demise, 
Miss Emma and Miss Anna Cox, who both reside in Ander- 
son in the old homestead at Jackson and Twelfth streets. 

UE.MH IN A B.-VLL ROOM. 

On the 27th of January, 1893, Frank Moss, one of the 
best known gentlemen in Anderson, suddenly died in the ball 
room in the Doxey Opera House on North Meridian street. 
He was seated at the time listening to the music and watcliing 
the merry dancers as they went by. On that evening Mr. and 
Mrs. Moss attended a concert given by the Elks in the tiieatre 



550 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

below the ball room, and early in the evening went to the ball, 
enjoyed the dance and participated in the grand march. After 
this they took part in a waltz. After making a few circuits 
of the hall, Mr. Moss became tired and with his wife, sat down 
to rest. He took his seat beside ex-Governor Will Cumback, 
who was at that time in conversation with his daughter, Mrs. 
J. W. Lovett. Suddenly Mr. Moss leaned over as if to make 
some remark to the ex-Governor who turned to listen, when 
he was startled to see Mr. Moss fall forward heavilj' to the 
floor. Dr. F. ] . Hodges was in the room at the time and was 
([uickly at the side of the patient. He saw at a glance that 
Mr. Moss was dead and that nothing could be done for his re- 
lief. Mrs. Moss was stricken with grief and was at once 
taken to the home of her mother, Mrs. E. B. Hartley, on Dela- 
ware street. Coroner Armington was notified but declined to 
hold an inquest it being very evident that the deceased came 
to his death from natural causes. Mr. Moss was about fortj' 
vears of age, of a kind, genial disposition and whose home re- 
lations were of a very pleasant character. He was a brother 
of Sandford R. Moss, well known in Madison county and 
was engaged at various times in raising stock and farming. 
He was a prominent member of the Anderson Club, which or- 
ganization was convened by the President, E. P. Schlater, 
and memorial services were held and resolutions passed in 
memory of the dead. The body of the deceased was followed 
to its last resting place in the Anderson cemetery by a large 
concourse of people and manv sorrowing friends. 

THE KILLI.NG Ot WII.I.IAM BURKE. 

The killing of Wni. Burke on Ohio avenue, in 1804, by 
James McKnight, has almost been forgotten by even the oldest 
residents of Anderson. The murder took place in a shanty on 
Ohio avenue on a Sunday night. The shanty was occupied 
by John Burke, a brother of the murdered man. They were 
brothers of " Paddy" Burke, who yet lives in Anderson. A 
quarrel had taken place between the Burkes and McKnight, 
and the latter had left the scene of disturbance and come up 
town, but soon started to return home and, coming in contact 
with Burke, some hot words were passed. McKnight picked 
up an old ax and dealt Burke a terrific blow, splitting his head 
open and killing him instantly. 

McKnight came up town immediately after killing Burke 
and, calling Sheriff Benjamin Sebrell out of bed, surrendered 



HISTOUY OF MADISON COUN'IY, INDIANA. 557 

himself. The murderer was locked in a cell in the old jail that 
stood on the lot at Jackson and Ninth streets. By this time 
the friends and relatives of Burke had learned of the murder. 
Great excitement prevailed. They demanded McKnight's life, 
and it required all of Sheriff Sebrell's coolness and courage to 
keep them from storming the jail and lynching the prisoner. 
The grand jury soon afterwards indicted McKnight for murder. 
The day for trial came. The excitement became more intense, 
and it was found necessary to summon a special jury to try the 
case. Tiie jury was selected principally from the south part 
of the county. John Sommerville is one of the men yet living 
who was selected to try McKnight. The evidence was con- 
clusive. In fact no denial was made, but the plea of insanity 
and justification were set up. The jury, however, took a little 
more latitude. McKnight was an old man, and a compromise 
verdict, sentencing him to the penitentiary for ten years was 
agreed upon. This was concluded to be equivalent to a life 
sentence, because no one thought the old man would live to 
serve his time out. 

In this, however, all were mistaken, and about fifteen 
years ago old man McKnight visited Ander.son. He claimed 
that at the time of his arrest he had money and other valua- 
bles on his person which were taken possession of by the 
sheriff and never returned to him. When McKnight was here 
he was in search of his valuables, but the sheriff was dead and 
gone beyond this bailiwick where he could not be reached. 
McKnight was old and gray. He iiad so changed that but 
few knew him or of his presence. He made his stay very 
short and departed for parts unknown. 

Burke left a family of two cliildren, both boys, one of 
whom lives at Lafayette. 

There has been a great change in the Irish population 
since that time. Then the Irish people of Anderson were 
mostly day laborers attracted here by the railroad building and 
other public works. They generally lived in shanties on 
leased grounds, and were mostly uneducated. Now there is 
no city of e(jual population in the whole country that can 
show so many intelligent, happy, prosperous Irish citizens as 
Anderson. They are up to the standard in education ; all own 
the property they live in, and many of them have large real- 
estate interests here. They are good citizens and Anderson is 
proud of them. 



558 history of madison county, indiana. 

John a. campbell killed. 

On the 1st of September, 1881, John A. Campbell was 
employed by the Paxon Bros, as engineer in the planing mill 
and lumber yard, on North Main street in Anderson. During 
the dull season, while the mill was standing idle, he was em- 
ployed in stacking lumber in the yard. He was upon a high 
stack of boards when it became top-heavy and gave way. In 
the fall he was caught between the falling planks and terribly 
mangled, from the effects of which he died soon after being 
removed to his home. 

Mr. Campbell was a man well-respected in the commu- 
nitv, and was of English birth. He came to this country when 
about eighteen years of age. After being in Henry county 
several years he was married to Miss Trobridge, the daughter 
of a prominent Methodist minister. He was a member of 
Company K, 36th Indiana Regiment of Volunteers, during 
the war. 

He was the father of Bartlett H. Campbell, ex-Prosecut- 
ing Attorney of Madison county, and Joseph B. Campbell, a 
traveling salesman for Heath & Milligan, of Chicago, 111. 

Mr. Campbell was for many j-ears a resident of Chester- 
field before removing to Anderson. 

After removing to Anderson he was for several years em- 
ployed by George R. Deering as engineer in his mills. 

Mrs. Campbell, his widow, is yet living in Anderson. 

a fatal ACCIDENT. 

Dr. William Robertson will be remembered by many of 
the old residents of Anderson. He lived about two miles 
south of the city on what is known as the Van Devender farm. 
Several years ago he married the widow Van Devender, owner 
of the place. On Monday, the 28th of March, 1887, while re- 
turning from the funeral of an acquaintance east of the city, 
in attempting to cross the railroad track in front of an ap- 
proaching freight train. Dr. Robertson was struck by the 
engine. Mrs. Robertson had succeeded in crossing the track 
in sa'"ety, but her husband, being infirm and feeble, was slower 
in motion and was struck by the pilot of the engine before he 
could escape. He was thrown several feet into the air and off 
to the side of the road. He was conveyed to the residence of 
James Clark, at the crossing, where he lingered in an uncon- 
scious condition for about two hours, when death relieved his 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 559 

sufferings. He was seventy-five yeiirs of age at the time. He 
came to this locality from Randolph county a few years prior 
to his death, at which time he married Mrs. Van Devender 
and located on the farm owned by her. Here he made his 
home until the occurrence of this sad event. His widow was 
appointed afterwards as matron of the Orphan's Home, which 
institution she managed successfully for several years. The 
remains of Dr. Robertson were taken to Huntsville, Randolph 
county, for burial. 

THE KILLING OF .MISS TILI.IE SEBER.V. 

One of the most horrible accidents that ever happened 
in Anderson occurred on the 1st of August, 1894, at " In- 
wood Park," east of the Pan Handle Railway tracks. Frank 
Stutskey at that time was operating a beer garden at the park 
and in order to attract people to his place had a grand balloon 
ascension at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The aeronaut who 
was advertised to make the trip into the clouds was Miss Tillie 
Sebern, a young lady about 17 years of age, hailing from 
Richmond. Ind. She was a novice in the business. At the 
appointed hour ufler the balloon had been inflated, in the pres- 
ence of several hundred people, and in the midst of the shout- 
ing of the throng, the rope was cut loose and the air ship started 
upward with its human freight. When it had reached a height 
of about 800 feet it bursted, thus allowing the heated air to 
escape so rapidly that it descended with great speed, landing 
its occupant with terrific force on the ground near the bank of 
White river, just at the east end of the iron bridge spanning 
the stream, killing her instantly. It was an awful scene; men 
with stout hearts turned their backs, not being able to look 
upon it. Her body was immediately taken to Stutskey's place 
where her attendants took charge of her remains. Her people, 
who lived at Richmond, were at once notified and came and 
took her remains to that city for intermerft. Great indigna- 
tion prevailed among the people when it was ascertained that 
the young girl was inexperienced in the business, and that 
that was her first attempt to make an ascension. Strong talk 
was indulged in of visiting summary punishment upon all 
those connected with the affair. Those who witnessed this 
incident will remember it as long as they live. Miss Sebern 
\vas the daughter of poor but honest parents, %vho were very 
much opposed to her engaging in such a reckless feat, and it 



560 HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

was only by designing friends that she was induced to make 
an attempt of the kind. 

A CONDUCTOR KILLED. 

John Hyer, a conductor on the C, VV. &IM. Railroad was 
run over and frightfully mangled in the Big Four yards in 
Anderson on the 8th of November, 1887, from the efiFects of 
which he died a few hours afterwards, at his boarding house 
on West Seventh street. He experienced intense pains during 
the last hours of his suffering, but remained perfectly rational 
until the last moment. He was able to recognize his father 
and mother when they arrived, and other friends who called 
upon him. 

The accident was due to the fact that he had mistaken the 
direction in which a train was running, and, before he was 
aware of it, the engine was upon him and he was unable to 
extricate himself from his perilous situation. His remains 
were taken to Wabash the day after the occurrence for in- 
terment. 

The deceased carried a life insurance policy for |1,000 
which was made payable to his parents, but a few days before 
his death he had made a will in which he bequeathed the policy 
to his intended bride, a Miss Bevelheimer, of Anderson; but 
his death took place before the will had been signed or attested, 
thereby rendering it invalid, and the insurance went to his 
parents. 

RUN OVER BY A TRAIN. 

On the 20th of September, 1891, John Rigsby, an emplo3-e 
at the Flint Bottle Works in Hazelwood, while passing a Big 
Four train that was standing across the street, met with an ac- 
cident that caused him the loss of both of his I'mbs. The train 
was moving slowly at the time and in making the passage 
across, Rigsby caught his foot and fell beneath the cars. Two 
wheels passed over his left leg and right foot before he could 
be pulled from under the train by a man who was standing 
close by, which prevented him from being otherwise injured. 
Qiiite a number of people assembled and physicians were at 
once called. Rigsby was rendered a cripple for the balance of 
his days. 

A FOUR-YEAR OLD BOY KILLED. 

A most disastrous accident occurred on the Pendleton and 
Anderson road about four and a half miles south of the city, 



HISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 561 

on Sunday, the 14tli of December, 1884, whereby the four-year- 
old son of Mr. \V. F. Jarrett, was shot and killed. 

It appears that a boy about sixteen years of age, named 
Henry C. Seybert, had loaded a gun for the purpose of killing 
a hawk, but failing to get a chance to shoot at it he placed the 
loaded gun under a bed in Jarrett \s house and left the prem- 
ises. At the time of the accident the little boy and a brother, 
six 3'ears older, were playing in the room by themselves. It 
is presumed that the little fellow had crawled under the bed 
and discovered the gun and pushing it in front of him, had 
discharged it. The child was killed instantly, the whole side 
of his head being blown off. 

Another accident of a very serious nature had occurred to 
this family four years previous to this, whereby a son was killed 
by being burned to death, which made this a double affliction 
for the bereaved family. 

Coroner William A. Hunt was summoned to the scene 
and a verdict was rendered of accidental death in the manner 
above described. 

WILLIE LANG KILLED. 

Willie Lang, a little five-}-earold son of Mr. and Mrs. 
Harry Lang, of South Fletcher street in Anderson, was run 
over by a wagon heavily laden with stone on the 17th of April, 
1890, and so badly injured that he died the evening following. 
The little fellow was in company with some other boys and 
they were swinging on the wagons as they passed by. In 
some manner he got caught and was thrown under the wheels 
with fatal results. The remains were taken to New Albany 
for interment. 

Drs. M. V. Hunt and J. W. Fairfield attended the wounded 
boy, but no medical aid could save him from his doom. The 
parents were grief stricken and were rendered such consolation 
as laid within the power of sympathizing neighbors. 

INSTANTLY KILLED. 

On Sundav. the 11th of May, 1875, three boys were lead- 
ing a horse along the streets near the residence of Johli Mer- 
shon, on Fourteenth street. The oldest of the boys, Frank 
Hunt, son of Andrew J. Hunt, the liveryman of Anderson, 
had hold of the halter strap which was attached to the horse. 
The strap was so long that when the horse would go faster 

than the boy the boy would be behind the heels of the animal. 
33 



562 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

When in this position one of the brothers touched tlu- horse 
with a whip whicli scared him, and he began kickinj^. i-.id in 
doing so one of his hoofs struck Frank square in the face with 
such force as to break his neck. He fell immediately and his 
little brother ran to him and raised him up, and seeing, al- 
though but a child, that his brother was dying, he thought to 
save him by laying him down and fanning him, but to no pur- 
pose, as the injured boy lived but a few moments. He was buried 
on the following Monday in the Anderson cemetery. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hunt received the entire sympathy of the 
community in their sad bereavement. 

A FATAL FALL. 

One of the most horrible occurrences that ever took place 
in Anderson was the falling off of a scaffold from Louis Loeb's 
building on the south side of the public square, in February, 
1877, by Geo. Brown and Simon P. Shetterly. They were 
painting the front of the building, using a swinging scafibld. 
They were standing close together at work when it became 
necessary for them to move their position. Shetterly sat down, 
or squatted rather on his feet for the purpose of allowing Brown 
to pass aroimd him. Brown was in the act of passing Shet- 
terly, and had thrown one leg on the opposite side and was 
just in the act of bringing the other around which would have 
made his passage safe, when the scaffold shook, or from some 
other cause frightened Shetterly, when he jumped and straight- 
ened up throwing Brown backward. Brown in attempting to 
save himself, caught Shetterly, and in less than an instant 
they lay upon the stone sidewalk a shapeless mass of broken 
bones and bruised flesh. Shetterly was almost instantly killed. 
Brown was so terribly mangled that every one thought it was 
a pity that he was not killed outright. 

Shetterly's body was conveyed to his home on Nichol 
avenue, from ^vhence he was in due time buried. 

Brovi'n was taken to his mother's residence in the south 
part of town, where Dr. N. L. Wickersham was called and 
attended to his wounds. There was scarcely a bone in his body 
that Avas not broken. His legs, his arms, his jaw bone, and 
in fact he was all broken up. Everyone thought it would be 
a blessing if death would relieve him as he would certainly be 
an awful cripple if he survived. 

' But Dr. Wickersham never let go of George. He sta^'ed 
with him like a twin brother and patched him up; set his 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 563 

broken bones, bound up his wounds, and while he did not 
exactly make a new man of him, one would hardly think to 
see George Brown, the painter and paper-hanger, on the 
streets of Anderson, that he had been run through a threshing 
machine in his life time. George gets around about as nicely 
as any one, and is a prosperous and happy man ; does as much 
work as any man in town, and enjoys life as well as the best 
of them. He has been as near death's door as any man ever 
was to get back. 

Poor Simon Shetterly never knew what caused his death. 
He was never conscious after landing on the stone pavement. 
He was not so terribly mangled as Brown, but was in some 
way killed in the fall. He left a widow and a small family 
of children, who yet live on Nichol avenue, in comfortable 
circumstances. Simon was one of the first members of the 
Knights of Honor, and held a policy of |:2,000 in that organ- 
ization, which his family received at his death. He was a 
Spiritualist in belief, and his immediate friends and relatives 
claim that he often comes back to his old home and associa- 
tions. 

Simon Shetterly was an honest, upright man, as indus- 
trious as the busy bee, never gave any one a crusty answer or 
angry word, and was a man universally liked by all who 
knew him. The fall from the scaffold was witnessed by 
several people who were standing near by, but every one was 
so horrified that they turned their backs and held their breaths 
until the heavy thud announced the landing on the pavement. 
So dumbfounded were they that it was some time before a 
person moved'or came to the relief of the unfortunates. This 
is one of the occurrences that will never be erased from the 
memory of the Anderson old-timers, and it is hoped that it 
will never be repeated. 

KILLING OK CHARLES GIPE. 

On the 25th of June, 1895, Charles Gipe, a carpenter 
employed in the construction of the Grand opera house, at 
the corner of Twelfth and Main streets, in Anderson, fell from 
a scaffold and was instantly killed. He was engaged at the 
time in placing some timbers on the building along with other 
workmen, and in some manner lost his balance, and fell from 
the second story, landing upon the timbers on the first floor, 
striking his head in such a manner as to cause instant death. 
He was a resident of Park Place where his remains were taken 



564 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

by his fellow workmen. He had but recently come to Ander- 
son from Wayne count)'. 

A FATAL FALL. 

On the 31st of August, 1896, Milton Gipe, a cnrpenter, 
while working on a building at the Straw Board works in 
Anderson, was killed by falling from a scaffold. He was 
employed in placing some timbers in position, when he lost 
his balance and fell to the lower story of the building, and was 
almost instantly killed. But little over a year prior to this, a 
brother of his, Charles Gipe, lost his life in the same manner, 
while working on the opera iiouse in Anderson. 

Milton Gipe was a man well thought of, and a prominent 
member of Kamala Tribe of Red Men, he being sachem of the 
tribe at the time of his death. The lodges of Anderson all 
participated in the ceremonies at his funeral. The remains 
were taken to Mechanicsbiirg, in Henry county, and buried 
beside his brother, followed by a large funeral cortege. 

Mr. Gipe was in the employ of P. B. Millspaugii at the 
time of his death as ^vas his brother Charles at the time of his 
sudden taking off. Both men were held in the highest esteem 
by their employer, and it was a sad blow to Mr. Millspaugh, 
as well as to the relatives and friends of the unfortunate men. 

KILLING OF HERMAN SEITZ. 

Herman Seitz, a citizen of Anderson, was killed by the 
cars at Pendleton, on the 27th of June, 1894, while in the 
attempt to board a moving train. He had gone there for the 
purpose of purchasing a cow, aqd in his anxiety to get home 
attempted to get on the car that was just leaving the station, 
and in some way missed his footing and was dragged under 
the wheels and almost instantly killed. 

Mr. Seitz was a married man and left a family in Ander- 
son, who still reside here. He was by trade a glass blower, 
and came to Anderson with the American Glass Company in 
1888, and was a stockholder in that concein when it went to 
the wall, losing what he had invested in it. After going out 
of the glass house he went into the saloon business, in which 
he was engaged at the time of his death. He was a German, 
and well liked bv those who knew him. 

KILLED BY A TR.A.CTION ENGINE. 

David Wynant, a young farmer, was killed on the farm 
of his father, six miles south-west of Anderson, on the 5th of 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 565 

August, 189G, by a traction engine. He, in company with 
Clay Brown and a man of the name of Sissons, were engaged 
in running a thresiiing machine into the barn, and had phiced 
the engine behind it to propel it, having a pole between the 
machine and the engine. The engine had started and was 
well up to the barn door, when the pole slipped and allowed 
the machine to run backward, catching Wynant between the 
engine and machine, crushing his skull and killing him almost 
instantly. He was a young man well respected, and had 
many prominent relatives, among whom is Charles H. Neff, 
the city editor of the Anderson Herald . 

Sissons came near losing his life in the same manner, but 
was dragged out of the way by a by-stander. 

PECULIAR DEATH OF W. A. WIHTAKEK. 

On .Sunday, July 12, 1866, W. A. Whitaker, wlio lived 
about three miles from Anderson, met with a peculiar death. 
He was sitting in a rocking chair, and in leaning backward, 
his chair became unbalanced, and he fell over backward, strik- 
ing his head against a sewing machine in such a manner as to 
cause concussion of the brain, from which he died in a few 
minutes. His remains were interred in the cemetery at Ches- 
terfield, by the Odd Fellows, of which order he was a mem- 
ber. He had many relatives and acquaintances in the com- 
munity. 

KILLED BY A RAILRO.\D TRAIN. 

J. G. Starbuck, a brakeman on the Big Four Railroad 
was killed at the crossing of the Pan Handle, on Ohio avenue 
at Anderson, on Tuesday morning the 24th of June, 1884. He 
was making couplings in the vicinity and in passing between 
two freight cars caught his foot in a "frog," and before he 
could e.xtricate himself, he was caught by a moving train and 
knocked down, the car passing across his body. He was 
picked up immediately after the occurrence, but within a few 
minutes life was extinct. His remains were removed to Win- 
chester, Indiana, near which place he resided, and \vhere he 
was buried. He was an experienced brakeman and held the 
position that he then filled for several years. He was about 
twenty-nine years of age and left a wife in humble circum 
.stances, but no children. 



CHAPTER LVI. 



A Few Landmarks and Other Interesting Matters 
Connected with the History of Anderson Town- 
ship. 



A landmark in MADISON COUNTY S HISTORY. 

The old Moss Island Mills that stand now silent and 
almost deserted, near a beautiful little island in White river, 
three miles west of Anderson, have a history clustering around 
them that when referred to brings back recollections of the 
long ago. They were erected before the railroads were thought 
of, but about the time of the agitation and construction of the 
canals ; and in fact were built for the purpose of catching the 
trade incident to that enterprise. The western branch of the 
canal passed near these mills, which were located at the near- 
est available place in the neighborhood of the intended canal, 
which would give thein a splendid outlet through which the 
surplus product could be shipped toother ports. 

They were built in the year 1836, by Joseph Mullinix. 
Since that time they have passed through the hands of many 
persons, some of whom have been prominent men in business, 
political and social affairs. Frank Davis, L. Brown, Vanpelt 
& Wyman, John Garretson, James Hollingsworth, Isaac P. 
Snelson, Nichol & King, Traster Bros., A. E. Russell, William 
B. Allen, William C. Fleming, Elias Seward, William Dove 
and Reuben Pulse have each owned the plant. The mills con- 
sist of a large flouring mill with a saw mill attached, having 
water motive power. Steam had not come into use when 
these mills were erected, and they ground the " grists" of the 
people by means of the old water wheel, while the jolly 
miller watched and took his " toll " when the hopper was 
emptied. 

While there are many happy memories attached to this 
romantic spot, there are some of sadness as well. 

While some of the owners of this property made money, 
others lost. The improved machinery in mills of the present 
day, to a large extent killed them off as merchant mills, and 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 567 

the fact that they were so far from the railroads put them to 
disadvantage as -to shipping, so they have at this time but 
little to do outside of a small neighborhood grinding. These 
mills are alluded to elsewhere in these pages. 

A WINDMILL FACTORY. 

Prior to the time that the grain separator and threshing 
machine were combined, there was a great demand for fanning 
machines, or wind mills, as they were called. 

A factory was located in Anderson, and stood on the 
corner of Main and Ninth streets:, the site of the present loca- 
tion of Daniels Bros', drug store. It was operated by Wolf 
and Sherman, and a large and lucrative business was the result 
of their undertaking. It was destroyed by fire in 1851, this 
being the starting point of the conflagration which swept the 
south side of the public square, a full account of wiiich is else- 
where given. 

The senior member of the firm was Adam Wolf, a capi- 
talist of Muncie ; the junior was Thomas S. Sherman, tlie 
father of Charles L. and J. E. Sherman, well known to the 
people of Madison county. 

J. E. Sherman is a resident of Alexandria, and was the 
first mayor of that thriving city, and Charles L. Sherman has 
for many years held the responsible position of book-keeper of 
the National Exchange Bank of Anderson. 

Laura, the only daughter of Mr. Sherman, is the wife of 
ex-Senator A. E. Harlan of Alexandria, a prominent business 
man. capitalist and stock breeder. 

Mrs. Sherman, the widow, is now the wife of William G. 
Kelley, a merchant of Alexandria. 

THE FIRST FOUR-STORY BUILDINGS. 

Up to the time of striking gas in Anderson, there were 
but one or two buildings in the city that ran above two 
stories in height. One was the Odd Fellows" Hall, situated at 
the corner of Ninth and Meridian streets which is now occu- 
pied by the " White House" dry goods store. Another was 
on the corner of Eighth and Main streets, known for many 
years as " Union Hall,"' and which was occupied for a long 
time by the Masonic Order. When the city began to take on 
a boom after the discovery of natural gas, many three-story 
buildings sprang up in different localities, but the first struc- 
ture four stories high was the Masonic Temple on South 



568 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Meridian street, erected jointly by the Masons and the Ander- 
son Loan Association during the years 1895 and 1890. The 
second was erected by John W. Lovett at the corner of Eighth 
and Main streets, in the year 1896, and is one of the largest 
and most commodious blocks in the city. We merely make 
mention of the two buildings as in years to come it may be 
interesting to the people who live in Anderson to know when 
and where the first buildings of this description were erected 
and who the parties were who built them. Should Anderson 
keep on in its present march of progress it may be within the 
next decade she will have " sky scrapers " in the shape of nine 
and ten-story buildings, and perhaps become a rival of Chi- 
cago. While we do not make this a prediction we sincerely 
hope that it will come to pass. 

The first three-story building erected in Anderson was 
the old United States Hotel at Ninth and Main streets, in 
1852. 

THE PIONEER DAILY NEWSPAPER. 

Landmarks have been established on every hand by the 
different branches of civilization and industry, and the many 
enterprises of the county have each had a starting point, to 
which the citizens look back with pride. The press has also 
its pioneer history which has to a limited degree, been dealt 
with elsewhere; but in this article we wish to speak especially 
of the Dailv Bulletin the first daily newspaper ever estab- 
lished in Madison county. There have been other daily 
papers printed at various times prior to its existence, but they 
were only for a special purpose, as a rule being gotten out for 
the period of a week at a time during the county fair, or on 
similar occasions. The Bulletin is entitled to the honorable 
title of pioneer. It was the first daily paper in the county 
that "come to stay," and has through all kinds of weather, 
fair and foul, stemmed the tide, and is one of the solid institu- 
tions of the county. It has handsome and well-equipped 
quarters on Eighth street, where it daily issues its publica- 
tion. The Bulletin has no politics, yet it wields a mighty 
inliuence in the political field. It is outspoken in its advo- 
cacy of any candidate whom it thinks is the best man for the 
place, often coming in contact with a personal friend in its 
support of a candidate for political preferment. The Bulletin 
is always on the alert for news, and gives it without fear, 
favor or affection. It has on all occasions guarded the inter- 



\ 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



fS69 



ests of the people and has never hesitated to call down a 
dereliction of official duty, although sometimes undergoing the 
painful task of chastizing a friend, or even a relative. This 
lias made it a journal of the people. It has enjoyed a large 
circulation from its infancy to its present days of full maturity. 




J. W. KNIGHT. 





C. R. CRAVr.N. 



DORY BIDDLE. 



The originators of this journal were Dorj' Biddle, James 
W. Knight and Charles R. Craven, the two latter being prac- 
tical printers. Mr. Craven several years ago retired from the 
firm, and the remaining members took in new capital and 
incorporated it as a company, Mr. Biddle and ]Mr. Knight 
remaining at the head of the concern, having safely steered it 
through all its ups and downs, and are yet at their posts guid- 
ing its destiny. As to the conception and birth of the IhtUe 



570 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

//;/, we quote from one of the officials of the company, in his 
own language : 

'■The Bulletin, which was the first daily paper published 
in the count3',came into existence under peculiar circumstances. 
Dory Biddle, Chas. R. Craven and J. W. Knight had been 
left out of employment by the consolidation of the Dcniocrai 
and Review upon which they had been employed. On Friday 
afternoon, March 15, 1885, they were sitting around a little 
coal stove in a printing office run by Geo. Winter, in the Odd 
Fellow's block, when Craven said ' boys let's start a daily 
paper." Knigljt and Biddle agreed. Xext Jklondav Craven 
and Knight went to Elwood and boxed up the material of a 
little old office there that had been closed for some time and 
shipped it to Anderson while Biddle went to soliciting for the 
new paper. By Monday, March 25, they were ready for busi- 
ness. The office had been set up in the north-west corner 
basement room of the new court house and at 4 o'clock that 
day the first Anderson Dailv Ihilleiin with Dory Biddle as 
editor, and Chas. R. Craven and J. W. Knight as business 
managers and compositors, was printed. The paper for the 
first week's issue cost .$7.40. The proprietors had exhausted 
their combined capital, .$27, in setting up the office, and John 
L. Forkner stood good for the paper bill for them. The paper 
has been issued every day since and has been successful. De- 
cember 14, 1880, the office was destroyed by fire and was 
again burned in the following August. On account of failing 
health Mr. Craven sold his interest in the office in the summer 
of '87 to his partners for $400. The paper is now published 
by a stock company composed of Dory Biddle, editor; James 
W. Knight, business manager, Frank Makepeace, Frank 
Lowther and James E. Burke as active members." 

When natural gas was discovered in Madison county the 
Bulletin was one of the prime factors in bringing capital to 
our midst to utilize it. It not only made free use of its columns 
to advertise the richness of our find and to attract the atten- 
tion of the outside world to the ad\ antages possessed by our 
community, but the members were also liberal subscribers to 
the fund to raise subsidies to locate manufacturing establish- 
ments in our midst. 

AN E.MBRVO THEATRICAL TROUPE. 

Anderson has always held the reputation of being up to 
date in all that was going on. It is not only so now, but 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 571 

away back when it made but little pretentions of being a city 
the people took a lively interest in what the balance of the 
world was doing, and were not slow to take up any fad that 
came along. In the year 1868 there was more than the usual 
number of minstrel troupes traversing the country, and one of 
these organizations stranded in Anderson, and some of the 
party remained here for quite a while. 

During their stay many of the young boys became infatu- 
ated with the stage and the profession of minstrelsy. A primi- 
tive organization of black-faced artists was formed among 
the boys, under the name of " Peak & Cartwright's Varieties," 
the leading lights being John Peak and Charles Cartwright. 

Peak lias long since died, but his partner is still living 
somewhere in Indiana. 

One of their principal performers was Cliff Dehority, a 
son of the late Henry V. Dehority. Cliff is yet a living 
monument of that aggregation, being now a resident of the 
City of New York. 

The company met for rehearsals over the hardware store 
of John P. Barnes, on the east side of the square, and after a 
two-weeks' training gave a public performance in Westerfield's 
Hall to a crowded house. The boys were so well known that 
a crowd was not hard to "raise" to witness their debut. 
They surprised even their most sanguine friends in their 
proficiency. " Tom " Cartwright, a brother of the proprietor, 
and Cliff Dehority took the house by storm with their "gags," 
which were all new and original, and of a local nature that 
made many good hits. 

Dehority did a song and dance that would have been a 
credit to a professional. It is the opinion of the writer that 
these boys both missed their calling when they did not adopt 
the stage as a life work. They evidentlj' had ability away 
above the ordinary, and might have been the equals of Emmet, 
Billy Emerson, or Primrose and West. 

The performance was so well received in Anderson that 
the company went to Newcastle and gave a one-night's stand, 
where they were well received and cheered to the echo. 

After coming home the party disbanded and the name of 
Peak & Cartwright's Varieties is only a thing in the mem- 
ory of the old timers of Anderson. " Tom " Cartwright after- 
ward learned the art of telegraphy, which he followed until 



572 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

his health failed, and he died a few years ago at the home of 
his father, Fred Cartwright, in Alexandria. 

John Peak was the son of the late wife of W. L. Philpot, 
by a former husband, and died in Louisville, Ky., at the home 
of a brother. 



I 



CHAPTER LVII. 
Fires and Casualties. 

burning oi-' the boring-hannah block. 

On the 7th of December, 1890, the Boring-Hannah block, 
on the north side of the square in Anderson, was destroyed 
by fire, entailing a large loss of property. The fire originated 
in the basement of the building in the bakery of William 
Williams from a burning gas jet. 

Before the fire department could respond the building 
was in flames; a heavy gale was blowing, making it quite a 
bad fire to control. Tiie fire was kept within the bounds of 
the building, doing but slight injury to adjoining property. 
The Daily BuJlct'ni occupied the entire second floor and \\"as 
totally destroyed, losing all of the files and other property 
that insurance could not replace. The office and material 
were covered with insurance, and so far as the property that 
could be restored by the purchase of a new outfit the proprie- 
tors were made whole. This was the largest loss sustained by 
any one affected by the conflagration. 

Williams" grocery was destroved entirely, but was covered 
by insurance. 

W. S. Shirk had a jewelry store in the building and suf- 
fered considerably from smoke and water, but his goods were 
many of them saved from destruction. The damage to the 
building was fully insured. 

James W. Knight, one of the proprietors of the Jhilktiii, 
was sleeping in the building and was awakened by the smoke 
and gave the alarm. He hastened to the room of Fletcher 
Layne and a young man of the name of Harrison, who roomed 
in the bakery on the floor below, and aroused them just in 
time to save their lives. They were almost suffocated and 
were lying on the floor in a helpless condition. They were 
taken out more dead than alive and cared for until they were 
restored to their normal condition. 

The building at the time belonged to R. H. Hannah, of 



574 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Alexandria, and James \V. Sansberry, of Anderson, who im- 
mediately re-built it. 

The Bulletin showed its usual pluck by getting out its 
regular daily edition as if nothing had happened. The Daily 
Herald and the jDoiiocrat kindly assisted them in their 
trouble, which was properly appreciated. 

The Lion Store, adjoining, was also a sufferer to a consid- 
erable extent by smoke and water, but was insured. 

The Bulletin removed to its present site on Eighth 
street and was again burned out on the 14th of August, 1891. 
The last tire was fully as disastrous as the first, but the paper 
survived and is still one of the institutions of Anderson. 

The building in which the Bulletin is now situated has 
gone through two disastrous tires, an account of which ap- 
pears elsewhere. 

A HEADING FACTORY FIRE. 

Twenty years ago Madison county was heavily timbered 
with oak and other valuable woods. The forests were then 
within sight of the court liouse. Lumbering interests were 
carried on largely, prominent among which was the stave and 
heading factory of C. T. Doxey & Co., south of the Big Four 
railway, and which was lately occupied by J. L. Kilgore's 
heading establishment. On the night of January 3, 1873, 
an alarm of fire was heard to ring out, and it was soon ascer- 
tained that the factory of Doxey & Co. was enveloped in 
flames. Every person within sound of the alarm rushed into 
the streets and hastened to the fire to render such assistance as 
tliey could, to help subdue tiie llames. There being a large 
amount of shavings and oilier combustible material in the fac- 
tory, and a high wind blowing from the south-west, it was 
but a short time before the factory was totally consumed and 
nothing was left but the machinery to tell where this industry 
once stood. The loss was estimated to be about !f8,00l), on 
which there was an insurance of about !i!3,500. This fire had 
the effect to throw a large number of workingmen out of 
employment in the dead of winter, which was a great hard- 
ship upon them. At that time there were but few manufac- 
turing establishments within the limits of Anderson, and there 
were a large number of men and boys employed by Doxey & 
Co. in this factory. Be it said, to the credit of Major Doxe}', 
that during the cold winter months he contributed a large 
amount of money to those who were thrown out of employ- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 575 

ment, and who were unable to take care of tliemselves. The 
factory was afterwards rebuilt, and was for a time owned by 
H.J. Bronnenberg, and then passed into tiie hands of J. L. 
Kilgore, who ran it until timber became so scarce that it be- 
came unprofitable. 

BURNING OK THE ADAMS BIOCK. 

At the corner of Eighth and Main streets, the present 
site of the Phojnix Block, was at one time a two-story busi- 
ness building consisting of four store rooms on the first floor, 
the second story being used for a public hall and offices. The 
building was erected in 1S67-8 by Robert Adams, a once 
prosperous woolen manufacturer who lived north of Anderson 
on Killbuck. On the l(5th of August, 1888. this structure 
was wiped out by fire which occurred about 4 o'clock in the 
morning when there was but little stir over the city. The 
fire department was summoned and worked hard to save the 
other buildings on the north side of the square. Randle Bid- 
die, who was then night-watchman, was tlie first to discover 
the fire. He turned in the alarm, but from some cause it did 
not work perfectly and it was some time before the depart- 
ment responded. Among the occupants of the building at 
the time were Joseph Carr, Samuel Sykes and Benjamin 
Roadcap, who had rooms on the second floor. William Roach, 
Justice of the Peace, had his office in the room occupied by 
Judge Richard Lake, in the front of the building. Purcell & 
Ehli conducted a cigar manufacturing establishment on the 
upper floor. In the lower part of the building Mr. Pat Ske- 
han had his grocery store. William West conducted a barber 
shop also in one of the lower rooms. There was also a dry 
goods store, all of which were burned, entailing in each case 
quite a loss. 

The building at the time of the fire was owned by Cap- 
tain Frederick Tykle, of Middletown. Immediately after the 
disaster Captain Tykle visited the scene and made a proposi- 
tion to his son-in-law, Hon. John H. Terhune, that he would 
transfer to him the real estate, providing that he would place 
a building thereon, which agreement was entered into, anil 
work was immediately commenced. As a result, the hand- 
some pressed-brick structure, known as the When Block, and 
which was demolished by the explosion of natural gas a few 
years later, was erected. When the When Block was de- 
stroyed Mr. Terhune at once put up another building which is 



576 HISTOKV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

known as the Pha?nix Block, and is one of the handsomest in 
the city. 

A. F. AND M. WORKS DESTROYED BY FIRE. 

The Anderson Foundry, that occupied the grounds of the 
present establishment of the same name, was, on the nigiit of 
December 14, 1871, destroyed by fire. 

It was then owned by James and Abram Michner, vvlio 
afterward moved to Kokonio, Ind., and engaged in a similar 
enterprise. 

The}' sold out the stock in the plant in Anderson, and the 
company was reorganized. In the year 1876 John H. Teriiune 
became interested in tiie business with the Hon. Edgar Hen- 
derson, Samuel Kiser and others, and this became one of 
Anderson's greatest monej' makers. 

The fire above alluded to was a severe blow, not only to 
the proprietors, but to the employes as well, who were thrown 
out of work for considerable time. 

The buildings were immediately rebuilt and work re- 
sumed as soon as they were ready for occupancy. 

This establishment has become famous the world over on 
account of its brick and tile machine?, which are used in every 
State in the Union and many places outside of the United 
States. 

BURNING OF THE WALKER WAREHOUSE. 

Alfred Walker was once the owner ot the farm on which 
the beautiful suburb of Evalyn is now located. He had erected 
on this a palatial residence which he made his home, and 
which has since gone into the possession of Dr. William F. 
Harter. 

Besides being a farmer on an extensive scale, Mr. Walker 
was also a dealer in grain and owned a warehouse, situated at 
the crossing of South Main street and the Big Four railroad. 
On the night of December 14, 1874, about half past 10 o'clock, 
the citizens were aroused by the alarm of fire. It was soon 
discovered that the Walker warehouse was burning. The fire 
had made such progress before the alarm was given that all 
attempts to stay the ravages of the flames were futile. The 
whole interior of the building seemed to be ablaze, and the 
flames had burst through the roof before any one arrived at 
the scene of the disaster. An eflort was made by George 
Craycraft to enter the office and save the books, but on account 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 577 

of the great heat from the flames, he was compelled to desist 
in his purpose. 

The fire was undoubtedly the act of an incendiary, as 
there had been no tire in the stoves for several days, and the 
engine had been silent for nearly two weeks. 

Mr. Walker carried an insurance of $2,000, while his loss 
was estimated to be in the neighborhood of $(j,000. Besides 
the building, there were several thousand bushels of corn, 
wheat and other grain in storage for which Mr. Walker had 
to stand the loss. 

Alfred Walker was the father of Mr. Frank A. Walker, 
the Anderson attorney. Mr. Walker is well remembered by 
the old citizens of the county. He died in St. Louis a few 
years ago. 

ADAMS' HEADING FACTORY BURNED. 

The extensive heading factory owned and operated for 
many years by the Adams Bros., at the crossing of the Big 
Four and Pan Handle railways was, on the 5th of September, 
1887, the scene of one of the most destructive conflagrations 
that ever took place in Anderson. Early in the afternoon 
the people were alarmed by a cry of lire, and a huge, dense, 
black column of smoke was seen arising toward the heavens 
from the crossing. It was soon after ascertained that the 
heading factory was on fire. A drought had for many weeks 
been prevailing, and this made the factory and all the sur- 
rounding buildings an easy prey to the flames. It was esti- 
mated that at one time six acres of ground were in a mass of 
fire. The saw dust, the shavings that were lying on the 
ground, and other debris, together with a number of freight 
cars which stood on the tracks, were consumed. 

The fire was discovered shortly after the local freight 

train on the Pan Handle railway had passed, in some stacks 

of heading at the south-east corner of the yard, near the 

building. It had caught quite low down near the grountl, 

and when discovered, was rapidly mounting upwards on the 

stack. The fire department was at once called out, but little 

could be done to quench the flames, owing to the fact that 

there was so much inflammable material in and about the 

building that no earthly power was able to subdue them. In 

a brief period the buildings were destroyed, notwithstanding 

the fact that the roof and part of the side walls were made of 

iron. There were on hand more than a million pieces of 
37 



578 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

heading and four hundred cords of bolt wood in the yard. 
There were about forty loaded cars on the side-tracks at the 
time, but an engine on the Pan Handle railroad track suc- 
ceeded in hauling several of these to a place of safety. The 
factory was one of the best in the country, and was supplied 
with the latest improved machinery, and all that was left of 
it was a mass of twisted iron that could only be sold for old 
metal. The loss of the Adams Bros, was estimated to be 
from $25,000 to $30,000, with an insurance of only $2,500. 

A dwelling house owned by James Trueblood, north of 
the factory, was also destroyed. The residence of Smith 
Andrews was at one time on fire, but was saved through tiie 
efforts of the hook and ladder company. Charles Goslin, an 
employe, was overcome with heat, and was carried away in 
an unconscious condition. Elias Vandyke was caught by a 
pile of burning heading and was badly burned. "Jack" 
Williams was also caught, but escaped with only slight in- 
juries. Fully 2,000 people were present and witnessed the 
scene. 

The destruction of this factory was a heavy blow to the 
Adams Bros, and nearly wiped out their entire capital. 
Tlie meagre amount of insurance they held was but a drop in 
the Inicket towards the rebuilding of the plant. The Ander- 
son Board of Trade called a meeting to offer assistance to 
the unfortunate company, which the Adams Bros, agreed to 
accept on condition that they be permitted to reimburse the 
gentlemen who might come to their assistance. Upon these 
terms the Board of Trade went upon the streets through its 
officers and solicited subscriptions to the amount of $7,000, and 
the factory was rebuilt. 

The Adams Bros, executed notes to the citizens before 
commencing the rebuilding of their plant, and as soon as they 
had made sufficient money out of their business repaid all 
wiio were kind enough to come to their aid. 

DESTRUCTION OF ARMSTRONG'S PLANING MILL. 

Nathan Armstrong, of Anderson, has been an owner and 
operator of a planing mill for a great number of years. He 
was for awhile the partner of William B. ^\'right, under the 
firm name of Wright & Armstrong, and carried on an exten- 
sive business of building and contracting. From 1867 to 1869 
they built nearly every house within the limits of Anderson, 
that was erected during that period. Mr. Armstrong pur- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 579 

chased from Mr. Wright, his interest, and continued to oper- 
ate the same, alone, with the exception of the last few years, 
during which time his son Walter has had an interest. On 
Monday night, January 12, 1883, his large and extensive fac- 
tory was noticed to be on fire by some persons who were pass- 
ing by at the time. They saw smoke issuing from the build- 
ing and immediately gave the alarm, but by the time people 
could reach the place, the fire had gained such headway that 
it was beyond control, and the ^vorkers were then directed to 
save the stock. The building being filled with inflammable 
material, burned so rapidly that in a short time nothing was 
left but the walls. 

The loss to Mr. Armstrong was estimated to be $15,000, 
with no insurance. This fell heavily upon him, but being a 
man of nerve and business tact, he immediately set about re- 
building the structure and placed therein new and improved 
machinery, which he has operated from that time until the 
present period, doing a prosperous business and has long since 
recovered from the effects of the loss that he sustained in 1888. 
No man in Anderson has enjoyed more universally the confi- 
dence of his fellow-men than does Nathan Armstrong. 

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN ANDERSON. 

A very destructive fire occurred at the corner of Ninth 
and Meridian streets in Anderson on the morning of the 13th 
of July, 1880, in which the grocery store of Irey Brothers; 
the millinery establishment of Miss Carrie Dodd ; the meat 
market belonging to Rhoades Brothers; the shoe store of Minor 
Barrett ; the United States Express Company ; and the agri- 
cultural store of B. F. Alford were wiped out of existence. 
The buildings in which the fire occurred were wooden struct- 
ures which had stood there for many years and were joined 
closely together. The fire was first discovered in Irey Brotii- 
ers store by night watchman W^lf, who gave the alarm, but 
it being at an early hour in the morning when people are 
generally asleep verj' few responded in time either to assist 
in removing the goods or to help quench the flames. The 
cause of the conflagration was unknown but strong suspicions 
were aroused that it was the act of an incendiary. About two 
weeks prior to the fire a quantity of pine shavings which had 
been saturated with coal oil was discovered under the room 
occupied by the grocery store and had doubtless been placed 
there for the purpose of firing the building. The buildings 



580 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

belonged to Hester Xeely, some of which were afterwards re- 
built under leases, and others by Miss Neely herself. The 
fire was a seveie blow financially to Mr. B. F. Alford, from 
the effects of which he has never been able to recover. 

BURNING OF THE AMERICAN WIRE NAIL MILLS. 

One of the most destructive fires that ever occurred in 
Anderson took place at the American Wire Nail Company's 
buildings in Ilazelwood addition on the lilth of March, 1890, 
by which that immense industry was almost totallj' destroyed. 
The roof burned first and fell on the machinery and lower 
floor. Some of the stacks were left and the office fixtures 
were also saved. The rolling mill and the repair shop were 
totally destroyed ; a greater portion of the wire mill depart- 
ment was saved. The machinery was badly burned and much 
of it broken by the falling of the roof; minor parts of the en- 
gine and boiler were broken and injured. This fire entailed 
a great loss to the company. During the conflagration there 
was much excitement, and consternation reigned supreme. 
The mill was covered by $50,000 insurance, which did not 
make up the amount destroyed, much less the loss of time and 
delay in re-building. Immediately after the fire a move was 
put on foot to re-build the plant upon a more substantial 
basis. The directors, at a meeting shortly after, decided upon 
reconstructing the plant by building it entirely as an iron 
structure. The Board of Trade of Anderson called a meeting 
and entered into an agreement with the company to enlarge 
its plant to a certain capacity and donated a subsidy for that 
purpose. The leading members of the board and the best citi- 
zens of the city helped the company, and soon the buildings 
were restored and the men were again at work. 

This is one of Anderson's best industries. The new 
buildings erected are entirely of iron, and it would be almost 
an impossibility to again burn them down. 

This manufactorj- is spoken of elsewhere in these pages. 

A LINE SHAFT VICTIM. 

On the morning of December 16, 1894, Curtis L. Tingle, 
of Anderson, an employe of the Woolley foundry, met death 
in a most horrible manner. A fellow workman at the foundry 
heard a pounding noise in that portion of the building where 
Tingle was accustomed to work, and its unusual sound at once 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 581 

filled his mhiJ with apprehension. He immediately signaled 
the engineer to stop the engine. He then hurried to the cupola, 
where the limp body of Tingle hung suspended from the line 
shaft. The clothing of the unfortunate man was wrapped so 
tightly around the shaft that it became necessary to cut his 
body loose. There were no cuts or bruises visible, save a 
fractured left arm near the wrist. The face, however, bore 
every trace of an agonized death. Ho%v it happened will for- 
ever remain a mj'stery to his friends and the inmates of the 
factory, as no human eve was a witness. The generally ac- 
cepted supposition, however, is that in adjusting a belt on a 
pulley his clothing was caught by the shaft, and the man, 
helpless and paralyzed with fear, was hurled to deatli. His 
cry of distress, if uttered at all, was never heard. The thump, 
thump, thump of his body as it struck the side of the wall told 
of an unusual situation in the cupola section and led to the 
discovery. 

ACCIDENT AT TUK COUNTY FAIR. 

The County Fair at Anderson was for many years looked 
forward to as a great season of enjoyment by the people of 
the county. Many enjoyable days have been spent in the 
beautiful grove of spreading oaks that lent their grateful shade 
to the comfort of the mass of humanitv who congregated there 
ainuially to give themselves up to gaiety and sport. Among 
the manv scenes of pleasure there have been some of sadness 
as well. One of the unfortunate afl'airs was the breaking of 
the leg of A. ^V. Stewart, of Elwood, on the 7th of Septem- 
ber, 1870. While "'scoring '" the horses for a start in a race 
Stewart was coming down the "stretch" at a lively gait when 
he collided with a horse driven by Richard Hunt, whereb)- his 
sulky %vas overturned and he was thrown out after being 
dragged for some distance, and had his leg broken and being 
otherwise bruised. 

He was kindly cared for by friends and soon recovered. 
This accident caused the greatest excitement tiiroughout the 
densely crowded grounds, and it was simply miraculous that 
others were not injured. 

BURNING OF KILGORE's HEADING F.\CTORV. 

The extensive heading factory owned by J. L. Kilgore & 
Co., on South Main street, opposite the Big Four passenger 
station, was destroyed by fire on Sunda}-. the 16th of February, 



582 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

1887, being one of the most destructive fires that ever took 
place in the city. The Hanies were first discovered in the 
engine room, where a spark from the furnace ignited a pile of 
saw-dust that lay close by. The fire spread with startling 
rapidity, owing to the combustible nature of the timber in the 
building. Although the firemen responded with promptness 
the factory was almost consumed before a stream of water 
could be turned upon it. This was a great loss to the propri- 
tors as well as to the community from the fact that it was at 
that time the largest manufacturing industry in the citj', and 
gave employment to a great number of workingmen, who 
were left almost destitute in the dead of winter. The build- 
ing and its contents were partially insured, but not sufficiently 
to pay the loss. The company owned another factory at New 
Castle and it was several weeks before the proprietors de- 
termined upon re-building ; but after mature deliberation the 
factory was rebuilt and placed in operation and so continued 
until a few years ago, when, in consequence of the scarcity of 
timber in this section of the country, the plant was moved 
to Paducah, Kentucky, where it is now in active operation. 

THE FATAL SWIMMING HOLE. 

On the 24th of August, 1876, Charley Brown, a lad of 
eight years of age, was drowned in White river, just below 
t*lie Fan Handle railroad bridge, while swimming with some 
boys. He was the son of a widow, who ^vas a domestic in 
the famil}- of Michael Skehan, who then lived on West Eighth 
street. His little companions did all in their power to rescue 
him, but to no purpose, as they were all small and could be of 
but little help to him. After making a heroic effort to save 
himself, he went down for the third and last time and sank 
from sight. The little fellows who were in his company 
were terror stricken and for a time did not know what to do. 
After gatiiering their wits, they gave the alarm, and the citi- 
zens turned out and made search for his body which wa* 
found, after some effort, not far from where he went down. 
This was a very sad afi'air for his widowed mother, as he was 
her only son, and she was very poor and worked out to main- 
tain him and herself. 



CHAPTER LVIII. 



The Failure of the First National Bank of Anderson 
AND THE Sad Tragedy Following it. 



Prior to tl;e organization of the First National Bank of 
Anderson in the year 1865, the banking facilities of Madison 
county were very limited. N. C. McCuUough had, in J865, 
established a small banking institution, which was afterward 
discontinued, and for awhile Anderson was without a bank. 
Afterward J. G. Stilwell and his son, Thomas N. Stilwell, 
came here from Oxford, Ohio, in the early '50s, and en- 
gaged in merchandising and other lines of business, under the 
firm name of J, G. & T. N. Stilwell ; T. N. Stilwell being also 
a part of the time engaged in the practice of law, and for a 
time associate editor of the Anderson Gazette. They also did 
a small banking business in a private way, until in the year 
1865, after the passage of the national banking law, when 
they, in company with other citizens of Anderson, organized 
the First National Bank, with a capital of $50,000. The bank 
was very popular with the people and soon had a handsome 
business, being favored with the deposits of merchants, busi- 
ness men, corporations and public officials to such an extent 
that the deposits at one time reached the sum of $300,000. 
During the panic of 1873 the house of Jay Cooke & Co., of 
New York, failed unexpectedly, and threw the whole country 
into a state of financial excitement. The First National Bank 
of Anderson was a patron of Jay Cooke & Co., which fact 
was generally known to its depositors, and consequently they 
became frightened and many withdrawals were made in a 
quiet way, which depleted the cash resources of the bank to 
such an extent that it was compelled to close its doors on the 
15th of November, 1873, although no regular " run "" had 
been made on the institution. Colonel T. N. Stilwell was 
very popular with all classes, and under ordinary circumstances 
would have been able to have stemmed the tide and brought 
the bank through; but owing to the universal distrust and the 



584 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

» 

shaken state of public confidence, the bank had to succumb 
to tlie inevitable. 

At the time of the failure the bank had on hand as a part 
of its assets Venezuelan bonds to the amount of $100,000, 
which Colonel Stihvell had acquired while he was minister 
to that government. 

The payment of these securities was afterwards contested 
by the authorities ot Venezuela, and a large amount of them 
was declared null and void by a commission appointed jointly 
by the United States and Venezuela, which had the effect to 
.greatly diminish the cash resources of the bank. 

When the bank failed Thomas McCuUough, of Oxford, 
was made receiver, but only served a short time, when he 
resigned and Walter S. Johnson, of Washington, D. C, was 
put in charge and ^vound up its business. 

When the receiver took charge a statement of the condi- 
tion of the bank was given out, which showed the following 
resources and liabilities : 

Cash — Bills receivable, accounts and other items Sl64,.563 

Due to depositors, individuals and corporations 187,717 

Leaving assets over liabilities 25,846 

Included in the assets were the Venezuelan bonds, which, 
being to a large extent invalid, reduced the available resources 
far below the liabilities, whereby the depositors were forced 
to sustain considerable of a loss. The bonds are yet in the 
hands of the Comptroller of the Currenc}^ at Washington, and 
should they eventually be paid the First National Bank would 
pay out in full. There has been paid to the depositors forty 
cents on the dollar. Among the large depositors was Weems 
Ileagey, Treasurer of Madison county, who had in the vaults 
of the bank at the time of its suspension $21,000. The failure 
had the effect to tie up a large amount of money and caused 
much distress and a closeness of financial affairs, until the peo- 
ple had time to rally from its consecjuences. 

At the time of the failure Colonel T. N. Stilwell was 
President, and A. B. Kline was Cashier. 

This is the only bank failure that has ever occurred in 
Madison county. 

Colonel Stihvell was a politician as well as a banker, and 
held several political offices during his residence in this 
county. He was elected to the Legislature in 1856, and in 
1864 he defeated the Hon. James McDowell, of Marion, for 



I 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 585 

Cons^ress, serving one term, during wliicli time he received 
the appointment as Minister to Venezuela. He also assisted 
in the organization of the 84th Indiana Regiment of Volun- 
teers, and was made Qiiartermaster of that regiment. It was 
organized at Anderson and went into camp in 1861 on what 
is now known as the George Forrey farm, north of White 
river, then known as "Camp Stilwell.'" He only remained 
with this regiment a short time, when he was called home by 
Governor Morton and put in charge of the organization of the 
130th and 181st Regiments at Kokomo, Indiana. He was 
commissioned as Colonel, but did not go to the front, as his 
private affairs would not admit of his absence, and upon his 
resignation of his commission in the army he at once took 
personal control of the bank and remained at the head of its 
affairs until the calamitv overtook it that we have related. 
Colonel Stilwell was a man full of life and of a progressive 
nature, and used the means at his hands to improve Anderson 
and Madison county wherever he could in any way advance 
their interests. He built tiie Stilwell House, now known as 
the " Hotel Doxey," which was not only the pride of its 
founder, but of every citizen of Anderson. He was also the 
chief promoter of the Anderson, Lebanon & St. Louis Rail- 
road, now known as the C. & S. E., he being the " power be- 
hind the throne " in bringing about its organization, and saw 
it completed as far as Noblesville before his death. 

Much litigation grew out of the failure relative to the se- 
tate of Allen Makepeace, one of the stockholders of the bank, 
which, as will be seen further on, resulted in a mortal combat 
between the litigants. 

THE TR.A.GEDV. 

It is not the purpose of the writers to tear open afresh old 
wounds, but we bring before the public the particulars of this 
sad tragedy only for the purpose of placing it where it belongs 
as a part of the history of events that have transpired in Mad- 
ison county. No better friend of the writers of these pages 
ever lived within the borders of Madison county than was 
Colonel Stilwell. This is also true of the central figure on 
the other side, Mr. John E. Corwin. Many favors have been 
extended to us by both of these men, which will be gratefully 
remembered while memory holds its seat and as long as we 
are possessed of a proper sense of gratitude. While it is our 
intention, only as a matter of history, to make a record of this 



580 HISTOUY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

sad event, we think the end can be best subserved by stating, 
without comment, the actual state of facts as they existed at 
the time. 

The most authentic account given of the affair was pub- 
lished in the Herald on the 16th of January, 1874, following 
the tragedv, and for weeks thereafter it gave the full particu- 
lars of the shooting, the testimony taken before the coroner, 
and at the preliminary investigation before Asa Pratt, Justice 
of the Peace. 

At the preliminary investigation, the ablest counsel in 
the State of Indiana was employed upon both sides of the 
case. The prosecution was conducted by Amzi \V. Thomas, 
who was then deputy prosecuting attorney of the judicial dis- 
trict composed of Madison and Hamilton counties. lie was 
assisted by Jonathan VV. Gordon, of Indianapolis, acknowl- 
edged in those days to be the best criminal lawyer that the 
State of Indiana had ever produced ; Col. Milton S. Robinson, 
the Hon. John \V. Lovett and the Hon. S. F. Cary, of Cincin- 
nati, Ohio. 

The defence was represented by the Hon. Benjamin Har- 
rison, now e,\-president of the United States, the Hon. James 
W. Sansberry and John A. Harrison, of Anderson. 

From the account of the tragedy published in the Ander- 
son Herald, we quote as follows: "The usual quiet of our 
city was suddenly disturbed on Wednesday afternoon by the 
occurrence of one of the most tragic events that has ever taken 
place in our local annals. At the hour of 5 o'clock, p. m. 
Colonel Thomas N. Stilwell entered the office of Mr. John 
E. Corwin in the room lately occupied by the Citizens' Bank 
on the north side of the square, and drew his revolver on Mr. 
Corwin. The latter was occupied at his desk inside the 
counter, and on discovering the Colonel's motion, sprang over 
the counter and advanced toward his antagonist, whose right 
arm he seized and threw down when Stihvell's pistol was dis- 
charged. The ball struck Corwin in the left groin, but fortu- 
nately was checked in its course by striking a key and a silver 
dollar in his pocket. Corwin then seized Stilwell by the 
shoulder or coat collar, pushed him around and fired two shots, 
both of which took effect in the left side of the head, killing 
him instantly. 

"But few words passed between the men. Colonel Stil- 
well said something about settling up old business, as he en- 
tered the room, and that it was time that it was settled, and 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 587 

t 

Mr. Corwin, after croosing the counter, told Stihvell to put 
up his revolver. Mr. Lafe Burr, of Anderson, and Mr. Geo. 
L. Rittenhouse, a commercial traveler, were in the room, and 
were excited spectators of the deadly encounter. The weapon 
which Colonel Stihvell had in his hand was a double-barrelled 
Derringer, and he also carried a single-barrelled pistol in his 
pocket. 

" The report of the homicide spread with great rapidity 
throughout the citv, and in a few minutes a large and excited 
crowd had gathered in the building and on the streets. 

" Corwin walked out of his office and across the street to 
the court house, and placed himself in the custody of Albert 
J. Ross, then Sheriff of the county, who permitted him to re- 
main at his residence during the night under guard. 

"As to the causes which led to this unhappy event, we may 
mention that a bitter and relentless feud had existed between 
the parties, they having quarreled at different times publicly 
and thus developing a feeling of deep animosity against each 
other. The difficulty had its origin in regard to some money 
which the late Allen Makepeace, Mr. Corwin's father-in-law, 
claimed to have deposited in the First National Bank, but 
which Stihvell denied ever having received. Mr. Corwin, as 
administrator of the Makepeace estate, had instituted suits for 
the recovery of the alleged deposit which were still pending 
in the court. After the unfortunate complication of affairs 
which compelled the suspension of the First National Bank in 
November preceding the tragedy. President Stihvell, being of 
a proud and sensitive nature, believed, from evidence real or 
fancied, that Mr. Corwin rejoiced in his humiliation. This, 
coupled with a terrible mental strain to which he had been sub- 
jected on account of his financial embarrassment, tended, as we 
believe, to precipitate a state of mind closely bordering upon 
insanity. We do not think Colonel Stihvell was responsible 
for his acts on the day on which he attempted the life of Mr. 
Corwin, and on which his own was ushered into eternity. 

"A feeling of profound grief and gloom pervaded the city 
over this terrible drama. While the liveliest and most earnest 
sympathy was expressed in behalf of the bereaved family, pub- 
lic opinion so far as it found expression was generous towards 
Mr. Corwin, regarding his action as having been done in self- 
defence." 

We have written this account plainly as we under.Jtand 
the facts without any attempt at embellishment or sensational- 



588 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ism. We have sought to give the circumstances simply as 
thev were. 

The funeral of Colonel Stilvvell took place from his resi- 
dence on Main street at 11 o'clock on the 16th of January, 
being one of the largest ever held in Madison county. The 
Colonel had enjoyed not only a local and state, but also a na- 
tional reputation. Prominent men from the adjoining, and 
also from distant states, came to pay their respects by attending 
his last sad rites. He was a man who was well beloved by 
the plain country people. Almost the entire population of 
Anderson, and a large assemblage of the people from the coun- 
ty attended the funeral. His remains laid in state in front 
of the spacious grounds surrounding his residence from early 
in the morning on the day of the funeral until the cortege had 
taken its march to the city of the dead for interment. 

The preliminary trial of Mr. Corwin was begun at Wes- 
terfield's hall before Squire Pratt, as before stated, and a large 
and interested crowd of people, many from the country, were 
in constant attendance throughout the proceedings. The ut- 
most decorum pfe^vailed, and the testimony was listened to with 
the closest attention. Occasionally Major Gordon would break 
the profound solemnity of the occasion by some sally of wit or 
remark of pleasantry, and thus kept himself on excellent terms 
with the audience. General Harrison confined himself very 
closely to the business before him. This gentleman mainly 
conducted the examination of witnesses. The aim of both 
sides ^vas so far as possible to get the facts in relation to the 
unfortunate affair from the best recollection of the witnesses 
examined. The Squire discharged his duties in such a manner 
as to secure the approval of all parties. His decisions upon 
points of law were prompt and were gracefully acquiesced in 
by the distinguished attorneys in the case. Reporters from 
the Cincinitati Commercial, Gazette. Cincintiati Enquirer, 
Indianapolis your?ial A-nA Indianapolis Se?itinel were present 
and took notes in shorthand of all that was said and done by 
the witnesses and attorneys in the case. 

In relation to the deposits that the late Allen Makepeace 
claimed to have made with the First National Bank of Ander- 
son, the following receipt was introduced in evidence, to wit : 
" The First National Bank of Anderson received of Allen 
Makepeace for safe keeping 114,000 in 7 3-10 United States 
bonds, said bonds to be returned to said Makepeace at any 
time called for. Interest on said bonds due August 15th and 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTY, INDIANA. 589 

February loth. (Signed.) J. G. Stillwel, T. N. Stilwell, 
Anderson, Indiana, December ;28, 1865." 

It would .seem, from the reading of tliis receipt, that the 
bonds were not actually deposited with the bank as money, 
but that they were merely left with J. G. and T. N. Stilwell 
for safe keeping. In a suit afterwards brought by the Allen 
Makepeace estate a verdict was given against the estate of 
Colonel Stilwell for the full amount of the bonds so depos- 
ited (it!l4,(IOO). 

It will be unnecessary in these pages to go into the full 
details of all the doings and sayings at the preliminary hear- 
ing, or to make any comment on the affair at length. It was 
decided by the Justice of the Peace, Asa Pratt, before whom 
the case was tried, after all the evidence that could be offered 
was heard, that Colonel Thomas N. .Stilwell met his death at 
the hands of his antagonist, John E. Corwin, while acting in 
defense of his own life, and Mr. Corwin was accordingly 
acquitted. 

This affair cast a gloom over the city of Anderson that 
was not eflaced for many years, and it is never mentioned or 
referred to by anyone but with regret and the deepest sorrow. 

Mr. Corwin remained in this city for several years after 
the occurrence and organized the Madison County Bank, of 
which he became president. It w-as afterwards merged into 
the Madison County National Bank, of wliich he was also 
elected president, and did a thriving business until the vear 
1884, when he sold his business to Major C. T. Doxey and 
Daniel F. Mustard, and removed to Middletown, N.Y., where 
he at this writing is residing. 



CHAPTER LIX. 
A XuMBER OF Amusing Incidents. 



LEE M. TREES IN THE ROLE OF " SQJL'IRE. 

In the year of 1880 the young fellows of Anderson town- 
ship, b}' way of a joke, voted for Lee M. Trees, the " Merchant 
Prince " of Anderson, for Justice of the Peace, and Morris M. 
Williams, commonly known as " Bundy" Williams, for con- 
stable. When the votes were counted it transpired that they 
had each received enough to elect them, to the surprise of 
themselves and friends. They thought to further the fun, so 
they both qualified and entered upon the duties of their offices 

Soon after 'Squire Trees had filed his official bond, and 
been " qualified " he was called upon by a young and buxom 
couple from the country with a request to join them in holy 
wedlock. The " 'Squire"' very graciously ushered them into 
his elegantly furnished rooms over his store, and for a few 
moments excused himself. He went out and found his chief 
of staff, Mr. " Bundy" Williams, high constable, and fifteen or 
twenty of the " boys '' and returned to his apartments where 
the groom and blushing bride were in waiting. 

Lee ordered the waiting couple to arise to their feet and 
join hands. Constable "Bundy" Williams " gave the bride 
away " and the ceremony proceeded when in a very impressive 
manner, Lee said : 

" Do you each solemnly swear in the presence of God and 
these witnesses assembled, that you will support the constitu- 
tion of the State of Indiana ; that you will love, cherish and 
honor each other through sickness as well as in health ; that 
you will neither of you depart from the paths of virtue and 
rectitude, but will cling to each other as the ivy clings to the 
trunk of an old tree, so help you God." 

To this they both nodded and replied ■' we will." 

" I then, b}' the power vested in me by the State of 
Indiana, in the name of God and the holv Saint John now 
declare you husband and wife." 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUN'TY. INDIANA. 591 

" Boys, let us take alight drink." 

The decanter was set out and the "Squire, Constable, 
bride and groom partook first of the claret, then it was passed 
to the bystanders. Thus ended ".Squire Trees" first marriage 
ceremony. 

He and Constable Williams only held their offices a short 
time and resigned, other business being too pressing for them to 
attend to the duties imposed upon them." 

they'll have it in the horse-fly. 

Almost every farmer in Madison county will remember 
Robert Shinn, who kept a place where Louis Blest's " White 
House " now stands. Robert's place was headquarters for 
farmers to lunch, and to get all the political news. Robert 
and his good, old wife, recently deceased, kept posted on the 
politics of the day, and many politicians and candidates have 
been made and unmade in the Shinn grocerv. Robert was a 
liberal fellow in all things, and had a heart as large as a tub. 
^Vhen the crusade against the saloons was raging in 1874, fhe 
ladies sat in little booths upon the streets, taking the names of 
all who entered the saloons, one of which w-as in front of 
Robert's place. Some one passed down that way and sa\v 
Robert complacently sitting beside the ladies who were watch- 
ing his door, fanning himself with a large palm leaf hat. 
When he was asked, " Well, Robert, what do you think of the 
proceedings?" he answered with a big laugh, " Oh. I think 
the}' are a set of d — n fannyticks.'" 

In 186G, W. E. Cook and Tom 0"Neil, who were con- 
nected with the Anderson SlaiidarJ, published a "tlyby night" 
paper called the Fire Fly. It was gotten out in the night 
when every one was supposed to be asleep. It " roasted " 
every one without respect to person, and nothing escaped it. 
Robert Shinn was, one sleety morning, strolling down the 
street, when, without a moment's warning, out went his feet 
on the ice, landing Robert on his back. He was as thick as he 
was long, and in his scramble to get up, he rolltd until he got 
over against the court house fence before he could regain his 
footing. Climbing up against the fence, he began to brush 
the ofFal of the public square from his clothing, and, limping 
up to the corner, with a look of dispair, said ; " I " sposhe ' 
they'll have it in that danged ' horse-fly' to-night." 

Robert Shinn died several years ago in Anderson, at a 
ripe old age ; while he was a saloon keeper, he was universally 



592 HISTORY OV MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

liked by all who knew him and was an honest man. He paid 
his debts to the last farthing, and believed in doing to others 
as he would have them do unto him. 

TWO LARGE BLACK COONS. 

Lafe J. Burr, one of Anderson's old-time citizens, holds 
the title of president of the "coon club." It is an organiza- 
tion that meets on the street corners and talks a great deal 
about coon hunting, but really does but little hunting. It is 
composed of Lafe Burr, James H. Snail, George Hughel, 
Thomas J. Stephens, Jack Brunt, John P. Davis and several 
others whose names do not now come to mind. 

Some friend of Mr. Burr's one day, in a moment of 
hilarity, went to the Bnllciiii office and put in a two-line 
advertisement and signed Lafe's name to it, wanting two 
large black "coons." 

In a few days an old farmer drove up in front of Mr. 
Burr's gate with a farm wagon and stopped. He called Mr. 
Burr out of the house, and, after passing the time of day, 
said : 

"Well, Lafe, here's your coons." 

"What coons?" 

"Why, the coons you advertised for in the BiiUct'iii y 

"I haven't advertised for anv." 

This aroused the old man's ire. 'T reckon you did; I 
'seed' it in the BiiUctin, and I can read writin' and printin' 
as well as you can, and it's in the paper." 

Lafe still insisted that tiiere was a mistake somewhere in 
the matter. The old man began to warm up. "Look here, 
Mr. Burr, I've knowed you a long while, and respected you 
as an honorable man. Me and my boys quit our work and 
went to a great deal of trouble to catch these coons for you, 
and you don't want to play none of vour foolishness on me. 
You can either take them and pay me for them or there will 
be trouble and our friendship is at an end." 

"Well," said Mr. Burr, "I don't want to lose you as a 
friend, but I assure you this is a practical joke some one has 
put up on me; but I'll take the coons. What are they 
worth r " 

"Two dollars and a half." 

"All right; here's your money. Take them and put 
them in C. K. ^IcCullough's Riverside Park, and come back 
and get your dinner and call it scjiiare." 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 593 

Tlie old man clumped the coons into the park and went 
home happy, and is yet a friend of Burr's. 

liurr has always had a lingering suspicion in his mind 
tiiat James H. Snell, the vice-president of the club, set up this 
job on him. 

Mr. Burr, besides being an old coon hunter, is one of 
Anderson's respected citizens, and has been a great success in 
business affairs. At the November election, 1896, Mr. Burr 
was elected County Commissioner on the Republican ticket. 



38 



CHAPTER LX. 



Indian Reminiscences. 



As has been stated in other parts of this work, the ground 
upon which Anderson stands was at one time an abiding place 
for the Indians. The tribes who are known to have dwelt in 
Madison county at one time were the Delawares and the 
Pottawattamies. The headquarters for the Delawares was 
for a long time at "Anderson's Town,"' and as such it was 
known from the earliest pioneer history. 

"It may at present be an unknown fact, yet it is an 
interesting one to state that the first suit at law in yVnderson 
was heard in a cabin or lodge which had been occupied by 
Chief Anderson. At the time Anderson lived here there was 
another chief of the name of Green, in whose honor the stream 
of water that meanders through the western part of the town 
was named ' Green's Branch.' This is all that is left to per- 
petuate his memory. His wigwam stood on the grounds in 
the immediate vicinity of the present home of the Hon. James 
W. Sansberry, at the west end of Tenth street. 

" This ciiief, so it is stated by the old settlers, was the 
worshipper of an idol. It bore a great resemblance to a 
human countenance, and ^vas carved in a large slab of wood 
and elevated to a distance of twelve or fifteen feet above 
the ground. It was known to have been used for such 
purposes for years before the people located here. Judge 
John Davis secured this idol as a relic and placed it in a room 
in the old court house, from which it was afterwards stolen. 

"It is said that prisoners taken by this tribe in times of 
war were brought before this chief for trial, and were forced 
to run the gauntlet, and traces of the same could be very easily 
observed by the early settlers near Green's wigwam. 

"Another chief was Killbuck, who is said to have been a 
Delaware. His lodge was on the north side of Killbuck creek. 
He is spoken of as a wise chief and one friendlj' to the whites. 
His remains occupy an unknown site in the woods north of 
the dam across Killbuck creek, on the Sparks farm. 



niSTOKV OF .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



595 



" Nanticoke was the name of a chief whose village was 
located on the south bank of White river, on the present farm 
of Robert Gather, about four miles west of Anderson. 

" ' White Eyes ' was another chief, whose lodge stood near 
the present site of the poor farm. All information in regard 
to him is very vague, and but little is known of him or his tribe. 

"The Delawares, judging from early pioneer history, 
wereia very war-like people, and were engaged in many most 




AN IDOL WORSHIPED BY CHIEF GREEN. 

desperate battles \\ ith the whites during the last century. At 
Fort Recovery, Ohio, in an engagement which resulted so dis- 
astrously to the whites, under General St. Clair, the Dela- 
wares bore a prominent part. 

" Fronting the beautiful eminence upon the north bank 
of White river, some eight miles west of Anderson, is an old 
Indian burying ground which occupies nearly an acre, and 
from the depressions in the' ground it is surmised that one 
hundred or more Indians are buried there. This ground is a 
part of the farm of Ale.xander McClintock. No excavations 
Jiavc been made on it, and should the privilege ever be granted 



596 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of making an examination of the ground some valuable in- 
formation might be gleaned concerning the earlv occupants of 
Madison county soil. 

" A peculiar looking pipe weighing about a half pound was 
found upon a grave in this ground sometime since which was 
donated to the Madison County Historical Societ}-. 

" Upon the farm of Matthias Hughel, some two miles east 
of Anderson, upon a high point overlooking the country for a 
distance of two or tliree miles to the south, is the site of the 
village of Moravian Indians, mention of which is made else- 
■where. The evidence of the location of their lodges and wig- 
wams were very easily traced with the advent of the white 
settlers into this region. When the excavations were made 
for the earthwork of the Anderson Hydraulic in 1870, the 
workmen exhumed a great number of skeletons which were be- 
lieved to have belonged to the Moravian Indians. 

" A tradition existed for manv years among the early set- 
tlers that both lead and salt abounded in some of the valleys 
and hills in the vicinity of Anderson, and to some extent this 
belief prevails at the present day. The Indians appeared to 
obtain them easily, and upon short notice, but steadily kept 
the secret to themselves. If lead wasfoundat all, it is thought 
its place was among the hills along White river, to the north- 
west of Anderson. 

'• The farm of Harrison Canaday, two miles north of An- 
derson, was in early times a favorite spot with the Indians for 
hunting deer. The early settlers thought that a salt well dug 
bj' the Indians existed near Killbuck creek by means of which 
the deer were induced to come to that place; but if that was 
really so, the Indians carefully guarded their secret and never 
revealed it to the white man."' 

The descendants of the Madison county Delawares are 
now said to be found in the Indian territory. The above ac- 
count of our early Indian history is taken from a paper by 
Fleming T. Luse of the Madison Coimty Historical Society. 

A LKGEND. 

The following beautiful story was written by Miss Nellie 
Lovett, the accomplished daughter of the Hon. John ^V'. 
I^ovett, now the wife of Earle Reeve, of Anderson, and is re- 
producetl in these pages bv special permission of the writer : 

Earlv in the present century', Indiana territory stretched 
from the Ohio river to the great lakes, and embraced within 



lllSrOIiV OF MAniSON COrXTY, INDIANA. 507 

its borders what is now the prosperous and populous State. 
It had never been subdivided by tlie surveyor's lines, and, with 
the exception of a few rude settlements of hardy pioneers and 
trading posts along the principal streams, it was inhabited only 
by the untutored children of the forest, members of the several 
tribes of the " Great AlgonquinNation," of which the Delaware 
formed a conspicuous part. It was a country beautiful to look 
upon, and lay just as the hand of nature had left it. There was no 
monotonous stretch of level prairie to weary the eye, but hill 
and valley, undulating upland and fertile river bottoms made 
up an ever changing landscape that was beautiful to behold, 
always pleasing and diversified. Near the center of the great 
territory in a bend of the river, then known in the Indian 
tongue as " Watseca,"" or White river, was the 

VILLAGE OK THE DELAWARES, 

ruled over and governed by that noble chieftain, Kik-the-we- 
nund," or Anderson. At the time our story opens Anderson 
was a splendid specimen of the Indian race. In the very prime 
of life, standing six feet in his moccasins, straight as an arrow, 
of powerful frame and dignified bearing, he seemed a born 
leader of men, worthy to wave the scepter of authority over 
the important tribe to wliich he belonged. He had listened to 
the Moravian missionarv, had heard the wonderful storj' of 
the cross, and ever since he had been a steadfast friend of the 
whites. The hardy hunter, trapper or trader, courageous 
enough to penetrate the unbroken forest and reach his village, 
was sure of a welcome at his wigwam. The forests abounded 
in game of everv variety known to the zone. The river teemed 
with the best of the finny tribe, and in the fertile bottoms 
grew, in lu.xuriant abundance, the fields of Indian maize. 

Thus in peace and plenty dwelt Anderson and his tribe, 
keeping inviolate the earlv treaties with the pale face race. 
Years before the chieftain's squaw had lieen stricken by the 
fatal fever, and had been called by the Great Spirit to the 
happy hunting grounds, leaving to Anderson a little daughter, 
" Oneahye, or Dancing Feather." She had grown to early 
womanhood, the pet of the tribe, tall and lithe of figure, swift 
of foot as the red deer, yet gentle and loving of disposition; 
this Indian maiden graced iier father's wigwam, as the 

WILD FLOWERS DECKED 

the sloping hillside that stretched from its doorway to tlie 
margin of the beautiful river. Tiie young braves of her own 



598 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and neighboring tribes, the Miamis and Pottawattamies, paid 
tribute to her beauty, and cast the trophies of the chase at her 
feet ; but thus far her heart remained untouched and her fancy 
as free as the breeze tliat sported in the tree tops, or the wild 
birds that were her daily companions. But one day there 
came to the village a stalwart young hunter of the pale-face 
race. Brave and fearless, the wild life of the woods and 
prairies had a charm for Charlej- vStanley that had won him 
from the haunts of civilized life and had caused him to seek 
as his companions the dusky, untutored children of the for- 
est. He was accorded a warm welcome at the chieftain's • 
wigwam, and at her father's bidding " Oneahye "' spread for 
him, under the shade of the old oak, a mat of soft and fragrant 
rushes, woven by her own deft fingers. To the young and 
susceptible hunter, this Indian princess was a vision of loveli- 
ness. He had never seen a form so graceful, or a face so ex- 
pressive. The days glided by, and still he tarried, the guest of 
tlie tribe. By day the hunter and maiden wandered through 
leafy bowers, and at evening under silvery moonbeams, or the 
silent stars, the two floated on the bosom of the river in the 
light birch canoe. It was the old, old story; and when the 
beautiful Indian summer came and cast its mellow haze over 
hill and. valley, the two were made one after the Indian cus- 
tom, and thus another tie was formed to bind " Chief Ander- 
son " to the whites. 



The years grew green and grew brown; the moons waxed 
and waned, and time rolled on. The splendid country had 
attracted widespread attention, and each jear saw new set- 
tlements of the ever restless Anglo-Saxons; saw the hand of 
civilization leaving its mark on the face of nature, and writing 
the doom of the red children whose heritage was coveted by 
the superior race. Already a trading station had been located 
at the village of the Delawares, and the log-cabin of the pioneer 
stood within arrow shot of the wigwam of the " Aboriginal." 
Anderson recognized the hand of fate; saw the writing on 
the wall, and knew that the red man must soon move toward 
the setting sun. With the other chieftains of the Algoniiuiu 
nation he signed tiie treaty of St. iSIarj-s, in 1818, ceding to 
the United States the remaining interests of the Delawares in 
the splendid Indian territor)-, whereby it was agreed that 
within three j'ears from the signing of the same, his tribe 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 599 

would leave its ancestral territory*, removing to a reservation 
west of the Mississippi. In accordance with the stipulations of 
the treaty, the 20th day of September, 1821, saw the exodus 
of the Delawares from the lands of their fathers. 

The day was a beautiful one. The woodlands were robed 
in gorgeous hues of the Frost King and were Hying the 
flaming banners of autumn. Fifty canoes floated on the river, 
while a herd of ]5onies and pack horses, bearing the camp 
equipage of the tribe, stood ready for the journey. 

The young braves and squaws were to go overland, while 
the chiefs and aged members of the band were to travel by 
water. The white residents turned out to witness their de- 
parture, and there were many touching scenes at the parting. 
Charles Stanley and Oneahye, his Indian wife, had decided 
to remain at the settlement. At a given signal the canoes 
were Hlled with their burden of swarthy beings, and the caval- 
cade took up its line of march. Anderson was the last to 
move. When all was in readiness he laid his hand on the 
head of his daughter. A hush fell upon the assembled multi- 
tude as he spoke in the expressive and figurative language of 
the Delawares a father's parting blessing and benediction. 
The eagle feather in his plume quivered slightly, but bej'ond 
this there was no outward sign of the deep feeling that stirred 
the bosom of the noble chief. This simple ceremony over, he 
stepped into the canoe and stood erect, while the fleet, re- 
sponsive to the strokes of the paddles, shot out into the cur- 
rent, and thus the long and tedious journey to the new hunt- 
ing grounds, was commenced. The people on the river bank 
stood silently watching the departing canoes until a bend in 
the river hid them from view. 

Twenty years had passed since the departure of the Dela- 
wares. Hard years they had been on the tribe. Pestilence 
and war, disease and death had played sad havoc, and but 
few remained of that goodly band of warriors. Anderson 
still lived, but broken by age, hardships and disappointments, 
he felt the future had little in store for him, and his thoughts 
continually turned back to the days of his early manhood, and 
a longing, unconquerable desire to see once again with his 
own eyes his dearlj' loved daughter, and revisit the old scenes, 
filled his heart. 

Gathering about him a few trusty companions, he turned 
his face eastward, and by easy stages and frequent rests he 
made the journey. Charles Stanley had built for himself and 



(;K)0 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

familj- a log cabin, somewhat more pretentious than most of 
his neighbors, and here the old chieftain received a warm and 
tender welcome ; but the days of rest and enjoyment, which 
he had anticipated, were not to be. The fever was raging in 
his veins and pain racked his frame. On the evening after 
liis arrival he became delirious, and from his incoherent words 
it could easily be told he was living over again the old. old 
days. At times he was engaged in counsel with the neigh- 
boring Sachems. Again, he gave the directions for the jour- 
ney westward, and then he seemed to imagine himself in tlie 
old wigwam, and gently stroked the hair of his little grand- 
daughter as he had her mother's many years before. On the 
third day he died and was sorrowfully laid to rest under the 
spreading branches of an old oak not far from the cabin where 
he died. Fifty years have passed. Where the village of the 
Delaware stood stands a vigorous growing young citv, just 
feeling the impulse of new life, caused b\' the wonderful dis- 
covery of natural gas. On every hand are evidences of rapid 
growth and substantial prosperity. The place where the old 
oak stood abutts on one of the leading thoroughfares, is marked 
for a splendid hostelry, and the work of its construction has 
commenced. In excavating for the basement and cellars of 
the building the workmen came upon a human skeleton. It 
was the remains of " Anderson," the Delaware. Bj- direction 
of the owners the skeleton was buried in the crypt of the 
building, where it now rests. Over it was erected the noble 
structure, and it was eminently right and proper that in honor 
of the noble chieftain the hotel should be called " The An- 
derson." 

It is said that on the night of the 21st day of .September, 
1891, the seventieth anniversary of the exodus of the Dela- 
ware, just as the clock in the tower of the court house struck 
the hour of midnight, the ghostly form of an Indian, clad in 
the full habiliments of a Delaware chieftain, might have been 
seen standing erect on the highest crest of the unfinished 
building, with folded arms, looking towards the east, just as 
the chieftain had stood on the morning of his departure, sev- 
enty years before. It remained thus for a moment and faded 
out in a cloud of mist. 



CHAPTER LXI. 



Inteuesting Ckiminal Matters, Mysteriois and Other- 
wise, Recai,lei). 



A DAKINC ISAN'K UOIiliERV. 

At the hour of high noon on Saturday the lOtli of August, 
1878, the city of Anderson was tinown into wild excitement 
over the announcement that the i)anking house of William 
Crim & Co. had been robbed of a large sum of money. This 
was one of the slickest pieces of robbery that was ever perpe- 
trated in this [jart of the couutrv. 

A well dressed stranger, a few days previously, had regis- 
tered at the Doxev House under the name of U. F. Tilden, of 
Mound Citv, Iowa. lie was of verv pleasant address, of un- 
assuming manner, talked but little to anvone but when in con- 
versation was entertaining and .soon ingratiated himself into 
the good will of several leading citizens about the city, among 
whom was Joseph R. Cain, the cashier of the Crim Bank. 
Tilden made several visits to the bank for small accoinmoda- 
tions in the way of procuring change, at one time asking the 
cashier to gi\'e him silver for a twenty dollar bill. Mr. Cain 
took the bag of silver from the vault and counted it out, but 
just at that moment the stranger seemed to be troubled with a 
.<ore finger. Me politely recjuested Mr. Cain to tie it up for 
him as he could not tie it with his other hand. He had a 
white rag wrapped around his tinger which was also wrapped 
with a thread which was ready to tie. Mr. Cain, of cour.se, 
complied with the request but in so doing he was compelled to 
reach over the counter. Mr. Tilden detained him as long as 
possible in tying it up by telling him that he had tied it too 
tight and had him to loosen it and retie it. 

While this was going on a couple of sneak thieves, con- 
federates of Tilden, had slifiped in, with cork soles on their 
shoes, and crawled around the counter and got behind the 
cashier's department, where the safe was standing with the 
tloor open. .\ large sum of money was exposed, which they 



602 nisTonv of madison countv, Indiana. 

grabbed from the vault and made their way out with their 
booty. 

When Mr. Tilden entered the door he had a confederate 
who stood on the front steps for the purpose of detaining any 
one that might come in while the robbery was going on. 
Richard Thornburg, a farmer living a few miles from the city, 
was just entering the bank to transact some business, when 
the confederate, who stood on the outside, stopped him and 
made some imiuiry as to where some person lived, or some 
other unimportant matter, and detained him until the sneak 
thieves had passed out of the bank and Mr. Tilden had also 
made his escape. 

About this time Nerval Crim, the son of William L'rim. 
the president of the bank, arrived to relieve Mr. Cain while 
he went to his noon meal. Just as Crim entered the bank 
some customer came in with a large check, which required 
more money than was usually kept on the counter to pay it. 
After looking at the check he turned to the safe to take out a 
package, when, to his astonishment, the packages were gone. 
He immediately accosted Mr. Cain and asked him what had 
become of the currency- Mr. Cain was astoundetl to find 
that the packages had disappeared, and it immediately dawned 
upon him that he had "been robbed, and at once suspected 
Tilden of being the guilty party, or at least an accoinplice in 
the aft'air. 

Tilden and his confederates immediately on leaving the 
bank started for the Pan-JIandle train going north at 1 :20 
V. ,M. The alarm was gi-ven and pursuit was made. The 
officers boarding the train placed Tilden under arrest and also 
tliree others who were under suspicion as being his accom- 
plices. The parties arrested with Tilden gave their names as 
T- C. Curtis, of Cleveland, John Ryan, of Fort Waj'ne, J. Ash 
and J. T. Bradley, of Pittsfield. All of these parties had 
boarded the train with Tilden. When the train arrived at El- 
wood Ryan endeavored to make his escape and jumped from the 
train and ran through a stave yard. He was seen holding his 
coat on entering the yard, but on leaving he had left it behind. 
This action on the part of Ryan led the officers to believe that 
he had hidden the money somewhere among the staves, and 
search was made by parties at Elwood, assisted by the officers, 
but nothing was found until the next day when Mr. P'rank M. 
Hunter, Postmaster at Elwood, found $1,790, and anotlier 
party found a small sum, the amount of which the writer does 



IIISTOKV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 603 

not remeinher. The money had been secreted in the stave 
piles by the ilying thief, who was afterward captured. 

Ryan and the other p.articipants were returned to Ander- 
son on the evening train, but waived preliminary examination 
until ?vIonday morning. They were placed in the Madison 
county jail. James Ilazlett was then Mayor of the city and 
the case was brougiit before him for trial, but the parties took 
a change of \ enue from His Honor and their cases were sent to 
William Roach, Esquire, where the preliminary trial took 
place on the Tuesday and Wednesday following. Ash and 
Curtis were both released, but the others, Ryan, Bradley and 
Tilden were held on bail, which tiiey failed to give and were 
sent back to jail. Hon. Howell D. Tliompson and Calvin D. 
Thompson, Esquire, were employed to defend them. Hon. 
James W. Sansberry and Hon. Charles L. Henry and A. S. 
McAllister appeared for the State. Friends of the parties 
came to the front and put up cash bail for them, which they 
afterward forfeited and never came to trial. It is said, how- 
ever, that there were some arrangements with the managers 
of the bank and the friends of these parties that the greater 
portion of the money was restored to the bank. How much 
was taken and how much the bank received in return is known 
only by those who were intimately connected with the affair. 
The amount was varioush' estimated at from $5,000 to $12,000. 
It will never be known to outside parties what was the true 
state of affairs in this relation. 

It is said that Ryan was afterwards killed in an encoun- 
ter of some kind when he was in the act of committing an un- 
lawful deed. Tilden, after being released, was on one or two 
occasions seen by parties who recognized him at Indianapolis. 
He was imdoubtedly the smoothest rogue who ever planted 
his foot in Madison county. During the preliminary trial 
which was held in the court house, Mr. Tilden sat each day 
with a kid glove on one hand, in which he help the glove for 
the other. His faultless linen shirt front and the sparkling 
diamonds that he wore, with his boots shining as brightly as 
they could be made, were all scenes in his part of the play, 
and anyone entering the court room during the proceedings 
whom he had met at any time during his stay in town he sa- 
luted with a bow and greeted with a smile. He was so polite 
and kind to the officers, to the prosecuting attorney and the 
lawyers on the other side that he almost won their favors be- 
fore the trial ended. 



()04 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

^^'hile many criticised Cashier Cain, it is safe to say that 
tliL-re is not one man out of a tiioiisand phiced as lie was who 
would not have done as he did. 

The writer has been behind the counter of a bank for 
many years and is ready to confess that lie would in all proba- 
bilitv have done as Mr. Cain did under similar circiuiistaiices 

A mysti:kious bi-rglaky. 

W. S. Shirk, who is well known to almost every one in 
Anderson, and who kept a jewelry store on tlie north side, 
was the victim of two daring robberies within a period of 
two years. The first time, in the month of November. 1888, 
some miknown persons entered his store through the back 
door while the proprietor was at supper, and got away 
with about .'t!2,(K)() worth of jewelry, and diamonds, and 
made good their escape. The trays in which the valuables 
were kept were all emptied and the show cases left bare, a 
greeting that met Mr. Shirk's view when he returned from 
his meal that made him heart-sick. He could scarcely be- 
lieve his own eyes when he beheld the empty cases. 

Mr. Shirk had just begun to recover from the effects of 
this robber)' in a financial way, when he was again, on the 
night of March 14, 189U, visited with a similar occurrence, 
only on a larger scale. 

Mr. and Mrs. Shirk were boarders at the Hotel Doxey, 
and had gone to their rooms leaving the store closed, and the 
safes securely locked. A young man of the name of C. H. 
Williams was a clerk in the store, and had gone out to call on 
a ladv friend, returning at about 1'2 o'clock to retire for the 
night, he having his sleeping apartments in the store. Upon 
entering the room he was astonished to see the safe door open, 
and upon examination he ascertained that a robbery had been 
committed. He at once repaired to the hotel and aroused Mr. 
Shirk, who hastened to the store, wiiere he was soon con- 
vinced that he had again been the victim of burglars. The 
alarm was immediately given to the police and all effort to 
find a clue was made without success. The entire stock was 
taken and a lai-ge loss was sustained. Detectives were put to 
work on the case and the whole country was scoured in order 
to find some evidence of guilt or some trace of the robbers. 
Suspicion pointed towards the clerk, and the detectives de- 
cided to cause his arrest, which was accordingly done, but on 



UlSTOHV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. HOS 

an investigation he was exonerated from all blame and fullv 
acquitted of the offense. 

This was without doubt one of the slickest pieces of 
thievery e\er perpetrated. There was no one in the wide 
world who had the combination to the safe except Mr. Shirk, 
and how it was opened is to this day a mystery. 

There was but one tiieory advanced bj' experts, and that 
was that some one had gotten possession of tiie letters on 
which the combination was set, at some time when Mr. 
Shirk iiad inadvertently laid them down, and quietly bided the 
time until an opportunity offered itself to perfect the job. 

The clerk was not allowed to have the combination ami 
was in no way familiar with the inside workings of the safe. 

Some people were of the opinion that Shirk was the 
guilty party of his own robbery, but there was absolutely no 
foundation or reason for this concju-ion, as he was in no one's 
debt, and could in no wise profit bj' such a transaction, and 
besides, he was the personification of honor and would not be 
guilty of such a crime. 

Mr. Shirk was one of tiie finest workmen in his line in the 
United States, being a practical watch maker. He left 
Anderson not long after this occurrence, and moved to Florida 
on account of his wife's health, where he at this time resides. 

Mr. Shirk learned his trade with John Await, in Ander- 
son, and for many years was in his emplo\'. 

He was born and reared at Newcastle, Ind. This was a 
severe blow to him financially, and was the cause of his having 
to give up business for himself, and is now working as a jour- 
neyman at his trade. 

A niJlUiGIST ■' HELD Ul»."' 

On the 18th of August, 1880, about the hour of 12 
o'clock at night, when all honest people had sought their 
peaceful couches and all was serene and quiet, Frank Murphy, 
a des])erate night prowler of the ligiit-fingered fraternity, 
made his way into the sleeping apartments of Charles A.Hen- 
derson, the well-known Anderson druggist, by climbing over 
the veranda from the groimd below. He very deliberately 
went to Mr. Henderson's bed, where he and his wife were 
sleeping, and took Mr. Henderson's trowsers from under his 
head and rifled their pockets. Tliis aroused the sleeping vic- 
tim, who at once made an attempt to get up and give the 
alarm, but he was promptly stopped by his midnight visitor. 



606 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY. INDIANA. 

wlio held a Smith & Wesson's revolver to his face and com- 
manded him to keep still at the risk of his life. Mr. Hen- 
derson thought discretion the better part of valor, so he 
ineekly obeyed the command. There was a light in the room, 
and Mr. Henderson took a good look at the intruder. He 
satisfied himself that if he should ever meet him again he 
would know him. The impression made on Henderson's mind 
was so vivid that he has never lost the full outlines of that 
man's face. The ne.xt day after this occurrence Mr. Hender- 
son met the robber on the street, and at once recognized him. 
He quietly gave the alarm to the city marshal, and he started 
in pursuit of the criminal. The rogue must have suspected 
that Henderson knew him, for he at once took a straight line 
for the Bee Line railroad, where a freight train was standing, 
about to start east. While the marshal was getting his forces 
readv a friend of Mr. Henderson hurried to the depot and 
quietlv informed the conductor of what was going on, and he 
held the train until the officers arrived, and in a few minutes 
Murphy was a prisoner. The Circuit Court was in session at 
the time, arid an indictment was procured against the pris- 
oner and a hasty trial had, and he was soon on his way to 
Michigan City to serve time for iiis crime. He made threats 
that he would come back when he had served his time and 
kill Henderson ; but he got over this, as he did come back, but 
never molested Mr. Henderson in any way. 



CHAPTER LXII. 



A Number of Disastrous Fires in Anderson and 
Vicinity Remembered. 

an old landmark destroyed. 

The older inhabitants of Madison county will remember 
the old Jackson flouring mill that stood on the banks of White 
river at the ford near the farm of Samuel Myers east of 
the city. The mere mention of the name of this mill calls to 




ANDREW JACKSON. 

tile minds of the old-timers the times when they "toted" 
their grists to mill long before there were any turnpikes in 
Madison county, and when they would have to travel a dis- 
tance of eight or ten miles, and the trip would often consume 
two days or more. When they got to the mill they would 
have to wait for the grinding of their grain and then return 
home with the grist the next day. This mill was built by David 
Williams in 1832, and did good work from that time until 
its destruction. It was an old-fashioned water power, and 



608 ItlSTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

was the first to be built in this section of the country. It en- 
joyed the patronage of ahnost the entire county at onetime, 
and it is said that often persons would have to wait and stand 
in line a day at a time in order to get their grist ground. An- 
drew Jackson purchased and operated it for a long time, and 
in the year 1857 sold it to his son David B. Jackson, who ran 
it until the day of its destruction. The cause of the conflagra- 
tion seems to have been as follows : A yoimg man working 
about the mill had put afire in the stove in the morning and in 
building it dropped a piece of coal into a decaying place in 
one of the floor sills. At noon that day the fire was discov- 
ered in the foundation timbers. One of the millers was at- 
tracted to it and saw the smouldering coals which he put out 
as he thought, and no further attention was paid to it. At 
11 o'clock that night the family was aroused by the cry of fire 
by the neighbors. Upon looking out the building was found 
to be in a sheet of flames. Nothing could be done to ex- 
tinguish the fire, and the structure was destroyed. And thus 
^vas wiped out one of the old landmarks of Madison county. 
The dam above the mill remained for several years, but was 
finally torn away. No sign no^v remains to mark the spot 
where the mill once stood except the rippling of the water over 
the few straggling stones left where the dam once stood. 

BURNING OF THE EAGLE CHAIR FACTORY. 

At the corner of Eleventh and Meridian streets in Ander- 
son, once stood one of the largest of Anderson's industries. 
It was known as the Eagle Chair factory, and employed a 
large force of hands. Its products went through the length 
and breadth of the land. It was established in 1868 by Hollo- 
wav & Jackson, ^vho began the manufacture of bent wood for 
chairs. The business was carried on by them until 1871, when 
a stock company was organized composed of Elisha B. Hollo- 
way, Enoch M. Jackson, David W. Swank, Minor Barrett, 
Isaac D. Bosworth, and others for the manufacture of chairs 
and other articles of furniture. The most approved style of 
machinery was purchased, and the factory was equipped in 
first-class style. From 50 to 75 people were employed, and a 
very extensive business was transacted. 

After the concern had run for two years under the man- 
agement of the above named gentlemen, several of the stock- 
holders disposed of their interests to Alfred Walker who event- 
ually became the sole proprietor. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. (509 

On the 6th of May, 1880, the sound of the whistle of this 
busy hive of industry announced to the sleeping citizens, that 
the place was on fire. The people at once hastened to the 
scene, as was usual in those days, with buckets and other ap- 
pliances for extinguishing fires, but with little efl'ect, in this 
instance, as the building was filled with dry, combustible mate- 
rial, and it was but a little while until all the interior of the 
structure together with its contents was devoured by the rag- 
ing flames, leaxing nothing to tell where this thrixing factory 
had once stood. The residence of M. A. Bosworth which 
occupied the site where the home of E. E. Newton at present 
stands, was also ignited bj- the flames, and burned to the 
ground. The large three-story brick building in which John- 
son, Gates & Canaday are now conducting a furniture busi- 
ness which was then run as a planing mill, sash and blind 
factory by Bosworth & Bro., also took fire at several times, 
but was, by heroic work on the part of the inen, saved from 
destruction. The old church building occupying the ground 
immediately north was also on fire, but was saved from 
destruction by the courage of a man of the name of James 
Stilly, who, at great peril to himself, crawled up the steep 
roof, to a height of about fifty feet, and threw his coat over 
where it had ignited, and thus put out the incipient flames. 
This daring act of Stilly's was applauded by loud shouts of 
approval from the people below. Hereceived their thanks and 
was properly rewarded for his brave act by Mr. John W. 
Pence, the owner of the building. 

The ground on which the Eagle Chair Factory stood sub- 
sequently passed into the hands of Hester tt Sons who con- 
verted it into a barrel, stave and heading factory, which they 
operated for a considerable time. 

The fire was supposed to have been the work of an incen- 
diary, and two persons who were seen loitering about the rail- 
road depots were placed under arrest, one of whom gave his 
name as William Wilson of Ogle, Illinois. The name of the 
other individual has passed out of the recollection of the 
writer. Wilson was a Norwegian by birth, and claimed to be 
a printer by trade, lie gave a good account of his where- 
abouts at the time of the fire, and also stated what his business 
in the city was. There being no positive evidence against 
him, he was released from custody. 

The building and its contents were insured to the amount 

of $4.n00, but this sum was insufficient to cover the loss. 
39 



610 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

BURNING OF roth's JEWELRY STORE. 

On the night of December 26, 1885, about half past 12 
o'clock, an alarm of fire was given when it was discovered 
that the extensive jewelry store, owned by William Roth, 
^vhich occupied the building where Daniels' drugstore is now 
situated, on the corner of Ninth and Main streets, was on fire. 
All efforts to stay the devouring flames were unsuccessful and 
in a short time the building with its contents was destroyed. 
The hook and ladder companv did good service, and the wind 
being favorable, this was the only building destroyed on that 
side of the square. The roofs of the adjoining buildings were 
covered with men who were kept constantly dashing \vater 
on the flames and thus allayed the fears of many who felt that 
the entire square would be burned. 

The fire was of mysterious origin and it was thought by 
many to have been the work of an incendiary, but there was no 
proof of the fact. Among the heavy losers were : William 
Roth on his stock of jewelry; Captain A. I. Makepeace, and 
Jesse L. Henry, who owned the building; Mrs. Wentworth, 
who had a milliner}- store in t!ie adjoining building, also lost 
quite heavily. 

THE .AIERIDI.\N GLASS FACTORY Bl'RXED. 

On Saturday night September 10, 1890, at about the 
hour of 10 o'clock, the alarm of fire was given, and in a few 
moments it was heralded throughout the city that the Meridian 
street plant of the Pennsylvania Glass Company was on fire. 
The department was soon on hand, but there was so much 
combustible material in the building that such a thing as sub- 
duing the flames was impossible, and the structure and contents 
were destroyed, entailing a loss of !{i40,()(H). The company 
carried on the plant and stock, nearl\' the same amount of in- 
surance, so the loss was mainly on the insurance companies, 
aside from the time lost in replacing the buildings, and equip- 
ing them ready for use. 

The establishment was originallv the property of the 
American Glass Company, which came to Anderson in 1889, 
from Martin's Ferry, Ohio. This company failed in business 
in 1891, and the factory was sold to the Pennsylvania Glass 
Company, which has operated it since. It is one of the best 
factories in the county, having given employment to a large 
number of men, and runs the year round. It is a cooperative 
company, nearly all of the operatives being stockholders. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 611 

The officers at the time of the fire were Thos. J. McMahan, 
president ; John L. Forkner, vice-president ; John Schies, sec- 
retary and treasurer, and Fiery Toms, manager. 

The pUmt when first established manufactured fancy dec- 
orated ware, lamps and lamp flues, but the business from some 
cause did not prosper, and the companj' went to the wall. 
After the Pennsylvania Company acquired the property, it was 
converted into a bottle factory, and manufactured all kinds of 
glass specialties. The fruit jar season is a profitable time 
for this establishment, and it enjoys a large trade in this line. 
In connection with the plant wals also a mould shop, where all 
of the moulds for this and manj' other factories were made. 
It was one of the severest losses to Anderson while the factory 
remained idle, and many employes, as well as merchants and 
business men, felt it very keenly. This factory has been re- 
built in a substantial manner. 

DESTUUCTION OF ,\ HANDLE FACTOIiV. 

On the mornmg of September 20, 1884, a disastrous fire 
visited Anderson at about 2 o'clock, consuming the Handle 
Factory owned by Charles T. Doxey & Company, situated on 
Meridian street south of the Bee Line Railroad, with all its 
machinery and stock. The origin of the fire was a mystery 
but was supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. It 
was first discovered in the northeast corner of the building 
upon the second floor in the part used for storing handles, and 
remote from the engine room. Work had been suspended at 
the factory during the week previous, in order to make repairs, 
and no fire had been built in the boiler-room and there was no 
possible means of the fire originating from the furnace. Part 
of the walls of the building fell in and the remaining portion 
stood in a toppling condition until they were torn down. 
There \vas stored in the building at the time 9,000 dozen 
handles ready for shipment. Mr. H. E. McCandliss, present 
street commissioner in Anderson, was manager of the factory 
and a large stockholder therein. The loss was supposed to 
be in the neighborhood of !fil5,000, covered by $9,000 insur- 
ance. After this disastrous fire the building was never rebuilt 
nor was the business resumed bv the company. 

BURNING OF THE " BANNER STORE." 

On the morning of December 24, 1890, at the hour of 
6 o'clock, the Leob-Brunt building on Meridian street, be- 



612 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

tween Ninth and Tenth, in the city of Anderson, was dis- 
covered to be on fire. The flames were issuing from the base- 
ment and in a few minutes the whole structure was enveloped 
in flames. The efforts of the fire department proved futile, 
and all attempts to save the building and its contents were with- 
out avail. The building ^vas occupied by "The Banner 
Store," owned by Messrs. Rawlings, Haynes & Co., and by 
Maag & Son. shoe dealers. 

The building was insured in the sum of $14,0()0, and the 
stocks were covered by $30,000. The loss was much more 
than the insurance on the stock of Rawlings, Haynes & Co., 
while Maag's stock was thought to be fully covered. This 
was the third time this building was destroyed by fire. The 
first time in 1884, when it was known as the Doxey Opera 
House, when it was burned without any insurance, the loss 
being nearly $80,000. It was again burned in 1893, when it 
was known as the Doxey Music Hall, being covered by insur- 
ance. An account of these conflagrations last named are 
given elsewhere. 

The community displayed its sympathj- without stint for 
the unfortunate victims of this fire, and assisted in every man- 
ner in trying to help them in their distress. 



I 



CHAPTER LXIII. 



Reminiscences, Amusing and Otherwise. 



SAM PENCE S LOTTERY. 

Samuel Pence, who is at this time, a familiar figure upon 
the streets of Anderson, gave a grand gift distribution and 
lottery in Anderson at Union Hall on the 24th of December, 
18C(). 

Mr. Pence had for many years been engaged in the livery 
business, having his stables on South Main street on the 
ground now occupied by the Bronnenberg block. Becoming 
tired of the business, and wishing to dispose of his stock to 
the best advantage, Mr. Pence devised a lottery scheme as the 
best means of procuring a good price for the same. He ac- 
cordingly advertised largely throughout the country by means 
of the newspapers and hand-bills of his grand drawing and 
distribution of prizes. 

On the night when the drawing took phice a brass band 
was in attendance, and hundreds of people crowded into the 
place to witness the event. The drawing was conducted to 
the satisfaction of all, and but few complaints were heard. It 
was an honest affair. There were no blanks given out ; each 
and every ticket drew a prize of some kind. On this occa- 
sion many were present who lived eight and ten miles in the 
country. They waited anxiously and hoped for their number 
to be drawn, and when at last the affair was over the disap- 
pointment expressed on the countenances of some was amus- 
ing to behold. Many had invested as high as ten, twenty- and 
thirty dollars drawing minor prizes, while others who had in- 
vested only the sum of one dollar drew some of the most valu- 
able prizes. Nearly all the tickets advertised were sold, and 
brought quite a handsome sum to Mr. Pence for his property. 

From the list of prizes drawn upon that occasion we give 
the following: One horse, "Pete;" one horse, '"Bill;" one 
horse, ''Sam ;" one mare, "Kit;" one mare, "Jane;"' one 
mare, " Sis ;" one mare, " Betty ;" one buggy, one double set 
of harness, one bed and bedstead, one single sleigii, one sad- 



614 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

die, one cutting box, one buB'alo robe, one hog, one sow and 
pigs, one lever watch, one bureau, one iron kettle, one break- 
fast table, one bar of soap, one Colt's revolver, one milch 
cow. Besides the above articles, there were about SCX) num- 
bers each of which drew a one-dollar greenback. It was 
advertised that every ticket holder would be presented with a 
picture, which turned out to be the likeness uf Abraham Lin- 
coln, which was engraved upon the back of the ticket. 

Some laughable incidents occurred during the drawing. 
The writer, who was one of the anxious spectators expecting 
to draw a fortune, was the recipient of a bar of Shultz's Star 
soap, while Nolly Walden, a colored barber who sat at his 
side, drew a fine horse. A lady who sat a few feet in front of 
him drew a sow and pigs, and a minister of the gospel who 
resided a short distance in the countrv, drew a cutting box. 
One man drew a grain cradle, and Enoch j\I. Jackson, a prom- 
inent citizen of Anderson, drew an iron kettle. 

Mr. Pence is yet living in Anderson, where he has a host 
of friends. 

DR. ABSALOJI TARRIS. 

Dr. Absalom Parris was an old-timer, who died near An- 
derson about 1875. He was a doctor of divinitv as well as a 
doctor of medicine. He practiced medicine during the week 
and preached in the country churches on Sunday. ^Vhile he 
was not a thoroughly educated man. he had a fair knowledge 
of things in general. He had an excellent flow of language, 
and could preach and pray in a way that would make the haia 
stand on end, and perfectly amaze his hearers. 

He would grow eloquent in prayer, and use some language 
that was really beautiful. The writer will always remember 
hearing him wind up a prayer in the Presbyterian church in 
Anderson. He prayed that when he was to be removed from 
this " mundane sphere, that he might be wafted forth on angel 
wings, and conveyed to that beautiful and shining shore, 
where sickness, sorrow and death never dwell, and be per- 
mitted to rest his head on the bosom of the beloved Jesus, and 
breathe his soul out sweetly there." 

He was one of the politest old gentlemen in the country, 
and always in a good humor. He was a sterling Democrat, 
always taking stock for his party in the campaigns as they 
came around. In his practice of medicine he had some few 
remedies that he prescribed in nearly every case. His head- 



J 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 615 

quarters were at Henderson's drug store. The Hendersons 
used to think a great deal of him, and made mucli over him 
when he went into their store, alwaj-s welcoming him with 
an "eye-opener" behind the prescription case. You could 
hear him smack his lips clear across the room as he would re- 
mark, "Bub, that is excellent, excellent.'" 

One of his favorite remedies was " hydrastis canadensis." 
He alwaj-s called Charley Henderson " Bub." After being 
seated at the stove, properly warmed and "tuned up," he would 
turn to Charley, rubbing his hands, and say: "Bub, have 
you any of the hydrastis canadensis, known among we medical 
men as the Golden Seal — among the commonality of the peo- 
ple as yaller root.^ "' 

Charley always had some of his favorite prescription ready 
for him at a moment's notice. Dr. Parris was one of those old- 
school fellows whom you don't meet in the present day. He 
could be religious, and at the same time mix in the pool of 
politics, take a light drink with the boys and then leave it 
alone. In fact, a good drink of old rye made him, if anything, 
more religious. He could give e.xpression to his scriptural 
views with more vigor and use language not to be found any- 
where in the dictionary', when he was keyed up. 

He lived west of the city for manj- years, and died in 
1875, leaving a memory behind him that will remain green as 
long as the old-timers around Anderson survive. He also had 
a brother, William Parris, who was a doctor, and who figured 
quite extensively in these parts about that time. William 
was said to be better up in the medical profession than Absa- 
lom, but as a preacher and e.xhorter he could not "touch him," 
neither could anyone else. Absalom Parris stood without a 
rival in that line. 

Anderson's .monu.ment.m. liak. 

Among the other great things Madison countj' has pro- 
duced in its time, is a number of very handsome, \vell-trained 
and well-developed prevaricators. It is not supposed that 
there is now, or that there ever was a man in Madison county 
who would willfuUj- lie to hurt a fellow-man, or even to en- 
hance his own interests, but for your spinning yarns and big 
story telling, she has had some " hummers." 

There was at one time, many years ago, perhaps as far 
back as 1850, a man who lived here by the name of Blodgett, 
who was a blacksmitii. He had his shop on the lot where 



G16 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Charles T. Doxey's residence now stands, where he used to do 
Avork for the farmers, shoeing their horses, setting their 
■wagon-tires and '' upsetting" their axes, etc. When not at 
work he put in the time chaffering and giving the farmers and 
his customers in general big talks and large snake stories. 
James !Mohan tells of a story that Blodgett related to him once 
when he was a boy. 

He was sent to Blodgett's shop for some repair ^vork. 
While he was waiting for his job, Blodgett told him about a 
barefooted fellow stepping on a piece of hot iron. He said: 

" I was cutting some bars for the purpose of making 
horse shoes, when a big, gawky fellow from the backwoods 
came in barefooted ; he had gone barefooted so long that his 
heels where perfectly calloused. I had just cut off a piece of 
a bar of iron, which fell on the dirt floor and the fellow, with 
out seeing it, stepped on it with his heel. He stood there 
for several minutes without moving. I watched him closely, 
but said nothing. Finally the grease began to run out on the 
floor ; a terrible smoke and smell arose ; at last I said, 'Stranger, 
do you know you are standing on that hot iron and likely to 
get burnt?' About this time the heat began to penetrate the 
ball of his foot. He made a leap straight up in the air, com- 
ing down with a whoop like an Indian. I dropped my work 
and went to him, catching him around the waist as he again 
started to jump up in the air. I carried him to the ' slack ' 
tub and soused him in, feet foremost. Such a sizzing and fry- 
ing you never heard ! The steam filled the shop so full that 
nothing could be seen. The horses that I was shoeing became 
frightened and stampeded, tearing every thing before them. 
His foot was so hot that the water in the tub was entirely ab- 
sorbed before it was cooled oft'. By holding him in the water 
so long it entirely drew the fire out. When I let him out, he 
sauntered out in town as if nothing had happened, not even 
thanking me for my aid in his troubles. It took me all after- 
noon to hunt up the horses that had run out of the shop dur- 
ing the excitement." 

James Mohan, James Battreall, Robert Titherington and 
several other old-timers vouch for the above, not for the truth 
of it, but that Blodgett really related it as a fact. 

THE WAY A SHOWMAN TOOK A SHERIFF'S BREATH. 

In 1870, O'Brien's menagerie gave an exhibition in Ander- 
son. It was one of the largest aggregations of living won- 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 617 

ders ever produceil in this part of tiie country. During their 
stay they got into trouble with John A. Harrison about the 
ground upon wliich they showed. A general fight ensued in 
which Harrison got badly worsted. He had the show party 
arrested and fined for assault and battery. An execution was 
at once issued and placed in Thomas J. Fleming's hands, as 
Deputy Sheriff, for collection. He repaired to the show 
grounds and incjuired for Mr. O'Brien, the proprietor, who 
immediately came to the front, and in a very genteel manner 
listened to the reading of the writ ; after which Mr. Fleming 
demanded payment. O'Brien explained that he had had a 
very hard season and was scarce of cash, but would turn out 
property until the Sheriff was satisfied. This was all he could 
ask. They entered the tent and walked around in front of a 
large cage of hyenas. 

Mr. O'Brien called one of the attendants and said : ''Jim, 
open that cage door and let this gentleman have those two 
hyenas. Open up that next cage of Bengal tigers and — " 

" Hold on, hold on," said Tom, "d — n )'our tigers and 
hyenas. I don't want them.'" 

" But do 1 not have a right to turn out such property as 
I choose to satisfy your execution?" 

■'Yes, but I believe if I was in your place I would ap- 
peal this case to the Circuit Court. I think you can defeat 
it. I'll go on your bond if you will take an appeal," said 
Fleming, all the time keeping an eye on the cages for fear the 
animals would get out. 

O'Brien went up town and appealed the case. It was 
carried up to the Supreme Court, where it hung along for 
years. Finally it was decided in O'Brien's favor. After that 
time you could not hire Tom Fleming to tackle a showman 
with a legal process of any kind. 

now THE BOYS "worked" ax OLD .MAN. 

In the happy days of the old court house the boys around 
there used to have a great deal of fun. There was no formal- 
ity in the mingling of men of those times. The court house 
was the center of gravity. When the country people came to 
town, as soon as their trading was done they went over to 
the court house to visit the officers awhile and exchange sto- 
ries with them. In those days the jury was generally selected 
from among the farmers in the country. It was like the meet- 
ing of a small legislature, and was looked forward to with 



618 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

great anxiet}-, especially the winter terms. In the long even- 
ings the jury generally congregated about some of the county 
offices, where they told jokes, sang songs, ate apples, cracked 
hickorynuts, drank cider, and enjoyed themselves until late 
bed time. One occurrence of those good old days comes to 
mind. During a term of the circuit court an old man from 
near the Tipton countv line came into court, asking a divorce 
from his wife. He stayed around, waiting for his time to 
come, for several days. He wanted his divorce so badlj- that 
he was nearly '• frozen."' He was not the most intelligent 
liuman being in the world, and did not know much about 
courts and their modes of procedure. Isaac Forrest was on 
the jury that term. He noticed the old man staying around, 
and hnall)- inquired of him what he wanted. The old man 
related his " tale of woe." Ike told him that if he would 
come up to the court house that night he would get his case 
tried. The old man was delighted and was on hand at the 
appointed hour. In the meantime, Ike had informed the bovs, 
who were all promptly assembled at the court house after sup- 
per. Some one of the jurymen was selected to act as attorney 
for the plaintiff. Forrest presided as Judge. The case was 
tried, which took until uearlv midnight. The evidence was 
voluminous and of a rich character. The old man charged 
adultery as his cause of action. His testimony was given at 
full length, in his own way, whereupon "Judge" Forrest 
took him through a severe cross-examination. It was one of 
the funniest proceedings that ever transpired in the old court 
house. '• Judge "' Forrest linally granted the old man a de- 
cree of divorce, with the provision that he should never marry 
again and should at once leave the country. The decree did 
not exactly suit him, so the next morning he tackled Judge 
Craven about it and wanted it amended. Craven did not 
understand it. After awhile it leaked out. Judge Craven 
was hot about it, and came very nearlv bringing the boys over 
the coals. The old man had an actual case pending in court, 
and thouglit he was really divorced. A side lecture from 
Judge Craven taught the boys that it was not just the thing to 
" monkey"' with cases on the court docket in sham trials. 

THOMAS J. FLEMING AND THE COLORED PREACHER. 

Along about 1869, or '70, Thomas J. Fleming was deputy 
clerk of the court of Madison county. He was one of the clev- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. G19 

erest men in the world, but about that time he was exceed- 
ingly so, from the fact that he was a candidate for clerk, which 
caused him to get in his best licks. During this time a negro 
preacher came along, and engaged the court house to hold 
" meetin' " in, there being no colored church here at that time. 
The sheriff, Mr. James H. SncU, rather objected, as he did 
not want to be detained to look after the house and close it up 
at night after services. Fleming had an eye to getting the 
colored vote, so he volunteered to act as sexton. The hour ar- 
rived for services. Fleming rang the bell that adorned the 
cupola of the old temple of justice. The deacons, and brothers 
and sisters, and dusky maidens of all sizes came to church. 
The preacher was one of the old-fashioned, hard-shell Baptists 
— a regular " Hepsidam" orator, whose voiie could be heard 
for a mile distant. Fleming concluded that he would kill two 
birds with one stone ; while the meeting was going on he was 
behind his desk making up court records. There was but one 
lamp in the house, which was one of those large-sized coal oil 
burners. It was arranged on one corner of the judge's stand, 
where it served to give light to the preacher, and also to Flem- 
ing at his work. A familiar hymn was sung and "meetin' " 
broke loose in earnest. The preacher took a text from away 
back, where it took " monstrous" hard "preechin'" to sift it 
down. He preached and preached at the top of his voice, till 
he got his hearers all shaken up. He swayed back and forth, 
ripped around, and pawed the air with his fists, winding up 
his sermon by saying : "My beloved bredern, I'se cum all 
de way down from Randof county, ah, I'se left my wife as a 
widder and my childun as ofFens, ah ! to preach de gospel to a 
lost and ruined congreation, ah!" Making a mis-lick at this 
point, he struck the lamp with his fist and upset it, spilling the 
oil over the desk and clerk's books, leaving the audience in total 
darkness. Fleming flew around like a chicken with its head 
cut off until he got matters straightened up. The sisters 
screamed and the deacons raved like animals. At last, quiet 
was restored, and the minister wound up his sermon in the 
dark by saying: "My bredern, as I said afo', I'se preachin 
for de good ob de soul, and not for money ; but if any ob de 
bredern have any ole close to spah, I wouldn't mind takin' a 
few of 'em."' After singing the doxology the meeting was dis- 
missed. This was the last colored meeting held in tFie old 
court house. 



620 HISTORY or MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

OLIVER C. DAVIS AND HIS PECULIARITIES. 

As long as any person lives in Anderson wlio knew 
Oliver C. Davis his name will be perpetuated. lie was a 
friend as true as steel. His word was his bond. If he owed 
a dollar he was as sure to pay it on the day it fell due as the 
sun rose and set on that day. If he made a bet he held it as 
sacred as the most binding obligation. If he lost, the money 
was forthcoming witiiout a sigh or a groan. He would give 
it up so gracefuU}' that it made one feel good. If he won he 
expected prompt settlement, and he everlastingly hated the 
man who would not pav his bets. He had a very droll way 
of expressing his approval or disapproval of things going on 
around him, but always nailed the center when he "remarked."' 

One time he was coming down town on a verv hot sum- 
mer day, and passed a house where a man was sitting in the 
shade of a house, while his wife was out in the yard splitting 
wood. Oliver stopped, took off his hat, wiped the perspira- 
tion from his face, and said : " Well, I have; seen many and 
many of a lazy man, but you had ought to bin a Injun." 

He bought land for taxes. A good old farmer came in 
one day and wanted to get him to assign a certificate to a piece 
of land on which the farmer had a lien. " Very well," said 
Oliver, " I will assign it for $25."' That took the old man's 
breath. It was too much, so he walked oat. The next day 
the old man returned, and called on Davis and told him he 
liad concluded to take the assignment. " All right," said 
Oliver, " it will take $50."' 

" Why, gracious! Oliver, you said 125 yesterday." 

" Yes, but that was \'esterday," said Oliver. 

" Well, make it out right away before it gets any higher,'' 
chimed in the old man, drawing his purse and settling at once. 

HOW "UNCLE hilly" MYERS AWOKE HIS SLEEPING GUEST. 

We have mentioned Uncle Billy Myers several times dur- 
ing the writing of this work, but he did many things that will 
long be remembered bv old settlers, when called to mind. He 
kept such an extraordinarv good house, it was so clean and 
nice in all its departments, that it was a pleasure for the weary 
pilgrim on the road to reach Uncle Billy's, and lodge with 
him. He prided himself on always being on hand to do all 
that was in his line to be done to make his guests comfortable. 
He boasted that he never let a lodger over-sleep himself, but 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 621 

always got him ofF on tlie proper train. Onetime a drummer 
went there, who had important business at Logansport, and 
must go on the 1 :30 train that night. He w'as afraid to go to 
bed for fear of missing his train. About 9 o'clock. Uncle 
Hilly came into the bar room, where he found the fellow 
snoozing and nodding around, dead on his feet for sleep. 
"Why in the devil don't you go to bed?"' asked Uncle Billy. 
" I am afraid of missing that night train. I wouldn't miss it 
for a hundred dollars." 

" Go to bed. You must think I keep a devil of a hotel. 
I never let a man miss a train in my life ." With this assurance 
the man retired and was soon oblivious to all the world around 
him. Uncle Billy concluded he would lie down on a buffalo 
robe and quietly snooze along until all the trains got out. He 
was soon snoring the plastering off the house. After awhile 
the shrill whistle of the engine back of his house brought him 
to his feet. The 1 ;80 train was passing. Up stairs he Hew, 
rapping and thumping on the drummer's door until he awak- 
ened every one in the house. " Why don't j'ou get up, you 
d — n fool, the train's been gone fifteen minutes.'' The man 
informed him that if the train was gone, it was no use to get 
up, and he turned over and went to sleep again. 

THE FALLING OF THE STARS IN 1866. 

In l!S66, it was predicted by some cranks, or crooks, as you 
may please to call them, that on a certain night in November 
the stars would fall. Great excitement prevailed in Anderson 
as well as throughout a large part of the United States. The 
people of the town remained up all night to witness the grand 
spectacle. A man of the name of Winters kept the United 
States Hotel then, and had a choice set of young gentlemen 
boarders, such as Albert C. Davis, Hampton Ellis, George 
Darrow and many others. Winters was just from the coun- 
try', and in his first experience as hotel proprietor was so green 
that the cows bawled at him. The bovs persuaded him that a 
grand dance and banquet was just the thing for this occasion, 
so he employed an orchestra, prepared a sumptuous feast, and 
the merry dance was al)out to begin, when some one threw 
some stones upon the roof of the house and they came down 
through the skylight with a great crash. The old bell on toji 
of the house began to ring and the guests commenced flying in 
all directions. Enoch Roacli made his appearance on the 
scene about this time and informed the people that the grand 



622 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

spectacle was now on. There was another shower of stones 
and the landlord tlew, even deserting his family. A young 
man by the name of Riley, who was clerking for him, tied to 
the country and never came back. Al Davis, Hampton Ellis, 
and others, cleared the table of all the roast chicken, duck and 
everything else that was good to eat, and carried it back into 
Swank's grocery, where the boys assembled and had a boun- 
tiful feast. The dance was " busted " up. Winters, in a fe\v 
days tumbled to the fact that all the stars that fell landed on 
his hotel. The boys " roasted " and " guyed "' him so much 
that he shortly afterward sold out to Fred Cartwright, who 
kept the United States Hotel as long as it was run as a place 
of lodging. 

THE ANDERSON " WIDEAWAKES." 

In the campaign of l,Sfi() the Republican party made a 
great hit by organizing what they named the "Wideawakes." 
It was a semi-military organization, uniformed with oil-cloth 
capes, caps and a coal-oil lamp or torch. They flashed it on 
the countrv at a given period simultaneouslv all over the 
United States. It was a winning card. Many young men 
were carried into the Republican ranks by this gaudy mili- 
tary array. Many first voters were lured into it who are now 
veterans in the Republican cause. The Democrats tried to 
counteract its influence by organizing the " Douglas Guards,'' 
uniformed with yellow oil-cloth capes, caps and coal-oil 
lamps. They were mounted on horseback. Their organiza- 
tion came too late, however. The yoinig blood had caught 
fire in the Wideawake camp. Nothing could turn the tide. 

Anderson was no exception to the general rule. She had 
her Wideawake company, a fine organization of the best men 
of the town, old and young. Many who belonged to that com- 
pany are now gray-bearded veterans. Many are beneath the 
sod in a southern clime, where they lost their lives in the real 
battles of the country, not as Wideawakes, but as defenders 
of the flag of the Union. 

A. B. Kline was the captain of a company, and was as 
" brave a lad as ere commission bore." He was a young man 
of fine appearance, stately as the sturdy oak, handsome and 
gallant, having the respect of his command, boasting of the 
finest W^ideawake company in Indiana. He took his com- 
pany far and near to the Republican gatherings tiiat year, 
making a fine impression wherever it made its appearance. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 623 

Time drifted on, the election came and passed, resulting 
in the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United 
States. The war soon followed, and the young men of the 
countr)' responded to the call in vast numbers. Nearl}- all 
who iiad been members of the \\'ideawakes drifted into the 
army. They had had a taste of military life, enough to give 
them a desire to go into the real scenes of armv service. 

Nearly all of Kline's company enlisted. He was at that 
time one of Anderson's best and most prosperous young busi- 
ness men anil liad a business he could not well leave, so he 
did not join them. 

George Nichol, Colonel M. S. Robinson, Lon Makepeace, 
Captain Allen, D. F. Mustard and many others of Kline's old 
friends went to the front. George Nichol faced the booming 
cannon as a quartermaster. Mustard was a musician. 

One night while in camp, around the blazing fire, crack- 
ing jokes, singing songs, writing letters to loved ones at home, 
the minds of the party settled on Kline, and his many virtues 
were discussed. Finally some one suggested that they have 
some fun at his expense. So they went to work and whittled 
out a long sword made of pine, stained it from end to end 
with red ink and finislied with the inscription : " Presented to 
Captaiti A. 15. Kline bv his comrades-in-arms for chivalrous 
and meritorious conduct during the late Wideawake cam- 
paign." It was sent to him by express but no name disclosed 
the donors. It was a secret among the bovs and a mystery to 
Kline. 

Years rolled on, the war wa^ o\er. Kline became cash- 
ier of the First National Bank of Anderson; George Nichol 
was auditor of Madison county, and Mustard was acting as 
deputy treasurer. Niciiol's office was a kind of headquarters 
for the old-time boys to gather in and chat, tell stories of tiie 
army days, etc. 

One afternoon a partj' had gathered in, among whom 
were Captain Allen, Mustard, Nichol. Captain Anderson and 
Kline. The subject of the war soon came up. During the 
conversation the subject of the wooden sword was brought up. 
It leaked out that Nichol and Mustard were in the scheme. 
Kline immediately '-caught on." 

" Well," he said, "I never knew of a quartermaster or a 
musician that was killed in the army." 

Captain Allen spoke up: "Yes, Al, I know of one 
quartermaster that was killed in my brigade." 



624 IIISTORV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

"Well, they must have been doing hell-fired good shoot- 
ing that day," responded Kline. 

This brought down the house. Kline closed the argu- 
ment on the army subject. His response was in keeping with 
his usual run of wit. He hardly ever missed a center when 
he shot off his mouth. Many of Captain Kline's old sayings 
will live in Anderson as long as the name of Kline lives. His 
friends who knew him in his better days have the same love 
and admiration for him dead that they had for him alive. 

A FAMOUS RESORT. 

The old " Henderson drug store" is one of the landmarks 
of Anderson. It was erected away back before the war, per- 
haps as far back as 1860, and has been occupied as a drug store 
ever since its existence. It is now occupied by the Cassel 
Bros. The late Dr. John W. Westerfield for many years did 
a flourishing business there, and the major part of his hand- 
some fortune was made there. During the war the firm was 
Westerfield & Menefee. Dr. Menefee retired about 1866, and 
removed to Alexandria, where he started his famous "one- 
horse " drug store, and made a fortune, which he left when 
he died a few years since. 

• Dr. G. N. Hilligoss was for many years a clerk in the 
Westerfield and Menifee drug store, before starting into the 
practice of medicine. In the year 1868 Doctors William A. 
Hunt and J. F. Brandon formed a partnership under the firm 
name of Brandon & Hunt, and purchased the stock of drugs 
in that room, where the}- did business until they sold out to 
the Henderson Bros., Edgar and Charles A., who for many 
years occupied the room and did the largest business ever done 
in Anderson in that line. 

Their store was headquarters for everyone — politicians, 
school teachers, lawyers and preachers. It was run on the 
" liigh pressure " plan and was never closed. Day and night, 
Sundays and weekdays, it was wide open. Both of the Hen- 
dersons were politicians by nature, and called around thein all 
of the leading lights in politics. 

Hendersons' drug store was a power in local, as well as 
State politics. Alany a candidate has made his start from that 
store, and when once in the race, with the Hendersons behind 
him, lie generally went through. It was while in this room in 
business that Major Henderson made his race and was elected 
to the legislature. He afterwards made a brilliant race for 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 625 

State Treasurer, but was tlefeated for the nomination by a small 
majority. It was from that place that Charles A. Henderson 
started in the race for Clerk of the Madison Circuit Court and 
was triumphantly elected. Newt Pence was a clerk in the 
Henderson drug store ^vhen he was a candidate and elected 
City Clerk of Anderson. Albert C. DaYis started from there 
and was elected City Clerk in 1870, and after serving his term, 
went back in the store where he remained for some time and 
in 1878 made a race for County Recorder and was elected. 
While many men who started from there for office were elected 
there have been many aspirants quietly taken into the back 
room and retired from the field. 

This famous and long-to-be -remembered old landmark has 
to Andersons old-timers many hallowed memories clinging 
around it. It had its brighest and happiest days when occu- 
pied by the Henderson Bros. It was there that such men as 
Colonel Stilwell, John F. Wildman, Colonel W. C. Fleming, 
J. M. Dickson, Joseph Pugh, ex-Mayor Wesley Dunham, 
James H. Snell, Andrew J. Griffith and George Nichol, who 
were the lights in politics, met. It was their rendezvous at 
night, and a place of meeting of Sunday afternoons to discuss 
the situation; to make and unmake candidates. The Hon. 
Green Clay Smith, of Kentucky, Cassius M. Clay and George 
Francis Train have all met with the Anderson gentry there in 
social conclave. These last named gentlemen were often the 
guests of Colonel Stilwell in his lifetime, and of course much 
of their time was spent with the genial Hendersons and their 
friends. While the old building is rather a back number in 
appearance, it stands as a monument to a great part of Antler- 
son's history. 

THE OLD GINSENG DAYS. 

In gathering dates and facts for a work like this a person 
has often to call upon the old-timer. He can furnish one with 
a date that could not otherwise be gotten. In coming in con- 
tact with them a person learns to love them, and to listen to 
their stories with an interest unabated. Often the point you 
wish is entirely forgotten, and you have been led off in a 
direction different from tiie one in which you started. In the 
old-timers of Madison county there is material for a book as 
big and as good as the Holy Bible. Their trials, joys and 
hardships are as sacred to them and as instructive to those 

who listen to them as Holv Writ. This may seem a little 
40 



626 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

strong, but, to appreciate it, "cultivate" the old-timer, as we 
have done. In the halcyon days of the pioneer of Madison 
county money was a legal tender just as it is to-day, but there 
was but little of it to tender, and people didn't make much 
fuss about free silver or a gold basis, as they do nowadays. 
Coon skins, tan bark, venison and wolf skins were good 
enough for them, and ginseng was a staple article. Many 
people made quite a little money by gathering this root and 
drying it for sale to the traders that came around at intervals 
and took up their stock on hands. 

Ex-Mayor Dunham is one of the old-timers. He came to 
Anderson in 183'.), and is authority on all points of "ancient 
history" relative to Anderson. Air. Dunham has in his pos- 
session a day-book, or blotter, used by one of the early mer- 
chants of Anderson. Ginseng, hoop poles and wolf scalps 
were entered upon the book as cash payment for various ar- 
ticles purchased. 

Money was very scarce, and the articles inentioned above 
passed as the inedium of exchange. 

There is to-day a man living in Anderson who earned a 
livelihood in his boyhood days by digging ginseng. A ginseng 
factory was at one time located on Central avenue, near the 
spot now occupied by the armory, and the proprietor did a 
thriving business. The establishment was afterwards turned 
into a spruce beer factory. This has long since disappeared, 
but many of the older residents of Anderson will have a dis- 
tinct recollection of it. 



1 



CHAPTER LXIV. 



In Which a Number of Interesting Happenincjs are 
Remembered. 



A narrow escape. 

Mr. Otto Ballard, who is at this time a member of the 
editorial staff of the Anderson Herald , came near losing his 
life by being drowned on the 14th of June, 1886, when a lad 
of sixteen or seventeen years of age. He had gone to White 
river, in company with several boys, for the purpose of bath- 
ing in the "old swimming hole" below Norton's Brewery. 
Ballard had not fully learned the art of swimming, and before 
he was aware of it was in water beyond his depth. He be- 
crmie frightened and losing his presence of mind began to 
sink. The boys around him were very much excited and could 
do nothing to relieve him. 

Mr. William Cain, who happened to be passing b)', heard 
the cries for help and went to Ballard's rescue. Cain jumped 
in. The drowning boy grabbed him around the neck so tightly 
that Cain could not relea.se his hold and both came near losing 
their li\es. P'inally Cain succeeded in freeing himself from 
Ballard, and with the assistance of some boys, was able to 
land him in safety on the river bank. Had it not been for the 
timely arrival of Mr. Cain there is no doubt that Mr. Ballard 
would have been drowned, as his comrades were too badly 
scared to render him any assistance. 

narrow escape of a well digger. 

John Estel, one of the old time residents of Anderson 
who has seen the place grow from a village of a few hundred 
to a city of twenty thousand souls, came near losing his life 
on the 9th of April, 1875, while engaged in digging a well at 
the corner of Thirteenth and Delaware streets, Mr. Estel be- 
ing down in the well, filling a bucket, while his co-laborers 
would draw it to the surface by a windlass. Knowing the 



628 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

treacherous character of the gravel walls and that they were 
liable to have a slide at any moment, a wooden curb had been 
prepared and was on the ground ready for use, but just before 
the men were ready to put it in the men on the outside of the 
well suggested to Estel that it was time for him to come out, 
as there was danger of a cave in. 

As he sent the bucket full of sand to the top he said that 
after one more round he would come up. His words had 
scarcely passed his lips when the banks gave way and he was 
covered up to his arm-pits with drifting sand and gravel and 
it seemed at one time as if do earthly help could rescue him 
from an untimely death. Fortunately he had presence of mind 
enough to clasp his hands over his mouth and eves and thus 
prevent smothering. One man descended quickly and removed 
the drift from about the imprisoned man's head and thus en- 
abled him to free his hands; but there he was firmly imbedded 
and no means of getting him out except by digging. It was 
not safe for any one to stay in the well to assist him, as all 
this time large portions of the earth had fallen in, leaving quite 
a hole in the gravel with a heavy bank of sod and earth over- 
hanging. The dirt and gravel kept falling in about his head 
until once he was entirelv walled in, and had it not been for 
the presence of mind of a young man of the name of Edward 
Brown, a son of ex-Mayor William L. Brown, of Anderson, 
he would undoubtedly have been smothered. Brown saw sit- 
ting at the corner of the house an old barrel which had been 
used for the purpose of catching rain-water from the roof. He 
ran and got the barrel, knocked the head out and running to 
the well dropped it down over the head and arms of Estel, 
after which a man was sent down who scratched the gravel 
away from his mouth and this gave him a chance to breathe. 

The barrel served as a place for the falling gravel to lodge 
against and thus prevented further encroachment on the person 
of the prisoner. 

Estel in his perilous position prayed vehemently, called 
on Almighty God to save his soul, and to rescue him from his 
danger. It was a pitiful sight for the bystanders to behold 
him in this sad plight and to listen to his petitions addressed 
to the Great One above and not to be able to render him any 
assistance. 

He was then imbedded in the gravel for nearly two hours 
until the workmen could cut away the banks for sufficient 
space around and by digging the gravel and sand out to such 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUXTV, INDIANA. 629 

an extent tliat a rope could be placed around his person and 
by this means he was slowly and carefully lifted up out of iiis 
continement. 

Estel prayed on this occasion as he had never prayed be- 
fore and probably as he has never prayed since. It is safe to 
say that he will never forget the awful things that passed 
through his mind while buried in the gravel on that occasion. 

Mr. Estel is yet a resident of Anderson and has ever since 
been engaged in well digging, but it is said that he never ven- 
tures beneath the surface of the earth, himself, but always gets 
some one else to engage in that treacherous part of the busi- 
ness. 

A FRIGHTFUL FALL. 

On the :26th of October, 1880, while Clark Sharpe was 
building the Boring-Hannah block, on the north side of the 
public square, he had a lad of the name of Andrew Thomas 
laying brick for him. Young Thomas was the boy wonder in 
the line of his trade; there were but few men in Anderson who 
could compete with him. He was the son of Benjamin 
Thomas, who died on the ocean a few years ago while on the 
■way home from the scenes of his childhood in England. Ben- 
jamin Thomas was a good mechanic, one of the best stone 
masons in the country. Young Thomas inherited the traits of 
his father in that respect, and being left an orphan, he at an 
early age began the trade of a brick mason. He went as an 
apprentice with Clark Sharpe, contractor, who at that time 
lived in Anderson. It was but a very short time until young 
Thomas was a swift hand with the trowel, and being a favor- 
ite of his employer, he was put ahead in such a manner as to 
soon be earning journeyman's wages. It was in this capacity 
he was working when on the 26th of October, 1880, he fell 
from a scaflold and was badly hurt. He was so terribly 
mangled that it was thought he could not possibly recover. 
Mr. Byron H. Uyson was standing near by, and picked up his 
seemingly lifeless body and with assistance, it was carried into 
a place where medical aid could be had. He soon began to 
show signs of returning consciousness, strong restoratives were 
administered, and he was in a short time able to be removed 
to the home of his mother, where he for a longtime, laid in 
the hands of a physician. Finally he recovered, and is yet 
living in Anderson and is one of her best citizens, and one of 
the best brick masons in the county. 



630 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

SHOOTING AT JAMES W. SANSBERRY, JR. 

^ One to look at the placid features of James W. Sansberry, 
Jr., would scarcely realize that he had faced the muzzle of a 
breech-loading shotgun and had received the contents in his 
face. Yet such is the fact. In the merry month of May, 1875, 
when the bluebirds were nesting and the jays were singing 
their songs in the boughs of the trees, James W. Sansberry, 
Jr., Isaac Elmer May and Charles Perrett were plodding their 
■way down the banks of the placid waters of Greene's branch 
in pursuit of birds, when they got into an argument about 
their marksmanship. Perrett had the gun, and Sansberry 
twitted him about not being a " center" shot, and offered to 
step off to a distance of two hundred yards and allow Perrett 
to prove it by shooting at him. Perrett agreed to the arrange- 
ment, and .Sansberry stepped the necessary paces and squared 
himself, and bade Perrett blaze away, not thinking, perhaps, 
that he would obey the command. Hardly had the word 
been given before Perrett leveled his gun and tired. The dis- 
tance between them saved \lr. Sansberry, no doubt, from an 
untimely death. It was found that several of the shot had 
struck him in the face with such force as to knock out one of 
his teeth, and the others spotting his face in several places. 
To use his own expression, it gave him the sensation of hav- 
ing been shot in the face with a gun load of red pepper. The 
boys were nearly all scared to death, and kept the affair a 
secret for a time, but it afterwards leaked out through friends 
and crept into the public prints, which gave an account of 
the affair shortly thereafter. Mr. Perrett was about as badlv 
hurt by fright as Mr. Sansberry was by the shot. He did not 
realize that the shot could go any such distance as to where 
Sansberry was standing. 

This was a lesson to both of these young men, and in 
handling a gun from that time forward there is no record of 
either of them being willing to stand up in front of it. 

A SHOOTING AFFAIR. 

In the year 1874 what came near being a fatal shooting 
affair, took place in the billiard room connected with the bar 
of the Doxey House. Robert F. Shinn came near mortally 
wounding John B. Kinnard, of the Anderson Hcarld. Shinn 
was a young man, born and reared in Anderson. He had no 
particular occupation, but is supposed to have been a gambler 



IIISTOKV OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 631 

by profession. lie was the son of Robert and Martha Shinn, 
respectable Irish people, who had lived in Anderson for a 
great many years. Robert F. Shinn's father died about the 
year 1876, lea\ing behind his widow Martha, who died a few 
weeks previous to this writinj^. 

John B. Kinnard was a native of Pennsylvania, born and 
reared in Westchester, his present place of abode. His 
brother, William M. Kinnard, was in those days the editor of 
the Anderson Herald . and John B. was acting as city editor. 

From some cause the Herald had singled out Shinn from 
among others who pursued the same occupation that he did, 
and waged a relentless warfare on him through the columns of 
thepaper, givinghim the nameof " Fakey " Shinn. In allud- 
ing to Shinn, the paper would not use his proper name, but 
always applied to him the name of " Fakey." 

Shinn had prior to this affair been mixed up in some 
shady transactions with one Ithamer McCarty, in which, it is 
said, that Shinn had " buncoed " McCarty out of a consider- 
ble sum of money, and was arrested and placed on trial for 
the oflence. This was often alluded to by the Herald in 
its attacks on Shinn, also many other transactions which 
Shinn was alleged to have been connected with. The matter 
was kept up to such an extent that Shinn became desperate, 
and Kinnard being city editor was thought to be the writer, 
and without any warning whatever, upon meeting Kinnard in 
the bar-room of the Doxey House on the day above men- 
tioned, drew a pistol from his pocket and fired. The ball 
grazed Kinnard's head, for a moment dazing him and almost 
felling him to tlie floor. 

Shinn at once lied from the scene, but was subsequently 
arrested by the City Marshal and indicted by the Grand Jury 
on the charge of assault and battery with intent to kill. At 
his trial in the circuit court, Shinn was convicted and sentenced 
to the penitentiary for a term of live years. He was vigorously 
prosecuted by the Hon. Thomas B. Orr, prosecuting attorney. 
Mr. Orr was assisted by the Hon. Charles L. Henry, now 
member of Congress from this district. 

The defense was conducted by the Hon. Winburn R. 
Pierse, Howell D. Thompson, and Calvin D. Thompson. The 
case was tried before the Hon. Eli B. Goodykoontz, Judge of 
the Madison Circuit Court. 

When Shinn had served about two years of his sentence 
he was, through the efforts of hi 5 friends and by the kindness 



682 HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of heart of James D. Williams, Governor of Indiana, released 
from imprisonment on account of ill health. He returned to 
Anderson, resided here for several years and died of consump- 
tion. 

It was doubted by many at the time of Shinn's trial 
whether he deserved so severe a sentence, and it was freely 
asserted by certain citizens ^vho \vere acquainted with the cir- 
cumstances in the case that he should have been acquitted. 



CHAPTER LXV 



Miscellaneous Incidents and Reminiscences. 



A mysterious disappearance. 

During the earl)' part of the war a man by the name of 
McCloskey kept a saloon on North Main street, in Anderson, 
on the ground at present occupied by the Terhune block be- 
tween Ninth and Tenth streets. He did a good business and 
accumulated considerable real estate, being possessor of the 
lot and building upon which he carried on his business. He 
was also the owner of an excellent piece of property at the 
corner of Thirteenth and Main streets, now owned by Dr. J. 
N. Hilligoss. 

McCloskey had a wife and a step-son whose name was 
John Dunlap, who lived with him. 

Some time during the j-ear 1863 or 1864, he mysteriously 
disappeared and nothing has been seen or heard of him in this 
community since. It was thought by some that he had gone 
to a distant city and been foully dealt with or that he had 
come to an accidental death, but no one ever knew of his 
whereabouts or what had befallen him. After the striking of 
gas in Anderson and the city had commenced to put on " airs'' 
the old buildings that stood between Ninth and Tenth streets on 
the east side of Main, were torn down and gave way to the 
present brick structures. In digging the cellar beneath one of 
the buildings in 1888, a human skeleton was unearthed. No 
one could give an account of why it should have been depos- 
ited there as no burying ground had existed in that locality to 
the knowledge of even the oldest settlers. This mysterious 
aftair set the tongues of gossips wagging and it was said by 
many that it certainly must be the skeleton of McCloskey, 
but no evidence was at hand to demonstrate that McCloskey 
had been killed b)' anyone in this community, nor was there 
anything found to cast suspicion upon anyone. 

After his disappearance Mrs. McClosky having reinained 
a widow for a period of two years became the wife of " San- 
dy '" Carr, with whom she lived, and who carried on the sa- 



634 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

loon business in the block occupied by her former husband. 
During her widowhood, to make it certain that there would 
be no mistake in her re-inarriage, she applied for a divorce in 
the Madison Common Pleas Court, which was granted by 
Hon. William R. West, then judge of the Seventeenth Com- 
mon Pleas District. In her application she stated the facts of 
McCloskey's disappearance ; that he had abandoned her, and 
that his whereabouts were unknown to her, and also said that 
he was the owner of the real estate above mentioned and that 
she was his sole surviving heir, there being no issue bj' their 
marriage. She therefore claimed the title to the real estate, 
which the court accordingl}' decreed to her. Some question 
was afterward raised as to the validity of the title to the prop- 
erty, from the fact that the Common Pleas Court did not have 
jurisdiction in cases where the title to real estate was involved; 
but in a later proceeding brought in the Circuit Court to quiet 
title a verdict was granted in favor of the owners by purchase 
under Mrs. McCloskej-. She afterward separated from Carr 
and drifted away from Anderson to Hamilton count}' where 
she may now be living for aught the writers know. 

Sandy Carr, her husband, is yet alive and was in Ander- 
son only a short time ago. 

To this day whatever became of McCloskey is a mystery 
and it, perhaps, will alwaj-s remain so. 

AKRESTED FOR FORGERY. 

George L. Wilson, a young man residing seven miles 
west of Anderson, in Lafayette township, was placed under 
arrest on the 9tli of September, 1887, for forging the name of 
John W. Closser, a well-to-do farmer in that neighborhood, 
and for attempting to procure funds upon the forged paper at 
the Exchange Bank. During the Madison County Fair a 
note was presented to one of the officers of the bank who 
examined it and became satisfied that the signature of John 
W. Closser was not genuine. Making some excuse to Wilson 
he was told to return in the afternoon and the note would be 
cashed for him. It had been ascertained in the meantime that 
Closser was in the city attending the fair. A messenger was 
sent for him and upon examination of the note he denounced 
it as a forgery. 

William A. Kittinger was at that time Prosecuting At- 
torney of the county, and was at once notified of the affair. 
He in company with the City Marshal concealed themselves 



HISTOKV OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. (3535 

in the rear end of the bank, and when young Wilson returned 
for the money he was invited to take a seat in tiie back room 
while the clerk would compute the interest. As soon as he 
had closed the door behind him, he was placed under arrest by 
the Marshal, who accused him of the crime. The joung man 
immediately broke down and confessed that the note was a 
forgery, but claimed that another party had committed the 
deed and had sent him after the money. Tlie Circuit Court 
was then in session, being presided over by Hon. David Moss, 
of Noblesville. Wilson was placed in jail and an indictment 
returned against him by the grand jury on the following day. 
He was at once placed on trial. He made but little defense, 
but his attoniC}- plead for him on account of his youth. Judge 
Moss found him guilty of the crime of forgery, but in conse- 
quence of his youthful appearance and his apparent ignorance 
of the enormity of the crime, and as this was his first offense, 
after pronouncing him guilty, gave him a good lecture and 
turned him loose on his good behavior. He immediately left 
the count}' and went to his people, who resided somewhere in 
Illinois, and has since tiiat time never been seen in this 
vicinity. 

GEORGE FRANCIS TRAIN VISITS ANDERSON. 

In the days of the old Union hall, George Francis Train, 
the renowned lecturer, editor, politician and theologian, de- 
livered one of his peculiar lectures in that once popular place 
of amusement. Thomas N. Stihvell was then Anderson's 
great man. In liis meanderings through social and political 
life he in some waj' met George Francis Train and was struck 
with his peculiar style. In the parlance of to-day, he was 
" stuck " on him. 

Tom Stilwell, whether at home or abroad, alwavs put 
Anderson down as the greatest town on earth. He loved the 
j^lace and loved its people, and the people loved him. In oriler 
to give Anderson a taste of first-class literature, and an exam- 
ple of fine ability as an orator, Stilwell invited Mr. Train to 
visit him at his home, and while in the citv to give the people 
a lecture at Union hall. 

The time arrived and Mr. Train was on hand, with long, 
flowing locks and dressed in a black velvet suit of clothes, with 
diamonds in his shirt front and glittering on his fingers. In 
his full prime of life, he was one to be admired. He was as 
restless as a hyena, prancing from one side of the room to the 



636 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Other, greeting his callers with a warm grasp of the hand, in- 
forming each one that the people would arise, throw off the 
yoke of bondage and oppression, and, with a spontaneous out- 
burst, elect George Francis Train the next president of the 
I'nited States. 

It was evident from his actions ut that time — ISTl — that 
he was strongly bordering on to " crankism," afterwards de- 
veloping into a full-blown crank. 

The time arrived for him to go to the hall to deliver his 
lecture ; he was escorted there by a committee of prominent 
citizens. Stilwell, being the lion of the occasion, was to in- 
troduce Mr. Train to the audience. Mr. Train and his escort 
had arrived at the hall and were behind the curtain. Stilwell, 
for some cause, was late in getting in. Mr. Train wanted to 
get out of the city on an out-going train, and his time was 
growing short. He walked back and forth on the stage like 
a roaring lion, giving Stilwell the very devil for not coming. 
Finally Stilwell put in an appearance and up went the curtain. 
Stilwell stepped to the front, and in his happy style, placed 
his famous guest before the audience. Mr. Train pranced out 
like a wild man let out of a cage, and thrusting his hand 
through his shaggy hair, he commenced : 

"Fearless in war and peerless in state, 

He who waits for .Stilwell, takes the train too late." 

From thenceforward, he held the audience for two hours 
in breathless silence ; he demonstrated to a dead certainty by 
chalk and blackboard, that before the e.xpiration of twenty 
years from that date. Lake Michigan would rise so far above 
its level, as it then stood, that Chicago would be submerged 
and wiped from the face of the earth. Xo one believed it, but 
he made it so plausible that he held them all down in silence. 

He wound up by nominating himself for president in 1872, 
and stood at the door going out, to give every one a chance 
to shake hands with the next president. And so ended the 
visit of George Francis Train to Anderson. 

'• M.\.M T.VH," THE FIRST NEGRO IN MADISON COUNTY. 

Away back, perhaps as early as 1823, a family removed 
to Indiana, and settled in the wilds of Madison county, by the 
nameofTharp. They were well-to-do people, being able to 
own slaves in the state from whence they came. Among the 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 637 

body servants owned by them, was a family favorite, a colored 
woman — ' ' Mam Tab." 

They broiiglit her along with them and she lived and 
died in the service of the family. She attained the advanced 
age of 105 years. Indiana being a " free state,'" and slavery 
being prohibited, she could at any time, have left her old mas- 
ter and mistress, but she was so attached to them that she 
clung to them as long as they lived. 

As she grew old she became childish and nearly blind, and 
would follow the folks around like some petted animal. She 
was a great worker, and was never satisfied unless at some kind 
of work. She was unable to do any work that was of benefit to 
her master; but in order to keep her employed, she was pro- 
vided with an old basket that had no bottom in it. She 
would go to the chip pile and gatlier up chips and put into 
the basket, until she thought it was full, then start to the 
house with the basket, as well satisfied as if it was filled with 
chips. This she would go through with from morning till 
night, putting in her time, as she thought, for the benefit of 
those who had kept her all these years. The Tharp family 
owned what has for many years been known as the " old 
Jackson " farm, on which is now situated a beautiful 
suburb to Anderson. 

They built and occupied the old brick house, that has 
since been remodeled and made into a handsome residence, 
known as the old Jackson homestead, that stands on the hill 
between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets. There this old col- 
ored woman ended her life. Out of this farm was laid off a 
spot of ground for church purposes, to which, as was usual in 
those days, a "graveyard" was added. The "graveyard" 
^vas between Eleventh and Twelfth streets, west of Delaware, 
extending west to the west line of D. \V. Storer's grounds. 
This served many years as Anderson's cemetery, inany of the 
older citizens being buried there. Their bodies have since 
been disinterred and removed to the new cemetery across the 
river. The old graveyard is now coven d over with handsome 
residences. 

The old M. E. Church then stood on the lot east of the 
Storer mansion, between that and ex-County Auditor John 
E. Canaday's residence. Old "Mam Tab "' died many years 
ago, somewhere between 1849 and 1855. At that time there 
was great prejudice against the colored people. They were 
scarcely recognized as human beings and thought unfit for the 



038 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

society of the whites, while alive, and not allowed when dead 
to be buried beside the white people. Many people of that 
day did not believe that a negro had a soul. When the angel 
of death summoned '' Mam Tah," and her spirit departed, 
there were objections raised to interring her body in the grave- 
yard with the whites, so her friends took her body and buried 
it just outside of the old graveyard on the Tharp farm, and 
while her spirit is now in the realms of the departed, her body 
lies in an unmarked grave, the ravages of time having long 
since obliterated it. She was, perhaps, the first colored per- 
son who ever lived in Madison county. The old inhabitants 
ilisagree as to who came here first, she or old " Black Jess," 
an old colored man who lived here for many vears and was a 
curiosity to many white people when he first came. Old 
" Black Jess " has long since gone where all " good niggahs 

ST. ta.mmany's day. 

The first observance of St. Tammany's day in Madison 
county took place in Anderson on Sunday, the 10th of May, 
ISitC), when e\ery tribe of Red Men in the city and many 
members from surrounding towns took part. 

A street parade took place at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, 
in which bands of music discoursed lively airs, to which the 
braves kept time with steady tread. The line of march was 
kept up until they reached the cemetery, where an address 
was delivered by Judge Alfred Ellison and Mayor M. M. 
Dunlap, after which the graves of the fallen chiefs, warriors, 
and huntsmen, whose spirits have departed and gone to the 
" happy hunting ground," were profusely strewn with flowers. 

" Buffalo Bill's " wild west show was stopping over Sun- 
day in the city, and the Indians with his company took part 
in the street pageant, making a decided impression in their 
gaudy and picturesque apparel. They seemed deeply im- 
pressed with the ceremonies. Anderson in this proceeding 
has, perhaps, witnessed what no other city has, a real Indian 
procession on an occasion of this kind. Large numbers of 
people from the surrounding country witnessed the parade and 
exercises incident thereto. 

BUKNING OF THE HIG FOUR DEPOT. 

On the night of the 27th of February, 1878, the old " Bee 
Line" depot that stood at the crossing of Main street and the 
railroad tracks, was destroyed by fire, being the act of an in- 



IIISTOKV OF MAniSON COUNTY, INDIANA. ()39 

cendiary. Just prior to the occurrence a liaiulsome, well- 
ciressed stranger made his appearance in Anderson and stopped 
at the Stilwell House. He wore diamonds and sported the 
finest of clothes. It was no time until lie had society all 
shaken up, he was par-excellence the creature of the tlay. 
The young ladies of the city vied with each other in trying to 
look charming in his presence. He attended all the places 
of amusement, went to church and fancy balls. He had 
no visible means of support but plenty of money, which he 
freely spent among the young folks. He sailed under tiie 
name of Justinian P. Walters. He was finely educated ; had 
traveled all over the world, and knew all of the prominent 
people in the leading cities from Maine to Mexico. He was a 
fine talker on any subject. The leading business men sought 
his company and made his stay a real pleasure to him. He 
was " stuck " on the town ; came here to live in riuiet retire- 
ment. 

One morning about H o'clock the " Bee Line '' depot was 
discovered to be on fire. It was burned to the ground with all 
its contents. Upon looking around it was discovered that 
Walters was missing. Some folks suspected that it was lie 
who had burned the building after robbing it. A great many 
hooted at the idea at first, but suspicion grew stronger until 
the railroad officials set out to find liini. Descriptive circulars 
were sent out all over the country after him. He had left 
some of his photographs with friends, which were procured 
and sent out to detectives. A conductor on the railroad re- 
membered a man filling his description getting on his train at 
the crossing of the Bee Line and Pan Handle, at 2 :S0 o'clock, 
the morning that the fire took place, and rode to Cincinnati. 
Close watch and vigilant pursuit was made for him which re- 
sulted in his arrest at Crestline, Ohio, the next day after the 
fire occurred. A carpet sack or hand sachel was found in the 
depot where he was arrested, but he disowned it. He stuck 
to it that it was not his ; but it final!)' seemed to so fully iden- 
tify him that it caused his conviction. While he was in An- 
derson he wore a " storm overcoat" with a cape to it. The 
carpet sack was opened by the officers in which was found a 
number of railroad tickets and the cape to his coat or one made 
of the same kind of cloth. One of the tickets found was 
merely a stub torn off in an irregular manner, that fit to a ticket 
that had been taken up on the train on which he had ridden. 
This made a complete chain to the evidence, at least the rail- 



640 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

road people thought so, as weW as did the Justice who held the 
preliminary hearing. He was held over and indicted by the 
grand jury and committed to jail, where he stayed until the 
June term of court following, when his trial took place. 

Walters set up in defense an alibi, and to the minds of 
many it was clear. It was the closest question that ever 
occurred in a Madison county court. His conviction was 
purely on circumstantial evidence. No living witness saw 
him at the depot or knew of him being there that night. It 
was proven that he took the 2:30 afternoon train the daj' be- 
fore the fire to Cincinnati. Joseph Stein, who had seen him 
around Anderson and knew him, swore that he went to Cin- 
cinnati on that train and that Walters occupied the same seat 
with him from Anderson to the Brighton House. The hotel 
register showed that he was registered at the Brighton House 
that night. It was also proven that he was at the same place 
next morning. The theory of the prosecution was that he 
left here on the train as proven, went to Cincinnati, stopped 
at the Brighton House, registered his name and immediately 
took the train coming back to Anderson, where he arrived 
about 1 o'clock in the morning. Then he went to the depot, 
robbed it, set fire to the building to cover his crime, then 
walked to the crossing and boarded the 2 ;30 train again for 
Cincinnati, getting back there at 7 o'clock the same morning. 
After that he boarded a Bee Line train for Crestline, O., 
where he was arrested. John T. Dye, of Indianapolis, was 
employed by the railroad company to prosecute the prisoner. 

The Hon. James W. Sansberry and Calvin D. Thomp- 
son defended Walters. John T. Dye made one of the best 
speeches in the prosecution that was ever made in Madison 
county. He is one of those close lawyers who never miss a point. 
His argument was so scathing that he at times made Walters, 
with all his effrontery, blush before the jury. Mr. Sansberry 
was then at his best as a lawyer and contested every inch of 
the ground. His able effort before the jury in winding up the 
case was long the talk of the Madison county bar. 

The trial having resulted in conviction the prisoner was 
sentenced to imprisonment in the Prison North for ten years. 
After the adjournment of court Sheriff A. J. Ross, one even- 
ing, handcuffed Walters and started to prison with him. He 
bade all his acquaintances, who went to see him off, good-bye 
in a light-hearted manner and took up his journey. On the 
road, near the village of Walkerton, not far from the prison, 



IIISTOIIY (U- .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. t'lil 

the prisoner was sitting in the seat beside the Sheriff when 
someone entered the car swinging the door shut after him, but 
the door failed to catch and swung open again. As quick as 
lightning Walters sprang like a cat to the door, out on the plat- 
form and off into a tamarack swamp. As soon as the sherifi' 
realized that his bird had flown, he sprang to his feet and pulled 
the bell cord. The train was going twenty miles an hour. 
As soon as it could be stopped he gave the alarm and out into 
the darkness he went in pursuit of his prisoner, but no trace 
of him could be found. He went to the village and aroused 
the inhabitants, who scoured the country, but never found any 
trace of the prisoner. Tiie Sheriff offered a reward for his 
apprehension, but every resource failed. Walters is yet at 
large, if he is still living. 

A woman claiming to be his sister, who lived in Missouri, 
came to Anderson to see him once or twice while he was in 
jail, and also one from Decatur, Illinois. Sheriff Ross got in- 
formation that he was skulking about the home of the woman 
in Missouri at one time, through Detective Rittenhouse, of 
Decatur. He went to the place and spent a night under a 
rose bush in the door yard eavesdropping and watching, with 
the hope of seeing Walters or hearing sometiiing of him. But 
he failed to find him, although there v/as evidence that he had 
been there at some time. Rittenhouse, the detective, knew 
Walters. He had made Decatur his headquarters at onetime 
and was known to be a crook. He had at one time a lot of 
fine paintings and a handsome sum of money. The woman 
who claimed to be his sister went there as his wife. Walters' 
business was that of a bank swindler, and many small drafts 
were found upon his person issued by various banks through- 
out the country, and a kit of tools and acids for raising checks 
were among his effects. John W. Pence, now cashier of the 
Citizens' Bank, was railroad agent at the time of this occur- 
rence. 

KILLINC; OF JAMES BENEFIEL. 

On the evening of August 7, 1S90, James Beneliel, a 

young man about twenty years of age, was shot and killed by 

John Davis, on old South Noble street. Benefiel and Davis' 

wife had been friends previous to her marriage. On the above 

date young Benefiel and a companion named Edward Brown 

visited Davis' house during the afternoon, and, the family 

being awaj-, took among otiier tilings, it is alleged, a number 
41 



642 HISTORY OF jrADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of magazines and a revolver belonging to Davis. They went 
a short distance from the house and loitered around until the 
family returned — that is, Mrs. Davis and her mother. Soon 
after, Benefiel went to the gate and called for Mrs. Davis, 
who refused to have anything to. say to him. He insisted on 
her coming out in the street and she finally went out in the 
yard and asked him what he wanted. He said he had 
been sent by officers to search the house. In the meantime 
Davis had returned home and, anticipating trouble, had gone 
in search of an officer. He could not find one, but borrowed 
a revolver and went back to his home, entering the house the 
back way. His wife told him to go out and see what Bene- 
fiel wanted. He went out and told Benefiel that someone 
had plundered his house, and that he wanted him to leave the 
premises. Benefiel muttered something and turned to go, but 
after taking two or three steps stopped, raised a revolver and 
fired, the ball taking effect in Davis' right side. Almost at 
the same instant Davis fired at Benefiel, the ball entering 
just above the left eye and passing clear through the head. 
Benefiel lived until half past six o'clock the next morning, 
when he died, having been unconscious from the moment he 
was shot. Benefiel lived with his parents at El wood and 
was regarded as a reckless young man. His parents are 
highlj' respected. Davis was exonerated by the Coroner's 
jurj' that investigated the case. He is still living, but carries 
the ball in his body that was fired from his assailant's revolver. 
Davis is a quiet, unobtrusive man, but of undoubted courage. 
He was a soldier in the regular armv at one time, stationed in 
Arizona, and had the distinction of arresting unassisted the 
famous outlaw, Tarbel. He has the reputation of being one 
of the best marksmen in Madison county. 

niSTiN(;uisirED citizens. 

Up to the present time the most distinguished citizens of 
the county have been : 

Colonel Thomas N. StiUvell, member of congress from 
1864—6, and United States minister to Venezuela from 1867-8. 

Hon. M. S. Robinson, member of congress from 1874—8, 
and Judge of the Appellate Court of Indiana (by appoint- 
ment) from 1891-2. 

Hon. W. R. Myers, member of congress from 1878-SO, 
and twice elected Secretary of State of Indiana. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COIINTY, INDIANA. 643 

Hon. Charles T. Doxey, member of congress from 1883-4. 
Mr. Doxey was elected to serve the unexpired term of Hon. 
Godlove S. Orth, who died in office. 

Hon. Charles L. Henry, elected to congress in 1894 and 
re-elected in 1896. He is now serving his second term. 

Hon. W. T. Durbin, present Eminent Grand Commander 
of the Knights Templar of Indiana, and member of the 
National Republican Committee. 

In this connection the fact is \vorthy of mention that two 
of Indiana's most distinguished citizens were at one time 
residents of .\nderson, namely : General Lew Wallace and 
James Whitcomb Riley. The former resided in Anderson at 
an early day, but only for a short time ; the latter was con- 
nected with the Anderson Democrat in 1877. 

THOMAS J. FLEMING. 

No death ever occurred in Anderson doubtless that occa- 
sioned more profound regret than that of Thomas J. Fleming, 
which took place on June 11. 1894. While his demise was 
not sudden, it was unexpected and consequently a great shock 
not only to his immediate family and friends, but to the com- 
inunity at large. Mr. Fleming was born in Henry county, 
Indiana, in 1835, and came to Madison county when he was 
sixteen years old. In 1867 he was appointed deputy clerk of 
the Circuit Court by his brother, the Hon. W. C. Fleming, 
whicii position he held until 1870, when he was elected Clerk 
on the Democratic ticket. He served a term of four years, 
and immediately upon retiring was appointed Deputy Sheriff 
under J. \\'. McCallister. In 1881 he wasappointed Deputy 
Assessor of Anderson township and served four vears, when 
he was elected Assessor. His administration of the affairs of 
this ofHce was highly satisfactory to the people and he was re- 
elected. It was while he was attending to the duties of this 
office that he was taken severely ill and before the community 
was aware of his serious condition his eves were closed in 
death, .\fter the announcement of his demise had been made 
a meeting of the older residents of the city was held in the 
Circuit Court room at which a number of prominent citizens 
and old-time friends paid their last tribute of respect to the 
memory of the deceased in sentiments of highest praise. Ap- 
propriate resolutions were also passed and pall-bearers selected 
for the obsequies. 



644 HISTOHV OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 

jSIemorial meetings have been held in Anderson by frater- 
nal societies, churches and other organizations, but this was 
the first one ever held by the people to take action over the 
death of a citizen. Mr. Fleming was not a member of any 
society, secret or otherwise, and the meeting, therefore, was 
as great a tribute as could have been paid to his memorj'. lie 
was an upright man, generous, modest, sincere and cordial. 
Although a strong partisan in politics, he was never offensive, 
and hence he was popular with all classes and conditions 
in life. 

Besides his \\idow, he left one son and three daughters to 
mourn his demise. 

HON. WILLIAM C. FLEMING. 

Among the older residents of the county none is better 
known or more highly respected than the subject of this 
sketch. Mr. Fleming was born in Marion county. West Vir- 
ginia, January 18, 1825, and came with his parents to Indiana 
in the spring of 18B1. Excepting the time devoted to acquir- 
ing an education his early days were passed upon the farm. 
During the years 1848-49 he read law in the office of Judge 
David Kilgore, at Muncie, Indiana, and was admitted to the 
bar, but never actively engaged in the practice. In 1850 he 
was the Democratic candidate for member of the convention 
that framed the present constitution of Indiana, but was de- 
feated by the late Judge John Davis. Two years later he 
was a candidate for the Legislature, and was elected by a ma- 
jority largely in e.xcess of his party's strength. In 1854 he 
was again nominated for the same office, but declined the 
nomination on account of business engagements. In 1857 he 
removed from Madison county to the territory now compris- 
ing the vState of Nebraska, and in the following year was 
elected to the territorial legislature by a highly complimentary 
vote, there being five hundred and twenty votes cast in his 
district, of which he received four hundred and twenty-four. 
When the Legislature convened he was made the Democratic 
candidate for speaker of the house, but failed of election on 
account of the -"bsence of a number of members who could not 
be present. Shortly after the house was organized the 
speaker was granted a leave of absence for several weeks, and 
Mr. Fleming was unanimously chosen speaker pro tciii. In 
1861 Mr. Fleming returned to Madison county, where he has 
resided ever since. He was elected real-estate appraiser for 



lllSTOli^- Ol- MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 015 

the county in 1868, and in May, 18(35, was appointed Clerk of 
the Circuit Court to serve the unexpired term of Joseph Pe- 
den, who deceased in office. In October, 1866, he was elected 
Clerk, and served until 187('. He was honored with the nom- 
ination for a second term, but declined to run for the office, 
although his election was assured. Mr. Fleming was at one 
time editor of the Anderson Democrat, but disposed of his in- 
terest in the paper after a brief experience and purchased the 
Moss Island mills, west of Anderson, which he operated for 
several years. In 1888 he was appointed Justice of the Peace 
of Anderson township to fill the vacancy in that office caused 
by the death of Enoch M. Jackson. At the expiration of the 
term Mr. Fleming retired from active business, and is now 
living quietly at his home on West Fourth street, Anderson. 
In his day no man in the county exerted a greater influence in 
politics and affairs generally than Mr. Fleming. His integrity 
was never impugned and his official acts seldom criticised even' 
by the bitterest partisans of the Republican party. He is a 
gentleman of the old school, quiet but cordial with his friends, 
and always unassuming. Men with much less ability have 
attained to higher station in life, but none has enjoyed a higher 
degree of respect among his fellow-citizens than he. 

Mr. Fleming was married to Miss Catherine Thumma in 
1855. OF this union three children were born, all of whom 
are living. Mrs. Fleming died in 1893. She was a woman 
of many excellent qualities, and enjoyed the respect of a large 
circle of friends. 

HANDLE lUDDLE 

Was born in Pasquotank county. North Carolina, September 
ber li, 18:27, and came to Madison county with his parents 
at an early day. His father settled in Adams township, and 
was one of the honored pioneers of that locality. Randle 
was reared on a farm and tlevoted the greater portion of his 
life to agricutural pursuits. He always took an active part in 
politics, and in 1864 was elected Trustee of Adams township 
on the Democratic ticket, which office he held with credit to 
himself and acceptably to the people until 1864. In 1874 he 
was appointed a deputy by Siierifi" J. W. McCallistcr and re- 
moved to Anderson and took charge of the jail. After the 
death of Mr. McCallister, which took place soon after liis 
election, Mr. Biddle wa.s appointed a deputy by A. J. Griffith, 
who succeeded Mr. McCallister. He also served as a Deputy 



646 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Sheriff under T. J. McMahan. In 1880 he received the 
Democratic nomination for Sheriff, and was elected. After 
retiring from the Sheriff's office he was employed at various 
times as a police officer, and up to the last two years of his 
life served as a merchant policeman. About two years pre- 
vious to his death he received a stroke of paralysis while dis- 
charging his duties as night watchman, and from that time 
on his health was feeble until his demise, which occurred 
April 15, 1895. 

Randle Biddle was what might be termed, \\ ithout levity, 
" a hale fellow well met." His disposition was as sunny as a 
summer day, and everybody was his friend. If he had a fault 
it was that one which is considered a virtue in others — gener- 
osity. No one ever appealed to him in vain for assistance in 
time of distress, or after the assistance had been rendered, 
heard him speak of it. He was as modest in his manners as 
he was unostentatious in his generosity, and always uncon- 
scious of either. He was a sincere friend, a kind neighbor 
and an upright citizen. His remains repose beside those of 
his wife in the Baptist cemetery at Ovid. 

DR. (;E0RGE F. CHITTENDEN. 

The subject of this biography was born in Switzerland 
county, Indiana, December 25, 1830, and is a lineal descend- 
ant of Thomas Chittenden, who served as governor of the 
state of Vermont for twenty-one consecutive years. 

The Chittendens are a large and influential family of 
English descent, and among the first settlers of Connecticut, 
having founded a colony at Old Guilford, on Long Island 
Sound 257 years ago. A beautiful home was located here 
which has remained in the Chittenden name to the present 
time, and at which the Chittendens throughout the United 
States are always made welcome and treated as members of 
the family. One branch of the family subsequently emigrated 
northward and settled in Vermont, where it became promi- 
nent in the professions, politics and affairs generally. It is to 
this branch of the family that Dr. Chittenden belongs. His 
father, John Chittenden, was a farmer who immigrated to 
this State from New York in 1821, locating at \'evay, Swit- 
zerland county. 

Dr. Chittenden was educated principally in the common 
schools and at Corydon Academy, attending the latter institu- 
tion two years, after which he began the study of medicine at 



IIISTOIJV OF MADISON COINTV, INDIANA. 



047 



Madison, Indiana, in the office of Dr. Bt-njamin Leavitt. At 
the expiration of tliree years of diligent study including a 
course of lectures in the medical department at Ann Arbor 
University, he entered the medical department of the Univer- 
sity of Louisville, where he graduated in 1855. He then began 
the practice of his profession at Milford, Decatur county, In- 
diana, where he remained three years when he removed to 
Anderson, locating here in 1858. He at once entered upon a 




DR. GEORGE F. CHITTENDEN. 

successful practice which kept on increasing until May, 1861, 
\vhen he was appointed assistant surgeon of the KUh Regiment, 
Indiana volunteers. During the following year he was pro- 
moted to the surgeoncy of the regiment, a position that he 
filled with eminent credit until the spring of 18(34 when he 
tendered his resignation and returned home. 

In 18<iS Dr. Chittenden was elected joint Representative 
from the counties of Madison and Henry to the Lower 



64S HISTOHY OF .MADISOX COUXTV, IXDIAXA. 

House of the State Legislature, on the Republican ticket, and 
served one term. He was honored with the position of 
Chairman of the Committee on Corporations and was also a 
member of the Committee on Benevolent Institutions, in both 
of which positions he served his constituency and State accept- 
abl}'. In 1S73 he was elected a Commissioner of the State 
Hospital for the Insane, bv the Legislature, and rendered able 
service during his term. He was twice elected to the City 
Council of Anderson from a Democratic ward, and during his 
incumbency rendered efficient service in the interest of tax 
payers. In ISSO he was selected as the delegate from the 
Ninth Congressional Republican convention to the National 
Republican convention at Chicago, which nominated Jiinies 

A. Garfield for President. 

He has been a member of the jNIadison County Medical 
Society for twenty-five years, also a mernber of the District, 
State and National Medical Associations, in the affairs of 
which he has taken an active and jirominent part. 

At one time he was associated with Dr. John Hunt, re- 
cently deceased, in the practice of medicine, and in 1S75 entered 
into a partnership with Dr. H. E. Jones, which continued for 
nineteen years, \vhen the partnership was dissolved. The 
Doctor is still actively engaged in the practice and has associ- 
ated with him his son. Dr. Edgar W. Chittenden. 

Dr. Chittenden was united in marriage to Miss Amanda 

B. Branham at Vernon, Jennings county, in 1858. Three chil- 
dren were born of this union : Carrie B., Edgar W. and Mat- 
tie v.. all of whom are living. Carrie is now the wife of M. 
M. Cronyn and resides at Indianapolis. The good mother 
deceased in 1889, beloved by all who knew her. 

In 1801 Dr. Chittenden was married to Mrs. Catherine 
L. Brown, a lady of manv enviable graces and varied accom- 
plishments. 

No citizen of Anderson or Madison county is held in 
higher esteem than Dr. Chittenden. Of irreproachable char- 
acter, he stands second to no man in his profession, to which 
he has devoted his life with untiring assuidity and eminent 
ability. In every sphere of endeavor in which he has taken a 
part, socially, politically or professionally, his unpretending 
bearing has elevated him in the esteem of all with whom he 
has come in contact. He is a member of the Presbyterian 
church, and while not ostentatious in the observance of the 
tenets of that denomination, is in the highest sense a Chris- 



IllsrOin- OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



649 



tian. He enjoys a good book and loves his home, where ho 
can always be found surrounded by its comforts wlien not at- 
tending to the duties of his profession. 

GEOIiCE NICIIOI,. 

The Hrst merchants of Anderson and Madison county 
have long since gone to their reward. But few even of tiie 
men, engaged in mercantile pursuits no farther back than the 
early '50s remain. Prominent among those who still survive, 
however, is the subject of this sketcii. 




CiEOKCK MCHOL. 



Mr. Nichol was bcrn in Butler county, Ohio, Januarj- 14, 
ISiJO. Mis boyhood was passed upon a farm where he enjoyed 
but meagre opportunities to acquire that which he so much de- 
sired — a superior education. .\ number of terms in the com- 
mon schools and one vear at farmer's College,, near Cincin- 
nati, ended iiis school da vs. 

In 1854, he located in .\nderson and engaged in the hard- 
ware business, having for a partner the late Amos J. King. 
In 1S55, he was married to Miss Harriett Robinson, oldest 
sister of the late Colonel M. S. Robinson. This estimable 



650 HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

woman deceased on the :25th of May, 18D6, hiinented not only 
by her immediate rehitives but by a large circle of friends. 
In 1861, Mr. Nichol was appointed Quartermaster of the Fortv- 
seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, in which position he 
served until the regiment veteranized in 18(54, when he re- 
turned home having been a participant in all of the severe 
campaigns in which his regiment was engaged up to that time. 
While active in business, Mr. Nichol is an ardent Republican 
and has devoted much of his time and means in advancing the 
interests of his party. In return lie has been honored with 
various positions of prominence and trust as a partial reward 
for his services. He was a member of the first City Council 
elected in Anderson, and in 1870, was elected on the Repub- 
lican ticket to the office of County Auditor, being the first 
Republican elected in tiie county to that important office. 
This was one of the most hotly-contested elections ever held 
in the count}-, his opponent being the late Neal C. McCullough, 
a man of acknowledged integrity and ability, besides having 
abundant resources from which to draw in such a contest. 
The county at that time was safely Democratic by 600 ma- 
jority and Mr. Nichol's success was regarded as complimen- 
tary in the highest degree. He is at the present time serving 
as Chairman of the Republican Central Committee of the 
county. 

Mr. Nichol, in recent years, has been connected in an ofK- 
cial capacity with nearly every enterprise ha\ing for its object 
the promotion of Anderson's interests and development of the 
county. He was chosen President of the Anderson Board of 
Trade at the time of its organization and served acceptably' as 
long as it was in existence. 

Mr. Nichol is a member of the Presbyterian church, but 
not fanatical in his religious views. He is consistent in his 
daily walk and conversation, stands deservedly high as a busi- 
ness man and enjovs the esteem and confidence of his fellow- 
citizens. 

BIOGH.MMIY OK BAZII, NEELY. 

Bazil Neely was a farmer and one of the early pioneers of 
Madison county. He was born in Ohio county. West \'ir- 
ginia, August 16, 1810. His parents were Thomas and Eliza- 
beth (Seamon) Neely. His grandfather was Jonah Seamon. 
In 1812 the parents of our subject emigrated with his family 
to Wayne county, Indiana, and in 1816 the father returned to 



lIlSTOltV OF MADISOiN COUNTY, INDIANA. 



(551 



Virginia on business where lie di^d and was buried, leaving 
his wife and six children, of whom Bazil was the fourth, with 
but little means of support. The widow removed to Fayette 
county, Indiana, with her children, and in 1827 Bazil, who 
was but seventeen years of age, started out to seek his own 
fortune in the primitive wilderness. lie went to Delaware 
county where he did general farm work at three dollars a 
month, and occasionally made rails at twenty-five cents per 
hundred. Farming implements in that day were few and un- 
wieldy and his first plowing was done with a wooden mold- 




li.AZlL NKKLV. 



board plow and four yoke of oxen. In 1833 Mr. Neely was 
united in marriage to Miss Sarah Suman. Of this union there 
was but one child. Miss Hester A. Neely, a sketch of whom 
will be found elsewhere in this work. On the 10th of July, 
1833, he purchased eighty acres of land in Section 35, in Union 
township, Madison county, nine acres of which were cleared 
and improved by a hewed-log house, the remainder being cov- 
ered by a dense forest. On this tract of land he located, and 



652 HISTORY OK MADISON- COUXTV. l.NDIAXA. 

not being afraid of work, in the course of time acquired an 
ample competency. He was resolute, persevering and ener- 
getic, in every way suited to the pioneer's arduous task of 
clearing up the wilderness. He was also fond of athletic 
sports and was an unerring shot with a rifle. He hunted fre- 
quently and in 1S49, within one mile of his home, shot two 
deer while their horns were locked togetiier. 

In politics he was a supporter of Democratic principles, 
his first vote being cast for Andrew Jackson in 1882. In re- 
ligious belief his predilections were inclined to the Christian 
Church, with which he united in 1898. Without ostentation 
he was benevolent. It can be truly said that no man ever 
lived in Union township who was more attentive to the sick 
and distressed than Bazil Xeely. He was honest and true as 
the day was long. His wife passed away on September 7, 
1856, mourned by all who knew her. 

Mr. Xeely remained on his farm from 184-4 to June 14, 
189f3, wlien he took up his residence with his daughter, Miss 
Hester Neely, in Anderson. During his later years his health 
was quite feeble, and on the 4th day of August, 1894, after a 
lingering illness, he went to his reward. He reposes in 
Mount Pleasant cemetery, Delaware county. 

JUDGE JOHN F. m'CLIRE. 

John F. McClure was horn near Brookville, Franklin 
county, Indiana, December 24, 1852, and is the oldest of nine 
children, five of whom are li\ ing. His lather, James McClure, 
was born in Ireland in 1818, and came to this country when he 
was two years old. His mother, Ann McClure, was a daugh- 
ter of David McCall, one of the pioneers of Franklin county. 
The father is still living, but the mother recently deceased. 

The subject of this sketch was reared upon a farm, where 
he devoted his time to the labors incident thereto until he was 
twenty-one years of age, when he entered Da Pauw Univer- 
sity, taking a classical course. His career at this institution 
was marked by close ap[jlication to his studies and in 1879 he 
graduated with high honors, being selected as salutatorian of 
his class. Immediately after his graduation he entered the 
law office of Berry <-S: Berry at Brookville, and at the expira- 
tion of two years came to Anderson, where he formed a part- 
nership for the practice of law with Isaac Carter under the 
firm name of Carter & McClure. This partnership lasted but 
a short time, however, as Mr. McClure was elected Principal 



IIlsr()K\ Ol- MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



053 



of the Anderson Hiiih School in 1888 and taught one year, 
when he formed a hiw partnership with the Hon. F. P. Fos- 
ter. In 1S8() he received the Republican nomination for 
Mayor of Andersmi and was elected. 

It was during his incumbency that natural gas was dis- 
covered at Anderson and it was largely through his untiring 
efforts thai many of the large business enterprises which now 
contribute to the city's importance were located. His serv- 




jrlXiE JOHN F. m'CLIRE. 

ices as an active, faithful official were appreciated by his fel- 
low-citizens and he was reelected in 1888. Upon retiring 
from the office of Mavor he purchased an interest in the An- 
derson Ihrahi which property he managed for one year. Dur- 
ing his connection with the paper he was elected Councilman 
from the First ward and being thoroughly acquainted with the 
duties of the position, on account of his previous experience as 
Mayor, rendered valuable service in the administration of the 
city's alTairs. In ISUl he was elected City Attorney by the 
common council and served two vears. He was thrice honored 



654 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

by his party by being selected as chairman of the Republican 
Central Comir.ittee for the county and served in that capacity 
for six years. In 1SD6 he was honored by his party with the 
nomination for Judge of the Circuit Court and elected, being 
the first Republican chosen by the people to fill this responsi- 
ble position since Madison county became a judicial jurisdic- 
tion. He has just entered upon the discharge of the duties of 
the ofHce and gives promise of justifying every hope and ex- 
pectation indulged by his friends. Judge McClure is unas- 
suming both in his bearing and conversation, liberal in his 
views but firm as need be in matters when decision is necessarv. 
He is candid and cordial, but under no circumstances forgets 
that he is a gentleman. His present ambition is to discharge 
the duties of his office acceptably and if conscientious endeavor 
will accomplish this end there is no doubt of his success. He 
owes no allegiance to any particular sect or religious society, 
but is prominent as a Knight of Pythias, having occupied the 
highest office to which a member can be elected in a subordi- 
nate lodge. 

Judge McClure was married to Miss Mary Falknor Dec- 
ember 12, 1888, and resides on ^Vest Seventh street. 

nO\VELI^ D. THOMPSON. 

The subject of this sketch was born May 6, 1822, in 
Center county, Pennsylvania. In 1829 his father removed to 
Clinton county, Ohio, and here the son passed his boyhood, 
attending school whenever it was possible until it became time 
to select a trade, when he went to work at carpentry and fol- 
lowed it until 1844, when he came to Indiana and began 
teaching school. Randolph and Grant counties were the 
scenes of his labors in this vocation until 1857, when he en- 
tered Farmers' College, near Cincinnati. He devoted himself 
assiduously to his studies and graduated from this institution 
in 1849. After graduating he returned to Indiana and taught 
a select school at Pendleton. In December, 1849, he com- 
menced the study of law under Judge David Kilgore and 
afterwards completed his preparatory course under the late 
Judge Hervy Craven. In Alarch 1851, he was admitted to 
the Anderson bar; May, 1851, to the Supreme Court of the 
State, and in Novemb<»r of that year to the Circuit Court of 
the United States. It was also during this year that he re- 
moved to Marion, Indiana, where he began the practice of his 
profession. L'pon the breaking out of tiie Civil War in 1861 



HIST<)R^ OF MADISON COUN'TV, INDIANA. 



655 



he enlisted a company of which he was captain in April of 
that year, but being in feeble health he was compelled to 
resign in the following November and return home. In May, 
1862, he removed to Anderson and formed a partnership in 
the practice of his profession with the late Judge W. R. 
Pierse. Tiiis firm remained in existence for many years and 
enjoyed a large and lucrative practice. In 1871 Mr. Thompson 
was elected Countv School Superintendent and looked after 




HOWELL D. THOMI'SON. 



the duties of that ofHce for two years with credit to himself 
and to the satisfaction of the public. No citizen of the county, 
perhaps, takes deeper interest in the education and proper 
training of tiie joung than Mr. Thompson. His influence has 
always been exerted in behalf of good sciiools, as it has in the 
interest of every enterprise having for its object the general 
difTusion of knowledge and the welfare of society. 

For a period of thirty five years Mr. Thompson has been 
identified with the Madison county bar as one of the ablest 
and most honored iiu'iiibers. Ik- i> still actixelv engaged in 



656 



HlSTOIiV OF .MADISON COIXTY, INDIA.N'A. 



the practice and occupies a position among the members of 
the profession of which he may well feel proud. 

Politically, Mr. Thompson is a Democrat ; religiously, he 
is a Pre.^byterian. He is an honored member of the Masonic 
fraternity, believes in the principles it inculcates, and without 
ostentation endeavors to observe them in his intercourse with 
the world. He is liberal in his views and believes in enjoying 
life within the pale of propriety. His elegantly furnished 
home consequently is one of the most hospitable in Anderson. 
His friends are always graciously received and entertained 
with a cordiality as sincere as it is enjoyable. 

He was married on the 5th of December, 1852, to Miss 
Eliza J. Butler. Of this union two children have been born, 
Mrs. E. E. Newton and Mrs. Charles L. Sherman, both of 
whom are residents of Anderson. 




MISS HESTKR A. NKF.I.V. 



The subject of this biography is the only child of Bazil 
and Sarah (Suman) Xeely'and was born July 4, 1S35, on the 
Neely homestead in Union ti)\vnship, where she resided until 
June 14, 1898, sharing with her parents the trials and hard- 
ships incident to pioneer life. Miss Xeely enjoys the dis- 
tinction of being the oldest maiden in tiie county, and is also 
among the oldest living natives in the county. Notwithstand- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. G57 

ing the school facilities were meagre in her day she acquired 
sufficient knowledge of the elementary branches of an educa- 
tion to enable her in after years to take care of her large prop- 
erty interests without assistance. After the death of her 
mother, in 1856, she took charge of her father's home and 
looked after the household duties until she moved to Anderson 
in 1893, when she brought her venerable parent with her and 
attended to his every want until his death, in 1894. Among 
the lessons instilled into her mind by her father in her early 
years was punctuality in meeting promises and discharging 
obligations, and this lesson she cherishes as sacredly as she 
does his memory. Circumstances, together with good judg- 
ment and careful management, have rendered her one of the 
wealthiest women in the county, her property holdings in An- 
derson being the most desirable in the city, comprising as they 
do the most valuable portions of the southwest square. 

Miss 'Neely lives in an elegant home on West Sixth 
street, which she has furnished in a manner consonant with 
her taste, " neat, not gaudy." She is not extravagant in her 
ideas of living but nevertheless seeks comfort and contentment 
regardless of the expenditure they may entail. While she is 
not a collector of the quaint and curious in the strict sense of 
the term, she has, perhaps, one of the most interesting private 
collections of rare relics and heirlooms in the county. These 
treasures consist of several pieces of rare chinaware, old 
books and quaint implements of various kinds, all of which 
she prizes more for the associations connected with them than 
for any intrinsic value they may possess. 

She is not and has never been a devotee of fashion or 
society and takes no pleasure in them; she appreciates her 
friends, however, and enjoys their companionship. She is 
specially fond of travel and has visited many interesting local- 
ities including the Pacific slope. Miss Neely possesses to a 
degree that quality which Shakespeare regards as "an excel- 
lent thing in w'oman " — modesty. Quiet and unassuming, she 
has pursued the even tenor of her way, doing unto others as 
she would have others do unto her, and meeting the disap- 
pointments of life as bravely as becomes her sex. 

JOHN R. THORNBUKGH. 

The subject of this biography was born in Richland town- 
ship, Madison county, Indiana, on June 7, 1864. 

The Thornburghs are of Scotch-Irish descent. Tl at 
4a 



658 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



branch of the family from which our subject sprung settled 
originally in Guilford county, Xorth Carolina, where his 
father, Jonathan Thornburgh, was born in 1814. He went 
to Illinois at an early day for the purpose of locating, but in 
passing through Indiana he was so favorably impressed with 
the State that in the course of a year he returned, and in 1838 
purchased a farm in Richland township, Madison county, 
where he lived until If^GU. when he was gathered to his fa- 
thers. He took great interest in the affairs not only of his 
township, but of the county, and was greatly respected by 




JOHN K. THiiRNBl'RGH. 

all who knew him as an upright, conscientious citizen. At 
the time of his death, besides a family of several children, he 
left a widow, Mary Thornburgh, who was a daughter of Henry 
Miller, one of the old settlers of Delaware county, Indiana. 
John R. Thornburgh was but five years of age at the time of 
his father's death, and lived on the farm with his mother, 
attending school, when opportunity offered, until he was nine- 
teen years old, when he entered college at Oberlin, Ohio. 
While there he became fascinated with the study of Human 
Science, and after eighteen months of college work went to 
lecturing on phrenology and physiognomy. About two years 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 059 

afterwards he returned to his home and subsequently spent 
two collegiate terms in the Central Normal college at Dan- 
ville, Indiana. While at Danville he met Miss Blanche Scruggs, 
who subsequently became his wife. She was his classmate 
and a member of one of the leading families of Rush county, 
Indiana. After lea\ing Danville college he taught a few 
terms of school and commenced the study of law while teach- 
ing. He afterwards entered the law ofHce of Judge Alfred 
Ellison, and was admitted to the bar in 1890, being the first 
of the farmer boys of his native township to enter upon the 
profession and practice of law. He met with flattering suc- 
cess from the beginning of his legal career, being retained in 
many of the important trials in the courts of the county. 
Shortly after being admitted to the Madison county bar he 
was admitted to practice in the Supreme and Federal Courts 
of Indiana. 

He still retains his interest in the old home farm, and his 
office is always open to his former neighbors and boyhood 
friends, whether they call on business or pleasure. Politically 
Mr. Thornburgh is a Populist, and in the local counsels of his 
party takes a prominent part. He is also an active member of 
the Knights of the Golden Eagle, and esteemed generally as a 
high-minded gentleman and worthy citizen. 

COLONEL MILTON S. ROBINSON. 

A history of Madison county without proper mention of 
the life, character and public services of the subject of this 
sketch would not only be incomplete but would subject the 
work and its author, or authors, to just criticism. He was 
one of the county's most distinguishnd citizens and enjoyed 
the confidence and respect of his fellow-citizens to as great a 
degree as any man that has ever resided within its borders. 

Colonel Robinson was born at Versailles, Indiana, April 
20, 1832. His father. Colonel Joseph R. Robinson, was a 
noted la%vyer and orator in his dav and served as a member of 
the convention that formed the present constitution of In- 
diana. 

Colonel Robinson was etlucated in the common schools, and 
under the judicious instruction of his father studied for the 
profession to which he devoted his life and in which he be- 
came so prominent. His progress in his studies was so rapid 
that he was regularly licensed to practice law under the old 
constitution of the State before he had attained his majoritv. 



G60 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



and soon after the war was admitted to practice in the Su- 
preme Court of the State, and L^nited States Circuit and Dis- 
trict Courts. 

On November 15, 1851, he located at Anderson and com- 
menced the practice of his profession. By his energy and 
ability in the discharge of his professional duties he gradually 
secured a large and lucrative practice, which he retained until 
the breaking out of the Civil war, when he entered the army 




COLONEL MILTON S. ROBINSON. 

as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Forty-seventh Regiment, Indi- 
ana Volunteers, after having twice declined a Colonel's com- 
mission tendered him by Governor O. P. Morton, giving as 
his reason for so doing lack of experience in military aflFairs. 
He was prominently identified with the fortunes of his regi- 
ment until he was promoted by Governor Morton to the 
Colonelcy of the Seventy-Fifth Indiana Volunteers, with 
which regiment he remained until the close of the war, par- 
ticipating in the great battles of the campaigns in Kentucky, 
Tennessee and Georgia. In 1865 he was breveted Brigadier- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 661 

General for gallant and meritorious service. He was always 
an active Republican, and in 1856 was chosen as a Presidential 
elector for the Eleventh Congressional district. In the win- 
ter of 1861 he was elected a director of the Northern Prison 
by the Indiana Legislature. In 1866 he was elected Senator 
from the district composed of Madison and Grant counties, 
and during his term was regarded as one of the leaders of his 
party in the Senate. In the summer of 1874 he was nominated 
by the Republicans of the Sixth Congressional district as their 
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and in 1876 was 
again nominated and re-elected. In March, 1891, he was 
appointed as one of the Judges of tlie Appellate Court by the 
late Alvin P. Hovey, Governor of Indiana, and was nomi- 
nated by the Republican State Convention for the '^ame office 
in June. 1892, but died before the election occurred. 

In Januarv. 1878, he associated with himself John \\'. 
Lovett in the practice of the law. The firm continued in the 
practice under the name of Robipson & Lovett until 1888, 
when Sanford M. Keltner, Esq., became the junior member, 
and from that time on until Colonel Robinson received his 
appointment as a Judge of the Appellate Court the firm was 
known as Robinson, Lovett & Keltner. 

Colonel Robinson was twice married, his first wife being 
Miss Almira F. Ballard, to whom he was united on July 8, 
1856. She died shortly after his return from his service in 
the army. On the 29th of June, 1866, he was married to 
Miss Louise A. Branham. Of this union three children were 
born, of whom but one, a son, Chester Robinson, is living. 
Mrs. Robinson died in 1890. 

Colonel Robinson's career from the time he entered upon 
the practice of his profession was active and eventful. He 
was in every relation of life a sincere and candid man, and as 
such was known and appreciated by his fellow citizens. He 
was ever foremost in every good work, whether religious or 
secular, and gave unstintedly of his means for the promotion 
of any undertaking in which he might engage. While a strict 
partisan in politics he so conducted himself that he enjoyed 
the respect and confidence of his political opponents. Socially 
and religiously he was a man of liberal views and generous 
impulses ; always conscientious, he was fearless in the dis- 
charge of what he esteemed a duty. 

In the practice of his profession he was a safe counsellor, 
painstaking and courteous, and while ambitious to succeed in 



662 HISTORY OV MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

any cause he might espouse, his methods were always just 
and honorable. As a judge he was impartial, firm, able and 
industrious, as is shown by his opinions published in the offi- 
cial reports of the Appellate Court. 

From his early manhood to the date of his death he was a 
prominent member of the Presbyterian church, and con- 
tributed largely of his means and influence to its support. 

Colonel Robinson died July 28, 1892, after a brief illness 
induced by excessive heat. His funeral, in point of attend- 
ance, was the largest that has ever taken place in the county. 
Many prominent citizens from different portions of the .State, 
members of the Appellate Court, the Governor and other 
State officials were in attendance, while his friends and fel- 
low-citizens from every part of the county were present in 
large numbers to pay their last tribute of respect to his mem- 
ory. Of him it can be truly said that the world was better for 
his having lived. 

CAPT. ALONZO I. MAKEPEACE. 

Of all the men who enlisted in the service of their coun- 
try from Madison county during the great struggle for the 
preservation of the Union, none has a more interesting or 
thrilling history than Capt. A. I. Makepeace. His experience 
if given in detail and properly elaborated, would require a 
volume of itself, but a brief sketch is all that can be expected 
or given in a work of this character, however, much the 
authors might desire to preserve all the incidents of his 
military career. Capt. Makepeace is a native of Madison 
county, having been born at Pendleton, April 9, 1833. His 
parents, Alfred and Hannah Makepeace, were among the early 
pioneers of the county who settled in Fall Creek township. 
They subsequently (1836) moved to Anderson, where Alonzo, 
or Lon. as he is familiarly called, was reared, the greater por- 
tion of his time being devoted to farming. His education was 
acquired in the common schools of Anderson. On the 1st of 
April, 1856, he was one of a party of young men who left 
Anderson for California, by the Nicaragua route, and landed 
at Graytown, Central America, on the 18th of the same month. 
There was great excitement in Central America at that time 
owing to the efforts of General Walker, the famous filibus- 
ter, to secure control of the government of that country. 
Neither life nor property was considered secure on account of 
the disturbed condition of the people, and the party of fortune- 



HISTOItV OK MAni>l)\ t'OUXTV, INDIANA. 



663 



seekers concluded to return home. Arriving at New York, 
Mr. Makepeace went to Canada on a prospecting tour, and 
returned to his home in Indiana by wav of Niagara Falls. 
After his return he worked at carpentry until his father built 
the large flouring mill on North Central avenue, which is now- 
owned and operated as a brewery iiy T. M. Norton & Sons, 
when he engaged in the milling bu^inos for a while. In the 
meantime the clouds of the great civil war were gathering 




CAI'T. Al.ONZO I. .MAKEPEACE. 

and casting their somber shadows over all the land. It wa& 
not long until hostilities began and the country was involved 
in the greatest struggle of modern times. The patriotic young 
men of the land responded to the call of the President for 
troops, and marched away to defend the flag of their country. 
Among the number was the subject of this biography, who 
enlisted July 5, 1S61. in Company A. 19th Indiana volunteers. 
He was mustered into the service at Indianapolis on the 29th 
of July, and on the same day was elected second lieutenant of 
his company. 



664 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUXTY, INDIANA. 

On the Stli of August, the Nineteenth Indiana was 
ordered to Washington, and on November 11, 1861, he was 
promoted to the position of First Lieutenant. He was sub- 
sequently (February 10, 1862,) promoted to the Captaincy of 
his company. The Nineteenth Indiana was one of the regi- 
ments composing the famous Iron Brigade and suffered as 
much, if not more, than any regiment engaged in the war, 
Captain Makepeace participated, along with his company, in 
all of the principal battles of the south-east. He was at Lew- 
insville, Gainesville (lost thirtj'-one men out of forty-two in 
this battle) , Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, South Mount- 
ain, Antietam, JSIanassas, Cedar Mountain, and many other 
battles, including the battle of Gettysburg, where he was 
captured on the first day of that decisive engagement. This 
was on the 1st of Jul)-, 1863. He, with several thousand 
other soldiers, who were captured at the same time, was taken 
to Libby prison where he remained ten months, when he was 
transferred to Danville, A'irginia, from that prison to Salis- 
bury, North Carolina, thence to Macon, Georgia. While en- 
route to the latter prison, he escaped from the train near Au- 
gusta, but was recaptured. After remaining in prison at 
Macon for a short time, he, along with three hundred other 
captains, was taken to Charleston, South Carolina, for the 
protection of that city which was being shelled bj- Federal 
gunboats. Intelligence was conveyed to the Federals of their 
location in the city by Union sj-mpathisers and the presence 
of the prisoners did not result as anticipated. The firing was 
kept up by the vessels, but no shell exploded in the vicinity of 
the prisoners. Captain Makepeace was afterward transferred 
to Columbia, South Carolina, where, on November 4, 1864, 
he again escaped, and, in compan}- with three others, eluded 
the Rebels for forty-eight days, notwithstanding they were 
pursued by blood-hounds a portion of the time. They traveled 
only at night and in that time walked over four hundred miles, 
encountering many dangers and sufl'ering innumerable hard- 
ships. They were at one time within a few miles of the 
Union army, but fate was against them and they were re- 
captured in the Smoky Mountains, near Delonaga, Georgia. 
He was taken back to Columbia, and transferred thence to 
Charlotte, North Carolina, where he escaped again, but being 
sick and discouraged by his previous experience he concluded 
to return to prison. From Charlotte he was taken to Raleigh, 



J 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 665 

North Carolina, thence to Wihnington, in the same State, 
where he was finally exchanged on the 1st of March, 1865. 

Captain Makepeace was a prisoner just twenty months 
to a day and was transferred from time to time to nearly every 
prison in the Confederacy. He was discharged at Washing- 
ton in May, 1865, and returned home, after an experience that 
fell to the lot of but few men in the army. Soon after return- 
ing home he engaged in the hardware business as a clerk with 
Nichol & King, but subsequently became a member of the firm, 
Mr. King having retired. This firm is still in existence and 
does a larger business in its line than any other firm in the 
count}'. 

In 1886 Captain Makepeace received without solicitation 
on his part the Republican nomination for Sherifl" of Madison 
county, and was elected, overcoming an adverse majority of 
eight hundred. He is a member of Anderson lodge I. O. O. 
F., and was the first commander of Major May Post, G. A. R., 
but is not connected with any other organization, social, fra- 
ternal or religious. He was on the staff with General Veazy at 
the Grand Encampment of the G. A. R., at Detroit, in 1880, 
and has attended every encampment of that organization as 
well as every reunion of his old regiment for the past twelve 
years. Captain Makepeace was married to Miss Margaret 
Robinson, a sister of the late Colonel M. S. Robinson, on the 
16th of September, 1858. The fruits of this union have been 
two children, Frank and Harriett, both of whom are married 
and living in Anderson. Mr. Frank Makepeace is one of the 
proprietors of the Anderson Daily BuUeliii. Harriett is 
married to Mr. T. N. Stilwell, a son of Colonel Thomas N. 
Stilwell, deceased. 

Captain Makepeace is an unpretending gentleman, not 
given to vaunting his achievements, and it is safe to say that 
but few, even of his intimate friends, are acquainted with the 
facts related in this sketch. Considering his military experi- 
ence he is remarkably active. He has a large circle of friends 
and has laid by a competency against old age. 

SAMUEL HARDEN. 

No man in Madison county, perhaps, has done more to pre- 
serve its early history than Samuel Harden. He has always 
taken great interest in the achievements of the first settlers as 
well as in matters generally pertaining to the pioneer period 
of the countv and therefore honorable mention of his efforts 



666 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



to secure from tlie spoiler Time the names of the first comers 
here, their unpretentious deeds, customs and interesting inci- 
dents connected with their lives, ischeerfuUv accorded in these 
pages. He wrote the first history of the county under certain 
disadvantages that but few can appreciate who have not en- 
gaged in such an undertaking. The work is not perfect by 
anv means, and neither is this, nor anv other historv that has 
been or ever will be written of the county, but within its 
modest pages much is contained that would have been lost 
no doubt had it not been for his painstaking research. 




b.i.ULlil, U.\KDt.N. 

Mr. Harden was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, No- 
vember 21, 1831, and at the age of fourteen years was appren- 
ticed to learn the saddler's trade with an older brother. He 
served an apprenticeship of two years, when he took a 
"tramp" East as far as Ithica, New York, with a party of 
drovers. In 1852 he made the overland trip to California, 
where he engaged in mining with "varied success"' until 
1855, when he returned to Indiana, and after a brief residence 
at Huntsville, this county, married a daughter of the late J. 
T. Swain. He soon after located at Markleville, where he 
worked at his trade for fifteen years. In 1862 he enlisted in 
the Sixth-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, and was 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. (3(37 

wounded at the baitle of Richmond. Ky. lie was discharged 
soon after this and returned to Markleville, where he was ap- 
pointed postmaster. 

In 1874 he pubhshetl a history of Madison county. In 
1880 he commenced writing the liistory of Hancock county, 
but sold his interest in the work to J. H. Binford, who, in 
connection witii T. K. King, completed and published it. In 
1S87 lie published a volume entitled, " Early Times of Boone 
County, Indiana,"" and in 1888 another book entitled, "Those 
I Have Met, or Boys in Blue." In 18V)() he published his last 
work, which he nained "The Pioneer."' All of these works 
contain many interesting sketches of the first settlers of Mad- 
ison, Hancock, Hamilton and Boone counties, as well as much 
valuable and important historical information. Mr. Harden's 
eflforts are being appreciated more and more as the years roll 
by and after his pilgrimage is over will perpetuate his mem- 
ory longer than would marble or bronze. It may be said in 
this connection that he has one of the finest collections of In- 
dian and other interesting relics in the county ; in fact there 
are probablj- but few, if any. tiner private collections in the 
State. 

Mr. Harden is a resident of Anderson, where he pursues 
the "even tenor of his way," enjoying the esteem of all who 
know him. 



C68 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 




NEW COURT HOUSE. 
Erected 1882. 



CHAPTER LXVI. 



Adams Township. 

This township derives its name from Abraham Adams, 
the first white man to settle within its borders, and not from 
the second President of the republic, as many suppose. It is 
situated in the extreme southeast corner of the county and has 
an area of thirty-five square miles. It is bounded on the north 
by Anderson and Union townships, on the east by Henry 
county, on the south by Hancock county, and on the west by 
Fall Creek township. 

Adams was one of the first townships organized in the 
county. The first comers to the township found abundant 
game in its unbroken forests, and a soil not only extremely 
fertile but well-watered, a climate neither excessively hot nor 
cold but a happy medium between the two, in fine the pros- 
pect presented to the first settlers was such as to give them 
assurance that they had found a pleasant land, where they 
could with proper eftbrt secure homes for their families and 
a competency for their old age. Favorable accounts of the 
new country were sent back to their old homes, and soon after 
the coming of Abraham Adams, in 1828, the population began 
to increase rapidly. Mr. Adams settled near the present site 
of Ovid (New Columbus). About the same time Harper, 
Bridge, Sr., Hudson, Sawyer and Bridge, Jr., the murderers 
of the friendly Indians (an account of which is given else- 
■where), settled in the township. Among others who came 
about this time, or a few years later, were Joseph and Moses 
Surber, Abraham Blake and Anthony Hill, of Ohio. The 
latter came in 1827, and located on what was afterwards known 
as the L. D. Reger farm. 

During the years 1828-9, George Hudson, Sr., of Ohio, 
accompanied by his sons, Isaiah, Eli, George, William, Jona- 
than and David; Thornton Rector, of Wayne county, In- 
diana : Thomas. William and Garrett McCallister, John Gil- 
more, Sr., and Hugh Gilmore, Martin Hrown, Samuel and L. 



(J70 HISTORY OK .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Reger, of Virginia, settled in the township. In the spring 
of 1.S30, Levi Brewer and Joseph Ingles, of Ohio, settled in 
the township, and in ISiJl, Colonel Thomas Bell and Heze- 
kiah Justice, also of Ohio, cast their lot with the early settlers 
of the township. Colonel Bell was afterwards elected Rep- 
resentative from the district of Madison and Hancock counties 
and served a number of terms. As an evidence of his popu- 
larity, it is said that at a certain election when he was a can- 
didate, but one vote was cast against him in the township. 

In 1834—5, Samuel Huston and Jacob Evans, of Wayne 
county, Indiana, Isaac Cooper, of Virginia, Harvey Chase, of 
North Carolina, and William Prigg, of Maryland, settled in 
the township. Isaac Cooper located on the land where the 
murder of the Indians occurred. The land upon which this 
atrocious crime was committed is situated one mile and a 
half northeast of Markleville, and is now owned by Solomon 
Hardy. 

Including the names already mentioned, the following 
list comprises all, or nearly all of the first settlers in the town- 
ship : Manly Richards, Hiram Burch, John Copman, Will- 
iam Sloan, Ralph Williams, vStephen and Henry Dobson, 
William Stanley, John Markle, David Rice, Thomas Shelton, 
Joseph Smith, James Collier, William Penn, Reason Sar- 
gent, David Ellsworth, William Xelson, Stephen Norman, 
James Pearson, E. Trueblood, James Peden, Caleb Biddle, 
Barnabas Clark and John Borman. 

These are the men who cleared up the first farms in the 
township and prepared the way for all that has since been 
accomplished in the grand transformation of the wilderness 
to fruitful fields and meadows green. Many of them were 
honored by their fellow-citizens with positions of trust and 
honor, and all were identified with the progress and develop- 
ment of the county. 

EARLY EVENTS. 

The first house in the township was erected by Abraham 
Adams in 1823. It was constructed of unhewn logs and 
stood just east of the present site of Ovid. 

The first school-house in the township was located on 
Section 19. It was similar in construction to all other houses 
of that period. The ne.xt school-house erected in the town- 
ship stood on the east side of the present site of Ovid, but in 
Avhat vear it was built is not known. 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 671 

The first school teacher in the township was a Mr. Hudson. 
He was followed by Reuben ^^'yatt, John Roberts, Hiram 
Burcli. George Kearney, Thomas McCallister, George R. 
Boram and others. Mrs. Susan Justice, who is at present 
making her home in Anderson, went to school to Mr. Wyatt 
when she was a child. Mrs. Justice is seventy-four years of 
age. 

The first orchard in the township was planted by Abra- 
ham Adams about the year 1829. 

The first frame house erected in the township was built 
by Friend Brown. The farm upon which it was erected was 
one of the first that was "cleared up'" in the county. The 
first brick house was erected by Morris Gilmore in 1838 on 
what is known as the Morris Gilmore farm. The first elections 
were held at the house of Abraham Adams and later at the 
house of Manly Richards. In 1880 New Columbus (Ovid) 
was designated by the County Commissioners as the perma- 
nent voting place, and continued the only voting precinct in 
the township up to 1870, when the township was divided for 
election purposes by the Commissioners and another precinct 
was established at Markleville. 

The first church erected in the township was built by the 
Baptists in 1834. It was situated half a mile west of New 
Columbus, and for many years afforded the members of that 
denomination a comfortable place of worship. The early 
ministers here were Nathaniel Richmond, William Judd and 
Morgan McQuay. Among the active membership were 
Caleb Biddle and Ira Davis, at whose homes meetings were 
held for a number of j'ears previous to the building of a place 
of worship. Owing to removals from the township and other 
causes the society declined in membership, and in the course 
of time the building was made the object, or target, of every 
mischievous person who passed that way seized with an incli- 
nation to throw a club or stone. The building was finally re- 
moved to a different locality and devoted to secular uses. 
Proper mention of the other churches in the township is made 
elsewhere. 

MILLS. 

In 1885 a man of the name of Bailey Jackson began the 
erection of a sawmill on the south bank of Fall creek, at New 
Columbus, but abandoned tiie enterprise before it was com- 
pleted. James Peden afterward purchased the site and com- 
pleted Jackson's undertaking in 1843. This mill was operated 



072 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

successfully for a great many years and finally went the way 
of all the water mills in the county. It was the first mill built 
in the township and furnished the lumber for the first frame 
buildings erected in this part of the county. Its last owner 
was Adam Forney. 

The next mill erected in the township was built in 1!S41, 
by Isaac and Edmund Franklin. It was also a saw-mill and 
was situated on the north bank of Fall Creek on section 15. 
In 1843 tiie}' began the erection of a grist mill near the same 
site which wafe completed the following year. These mills 
were known as the " Franklin Mills," and did a lucrative 
business up to within a few years of their destruction by fire 
in 1888. They were owned and operated by manj- different 
persons in their day, the last owner and proprietor being 
James K. Lawson. The dam across Fall Creek is still stand- 
ing where these mills were once situated and is still visited in 
season bv lovers of piscatorial sport from many parts of the 
county. In fact, Fall Creek at this point until recent years, 
was one of the most famous fishing grounds in the county. 

In 1857 Blake & Hudson built a saw-mill near the pres- 
ent site of Markleville. This was the first mill run by steam 
in the township and was successfully operated until 1863, when 
the machinery was sold and shipped to Frankton. Abisha 
Lewis and John Houston built the next steain saw-mill in the 
township in 1872. It cost about $3,000 and at the time of its 
erection was the best in the county. Two years after it was 
built a shingle-machine was added to the mill which proved a 
profitable investment. This mill is still in operation at 
Markleville, and is owned by the Markle Brothers. 

Soon after the completion of the southern extension of 
the C. W. & M. Railway (Big Four) through the township, a 
saw-mill was built at Emporia, two miles north of Markle- 
ville. The mill is owned and operated by William and 
Edward Trueblood. 

As there is but little valuable timber left in this part of 
the county, it is safe to say that it will be but a short time 
until this class of mills will have disappeared from the town- 
ship as thev have in other localities. 

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

With the increase of population the demand for enlarged 
school facilities became more urgent and the log school houses 
of the township began to disappear. In 1854 several frame 



HISTORY OK JIADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. (573 

school buildings were erected at different points and the school 
law of 1851 was thereafter observed in the regulation of the 
schools until it was supplanted by the present school system. 
In 1873 the frame buildings began to disappear, two brick 
structures being erected that year, one of which was at Markle- 
ville and the other at Ovid. Each of these buildings cost $1,- 
100. In 1877-8, three more brick buildings were erected. 
There are at this time ten buildings and eleven teachers in the 
township. The school enumeration for 1858 in the township 
showed that there were 584 school children ; in 1874 the total 
number was 538 and this year it is 500, including both Markle- 
ville and Ovid. 

CHURCHES. 

There are at the present time in the township five relig- 
ious societies and six churches. In 1834 a Baptist society ^vas 
organized at the home of Mrs. Rebecca Collier about a mile 
and a half south-east of where Markleville now stands. This 
society at the time of its organization was composed of thir- 
teen members but grew rapidly and in 1852 a place of worship 
was erected. This building was used as a place of worship 
until 1872, when it was torn down and another of larger di- 
mensions erected by the society about a mile further north. 
J. F. Collier donated the land upon which both buildings were 
erected and also served the congregation as pastor for a num- 
ber of years, being assisted by Revs. O. P. Hawkins, J. E. 
Ellison and T. S. Lyons. This church has a large membership. 

CHI!ISTI.\N CHURCH. 

In 1848 a meeting of a ninnber of members of this denom- 
ination was held at the Baptist church west of New Colum- 
bus (Ovid) and a society was organized, the first eldership 
being composed of Eli Ilodson, Andrew Bray, J. I. Seward 
and Jesse \'^an\Vinkle. The society continued to hold meet- 
ings here and elsewhere in the township until 1852, when the 
congregation concluded to build a place of worship, which 
was accordingly done, the church being situated two miles 
east of Columbus. About two years after its completion it 
was destroyed by fire ; but the membership being large another 
building was immediately erected at a cost $1,400. It was 
known as White Chapel. This church organization flourished 
for a number of years under the pastoral care of Elder Daniel 

Franklin and others, but owing to deaths, removals from the 
43 



674 HISTORY OF ^^ADISON COITNTY, INDIANA. 

township and other causes, the membership declined and tlieir 
place of \vorship passed into the hands of Thornton Rector, 
who converted it into a place of residence. 

GERMAN BAPTIST CHURCH. 

This society was organized in 1860 by Elder George 
Hoover, and in 1878 a place of worship was erected a short 
distance north of Columbus. The building is a brick structure 
and cost ^2,500. The membership of this church was also 
large at one time, but has been gradually declining for many 
years. Regular services are no longer held here. 

METHODIST CHURCH. 

Ministers of the Methodist faith were the first to hold re- 
ligious services in the township. Other denominations had 
larger memberships, however, and it was not until 1856 that 
the Methodist society erected a church just south of Markle- 
ville. Previous to this meetings were held at the homes of the 
membership and in an old log schoolhouse near the site of the 
present edifice. Prominent among the active membership of 
this society in the past were .Stephen Noland, Ralph Williams, 
L. D. Reger and James Small. The society at the present 
time is in a fairly prosperous condition. 

CHURCH OF GOD. 

In 1887, the year following the coming of Mrs. Maria 
Wood worth, the noted female evangelist, to the county, a 
number of her followers organized a society at Markleville 
and built a church. Regular services were held there for a 
time and the societv flourished; but through various causes un- 
necessary to mention, interest in the work began to wane and 
regular services were discontinued. At this time the congre- 
gation is without a minister. 

LUTHERAN CHURCH. 

This society was organized at New Columbus (Ovid) in 
the '50s, and in 1861 a place of worship was erected just west 
of the village. The Lutlierans are not strong numerically in 
the township and consequently regular services are dispensed 
with. 

THE UNION CHURCH. 

About 1876 the Baptists, Methodists and Christians in the 
vicinity of Xew Columbus entered into an agreement to build 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 675 

a place of worship, tlie same to be used at stated times, or 
alternately, by each denomination. The church is situated 
near the village on the west and is known as the " Union 
Church." While any of the three denominations is entitled 
to worship in the building, the Christians have taken charge 
of it and at the present time hold services there exclusively. 

I 

FRATERNITIES. 

On the 24th of May, 1854, Ovid Lodge No. 164, A. F. 
<S; A. M., was organized at New Columbus, the following con- 
stituting the charter membership : Iliram Peden, R. E. Poin- 
dexter, John J. Justice, David Fesler, .Solomon Pool, James Bid- 
die, John McCallister, Joel Pratt, Josepbus Poindexter, Will- 
iam Sebrell, John Hicks, B. W. Cooper, Garrett McCallister 
and John Slaughter, all of whom had been initiated into the 
mysteries of the order in the Masonic Lodge at Pendleton, the 
parent lodge of all the Masonic organizations in the county. 
The nieetings of Ovid Lodge were held in a two-story log 
building on the west side of New Columbus until 1860 when 
a new building was erected by the organization. The meet- 
ings of the Lodge have been held in this building eversince. 

The new lodge room was dedicated on the 14th of Julv, 
1860, Joseph Eastman, S. B. Irish and William Roach officia- 
ting as Grand officers for the occasion. Following the dedi- 
catory ceremonies there was an open-air dinner, speeches and 
a general good time. Of the charter members of this lodge 
Hiram Peden, no\v and for manv years past a resident of An- 
derson, alone survives. 

RURAL LODGE. 

On May 24, 1864, Rural Lodge No. ^524, A. F. & A. M., 
was organized at Markleville, the charter members being, 
Samuel Harden, John Justice, David Johnson, John Boram, 
E. B. Garrison, Levi McDaniel, Daniel Cook, Samuel Cory 
and W. B. Markle. This lodge held its meetings for a year 
in the second story of Samuel Harden's residence, when it 
moved to a room above a shoe-shop owned by W. A. Lynch. 
Meetings were held here for a number of years when a lodge 
room was erected over a store owned by Hardy & Lewis. 
This continued to be the home of the lodge until March, 1879, 
when it surrendered its charter. The lodge has never been re- 
vi\ed, the membership preferring to attend Ovid Lodge. 



676 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

MARKLEVILLE LODGE I. O. O. F. 

On November 18, 1875, Markleville Lodge No. 502,1. O. 
O. F., was organizedjwith the following charter members : A. 
J. Blake. Joseph P. Blake, S. F. Hardy, J. R.Leakey, Joseph 
Wilkinson, A. Van Dyke, George Cooper and Reuben Wil- 
kinson. This lodge flourished for a while when it gradually 
went down and finally surrendered its charter. 

STATISTICAL MATTERS TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 

The population of the township in 1850, was 1,309; in 
18(30 it was 1,458; in 1870 it was 1,576; in 1880 it was 1,663, 
and in 1890 it was exactly what it was in 1880. The total 
value of lands as returned this year by the assessor is $586,- 
170 ; value of lands and improvements, $648,095. Total value 
of taxables in the township, $820,365. 

NEW COLUMBUS (OVID). 

This town was laid out by Abraham Adams in 1884. It 
has a beautiful location, being situated upon a hill just south 
of Fall Creek. It is six miles south of Anderson, and at the 
present time has about one hundred inhabitants. The town 
was given the name of New Columbus by its founder, but on 
account of the annoyance occasioned in the delivery of mail, 
there being a town of the same name in Bartholomew county, 
the name of Ovid was given the postoffice when it was estab- 
lished here in 1837. Previous to that year the citizens of the 
village and surrounding country went to Huntsville to post 
and receive their mail. The first postmaster was William 
Miller; the next was William Gray, who was followed by 
James Peden and his two sons, Joseph and Hiram, in the 
order named. Hiram Peden was succeeded by George Hod- 
son. The present postmaster is William Carmody. The first 
merchant in the village was Hiram Burch. William Miller 
succeeded iiini. J. M. McClaniilian was also one of the early 
merchants. The first physician to locate here was Dr. C. 
Horn. Other early physicians were Drs. Parry, Smiley, 
Hildreth, Pratt, Cooper, Bair, Troy, Edwins, Rider and 
Myers. The first and only tannery in the township was 
located here. It was built in 1837 by Henry Armstrong and 
Bartholomew Fort, but was not a success and was finally 
abandoned. 

About a mile cast of the village, Andrew Bray built a 
distillery in 1838, whicii he operated for a number of years. 



3 



IIISTORV OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 677 

As pievioiisly stated, New Columbus was for many years the 
only voting place in the township, and whenever an election 
occurred there was more or less turbulence. It is related by 
old-timers still living in the vicinity that an election seldom 
occurred without beini^ attended by as high as fifty or sixty 
fights. The fighting would sometimes begin before the vot- 
ing and would continue at brief intervals until after the polls 
had closed. Those days have passed, however, and there is 
not a more peaceable or law-abiding community in the county 
to-dav than this. The spirit of politics is cjuite as lively as it 
was in the old days, but the argument of physical strength has 
given way to more rational methods. It is not known save to 
a few of the old-timers who still remain that the town was 
once incorporated, but such is the fact, as will be seen by the 
following : 

The Board of Commissioners ordered an election held in 
New Columbus on the first Monday in April, 1840, to incor- 
porate the same as a town, as follows : " On a petition of a 
majority of the citizens of New Columbus, Madison county, 
Indiana, it is ordered that the citizens of said town hold an 
election in said town on the first Monday in April next, for 
the purpose of electing the proper officers to govern the said 
town as an incorporated town. And upon the citizens com- 
plying with this order the said town thereafter be considered 
as incorporated." 

MAKKLEVILLE. 

This town derives it name from John Markle, who owned 
the ground upon which it stands and who laid it out in 1852. 
It is situated eleven miles southeast of Anderson on what is 
known as the southern extension of the C, W. & M. (Big 
Fear) Railway, and two miles west of the Henry county line. 
What is still known as the "Pendleton and New Castle pike" 
passes through the town. Among the early merchants of the 
place may be mentioned Newton Busb)', E. B. Garrison, 
Ralph Williams, David Johnson, J. W. .Shimer, H. H. 
Markle, J. W. Blake, Harrison Coon, Sebrell & l?lake, and 
Hardy & Lewis. The latter firm did a large business in the 
'70s and erected the finest business room in the town. Mr. S. 
Hardy and Mr. N. Monevhun are the principal merchants at 
the present time. 

The first postmaster here was fohn Markle. He was fol- 
lowed bv Samuel Harden, and he in lurn by William Swain, 



678 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

David Johnson, S. F. Hardy and William Coacheran. The 
present incumbent is O. H. Seward. The first physicians in 
the place were Daniel Cook, William Hendricks, William 
Swain, Jacob and William P. Harter. The population in 
1870 was about 100 and at the present time it is estimated at 
250. 

Al.LIANCE. 

This is a station on the southern extension of the C, W. & 
M. Railway (Big Four). It is situated about two and a-half 
miles northeast of Ovid and is one of the three places in the 
township at which trains stop regularly. A general store is lo- 
cated here, but no manufacturing enterprises, and the future 
of the place is consequently not very bright. 

EMPORIA. 

This is a small station situated on the southern extension 
two miles southeast of New Columbus and two miles north of 
Markleville. It was located upon the completion of the rail- 
road to that point in 1801. There is a general store here 
owned by William Mauzy, also a sawmill owned and operated 
by William and Edward Trueblood. William Trueblood is 
the Dresent postmaster. 

POI.EYWALK. 

This is a name given to a thickly settled locality in the 
southwest corner of the township, about a quarter of a century 
ago, on account of the roads and " walks"" being constructed 
of poles. These corduroy roads were necessary in many por- 
tions of the county at an early day, but with the draining of 
the country and the building of pikes they gave way to the 
new order of things. 

This particular locality was noted among other things for 
its many social gatherings, especially dances, which the young 
people, after working hard all day at their domestic duties or 
in the fields, would attend and dance from "early candle light- 
ing"' until dawn, ^^ery frequently a fight would take place 
to vary the programme on these occasions, but as deadly 
weapons were seldom resorted to in those times by young men 
in adjusting a difficulty, no one was ever seriously injured. 
The boys and girls who contributed to the merry-making in 
this locality at the time of which we write are settled in life ; 
many of them the heads of families, but they still take delight 
in relating the experiences of their younger years. 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. (379 



THE BIG I.ICK. 



This famous hunting resort in the early settlement of the 
county is located in the southeast corner of the township at 
the source of Lick Creek. It was a favorite hunting ground of 
the Indians before they left for their reservation beyond the 
Mississippi. Deer and other animals would come to this spot 
in great numbers to lick the ground which was largely impreg- 
nated with salt, and the hunter had but little difficulty in sup- 
plying his larder with an abundance of meat. Long after 
deer had disappeared from that part of the county the " perches " 
made by hunters in the forks of trees at the Big Lick, from 
which tiiey would shoot unwary animals when they came 
to lick or drink, could be seen. 

PROMINENT CITIZENS. 

The following citizens of this township have been con- 
nected with tiie administration of county affairs: Thomas 
Bell, Representative from 1831 to 1838, Madison and Hancock 
counties then being a district for representative purposes. Mr. 
Bell also represented these counties in the State Senate from 
1835 to 1841, and subsequently (1844) represented Madison 
county in the Lo\ver House of the State Legislature. Thomas 
McCallister, Representative from 1840 to 1842; elected again 
in 1844 and served one term, and again elected in 1850 and 
served one term. Stanley W. Edwins, Representative from 
1879 to 1880; Joseph Peden, Circuit Clerk from 1862 to 1865 
(died before term expired) ; John W. McCallister, Sheriff from 
1874 to 1875 (died before term expired) ; Randle Biddle, Sher- 
iff from 1876 to 1878; John McCallister, Commissioner from 
1851 to 1857 (died while in office, and George R. Boram, of 
same township appointed to serve out his term) ; Eli Plodson, 
Commissioner, 1858 to 1860; George R. Boram, Commissioner 
from 1860 to 1862 ; Peter Fesler, Commissioner from 1862 to 
1864; John McCallister, Commissioner from 1870 to 1873; Cj. 
W. Hoel, Commissioner from 1872 to 1875; A. Cunningham, 
Commissioner from 1891 to 1894; Allen Boram, Commissioner 
from 1894 to 189- ; A. \V. McCallister, County Assessor from 
June, 1892, to 1896. 

ELI IIODSON, A PIONEER. 

Eli Ilodson, the subject of this sketch, was one of the 
old-time gentlemen who came to Madison county in the early 



080 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

days of its settlement. In addition to being a prosperous and 
well-to-do farmer he figured extensively as a politician and 
leader of men in the community. He was verj- suave and 
polite in his manners, and treated his fello\vs \vith a courtesy 
excelled by none. In the early times he was one of the asso- 
ciate judges of Madison county. At that time there were 
three judges composing the Circuit Court — one the Circuit 
Judge, who was required to preside at the sittings of the court 
in the different counties which went to make up his judicial 
circuit. In addition to this there were two associate judges, 
elected by the people of each county in which the court held 
its meetings, and sat with the President of the Court. Mr. 
Hodson at one time was County Commissioner, and he it was 
who caused the proper grading of the public square to be 
made. He also had shade trees planted in the little park that 
surrounded the court house, making it one of the prettiest 
places in the county. In this he was assisted by Samuel B. 
Mattox, ex-Recorder. The trees served in the summer time 
as a shelter from the rays of the burning sun, and the people 
from all parts of the county, when in attendance a*: court or 
in the city on business, made good use of this beautiful retreat. 
The trees remained until 1882, during the erection of the new 
court house, when they were cut down and hauled away. 
For incurring this expenditure Samuel Mattox, who was then 
the Recorder of Madison county, and Mr. Hodson, were sub- 
jected to a good deal of abuse, and considerable loud talk was 
indulged in by the tax-payers for the expenses incurred in the 
grading of the lot and in the planting of the trees ; but as time 
wore on, and the little trees grew into large and stately oaks, 
public sentiment changed, and they who had been the sever- 
est in denouncing Mr. Hodson and his associates took great 
pleasure in reclining beneath the shade trees and singing the 
praises of those whom they had once denounced. 

Mr. Hodson was born in Guilford county. North Carolina, 
in 1805. In 1828 he emigrated to Madison county and en- 
tered eighty acres of land in the adjoining county of Henry, 
and also eight)- acres in the county of Madison, on which he 
resided until the time of his death. In January, 1830, he was 
married to Miss Lydia Hart, who died in 1834, and in 1836 
he was married again, this time to Miss Cynthia Ayleshire. 
IVIr. Hodson was a consistent member of the " New Light 
Church," and was ordained a minister of the same. He re- 
mained with them a few years and then he became a promi- 



IIISTOUV OF :\rADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 681 

neiit member of the Christian Church, whicii was organizetl 
by tlie Rev. Alexander Campbell. 

Mr. Hodson died at his home on the 27th day of Febriiar)-, 
]S8tl, at the age of seventy-four. Tt was said of him by his 
neighbors that he was always kind and obliging, and ever 
ready to aid his fellow-man ; that lie never gave offense know- 
ingly to anyone; tiiat he was always a peacemaker in his 
neighborhood between those who indulged in unhappy wran- 
gles. He was universally loved and respected by all who 
knew Iiim. 

CARSHENA m'cAI.LISTER AND HIS DOGS. 

Carshena McCallister is a farmer who has since his child- 
hood lived in Madison county. He is the sor. of the late John 
McCallister, who was once a prominent farmer and business 
man of Fall Creek township. Carshena, like many others, 
takes the world easy, and is fond of out door sports. He was 
in his younger daj's a great hunter, and kept (juite a pack of 
hounds. In 1882, when the writer was Auditor of Madison 
county, in making up the ta.x duplicates, opposite the name of 
Carshena jSIcCallister was placed by the assessor, thirteen 
dogs. This being an unusual number of canines for an ordi- 
narv farmer, it was thought to be a mistake of the assessor, 
and the book was laid aside until an interview could be had 
and the error corrected. 

In a few days Carshena came into the office, and was 
taken into the vault in a quiet manner, and confidentially told 
that a great injustice had been done him bv the Township 
Assessor. He seemed much surprised, and said that the 
officer ^vas a special friend and wanted an explanation. He 
was told that he had been charged with thirteen ilogs. 

Looking around in order that no one might hear what was 
said, in an under tone he replied : 

" Well, don't say anytliing about it; there are three or 
four he didn't get." 

This was a suflicient explanation, and Carshena went 
home happv. and in the spring cheerfully paid the taxes on 
his dogs. 

Tliere are but few who have gotton more out of the rou- 
tine of life than Carshena McCallister, or who enjoys the 
world's blessings as they are presented to them more than he. 

Judge Hervev Craven was the only man in the county 
w ho ever came near being a rival of his as a dog fancier. The 



682 ItlSTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Judge alwaj-s had a fine selection of all kinds and sizes of 
dogs and enjoyed much sport with them. 

JOSEPH WILKINSON. 

Joseph Wilkinson, who was once Trustee of Adams town- 
ship, removed to some other part of the country. He was, 
during his residence in this county, decidedly a man of affairs. 
No political meeting in his locality was complete without his 
presence. No candidate for a county or township office stood 
much show if he did not stand in solidly with Joe. 

He was one of the "machine" men of Adams township, 
who helped to work up a candidate's case — make and mold 
sentiment for him. Adams township has for years contained 
many of the makers and unmakers of county candidates. 

Joe Wilkinson did not have any religion. He often 
argued against the thing, just for argument's sake. He was a 
good-hearted fellow and generally did right as nearly as he 
knew how, and was willing to rest his case and take his 
chances. While he was Township Trustee, about 1880 to 1884, 
he had a good time running the public business. He ran it on 
his own schedule and took the results as they came. At times 
the County Commissioners would " tackle" him, to curb him 
in matters over which they thought they had control, but gen- 
erally got worsted in the fight. Joe generally had his fences 
built high, and burned the bridges behind him. 

One time he was making his annua! settlement with the 
County Board whose duty it was to see that the trustees had 
proper vouchers for money expended by them. Jacob Bron- 
nenberg was one of the Commissioners. He was always on 
the alert and lookout for leaks and waste ways in the public 
treasury. He thought Wilkinson was a little too "slack" in 
his use of the public funds, and was eyeing every voucher filed. 

Joe was slashing them down and reading them of!" in a 
great hurry, slapping them down on the table a great deal like 
a man in an interesting game of " seven-up " would play a 
trump in taking a " trick." 

"No. 1, John Smith, ten dollars. 

"No. 2, James Johnson, fifteen dollars," and so on. 

Uncle Jake broke in : 

"Hold on! Hold on! I want to see that voucher. 
What's that for.? That's too much. You'll break up the county. 
There's no law for it." 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 683 

Joe never stopped or paid any attention, but kept calling 
off his vouchers and slapping them down on the table. 

" I want to know who's running the county — the County 
Commissioners or tiie Township Trustees?" asked Uncle Jake. 

" Oh d — n it, Jake, be still, you're interrupting the court," 
replied Joe, and on he went reading his vouchers until he was 
through. 

"Now, gentlemen, tiiere's my report and my vouchers. I 
am through with them. Thank you for your attention. 
Good day." 

The Board of Commissioners could do nothing but order 
his report filed and make a record of it, and let him and his 
constituents fight it out if there was anytliing wrong in it. 
Law, gospel, death, hell or the grave had no terrors for Joe 
Wilkinson, let alone the wrath of a Board of County Commis- 
sioners. 

But in all Joe Wilkinson was one of the best fellows in 
the world at heart. He hung his worst side out. The deeper 
you dug into him the better he got. 

MOCK LEGISLATURE. 

In the rural village of Ovid, or Xew Columbus, as it is 
familiarly called, during the winter months of 1879 the citi- 
zens of that place and surrounding country indulged in a good 
deal of pleasantry by organizing a mock legislature and hold- 
ing meetings once a week, in which all the prominent men 
of the township took an active part. 

The " house" was formally organized on Tuesday even- 
ing, the 14th of January, 1879. The plan of organization 
was such that every one desiring to become a member 
should select a certain county in Indiana and work for its in- 
terest, after subscribing to the constitution and by-laws of the 
organization. An election was held for officers, with the fol- 
lowing result : A. W. McAllister, representing LaPorte 
county, as Speaker; Mr. Galloway, of Madison county, as 
Clerk; Samuel Gray, Sergeant-at-arms ; and M. Y. Spauld- 
ing. Door-keeper. George Fesler assumed the name of His 
Excellency, Governor Rosecrans, and acted as the Chief Ex- 
ecutive. 

After the organization the Governor sent in quite a 
lengthy message recommending certain internal improve- 
ments and other business matters. The following were a few 
of his recommendations : An amendment to the fish law. that 



684 msTou.Y of madison county, ixdiana. 

persons should never fish until they were sure of making ;i 
catch. He also recommended the construction of a belt rail- 
way around the capital at New Columbus, and asking for the 
annexation of the suburban town of Anderson, in order to 
provide it with a more efficient municipal government; also 
recommending a bill for facilitating commercial intercourse 
between the capital at New Columbus and the town of An- 
derson. 

The first bill introduceol was for opening Fall Creek as 
far as Fornev's farm for the purpose of navigation. These 
bills went through the ordinary committees as though they 
had been in a legislative body and were reported back to the 
house, where they were warmly discussed pro and con, when 
they were either passed or met defeat as other legislative bills 
do. These meetings were kept up during the winter months 
and not only furnished amusement for all those who partici- 
pated therein, but served as an education to them in parlia- 
mentary law. as they were held down by the speaker to a 
strict construction of all parliamentary usages in the discus- 
sion of bills and other matters pertaining to legislation. 

The Governor, George Fesler, has long ago passed be- 
yond this vale of tears, while the Speaker of the House, A. 
W. McAllister, is now a resident of Anderson and fills the 
important ofKce of Assessor for Madison county. 

ACCIDENT.S AND INCIDENTS SUICIDE OF MRS. SURBER. 

About three miles southeast of New Columbus in tiie 
year 1834, there occurred one of the most horrible suicides 
that ever transpired in Madison county. The person who took 
her life was a Mrs. Surber. It appears that her husband had 
left home early in the morning to go to Pendleton to attend a 
muster. The law then required all able bodied male citizens 
between the ages of 21 and 45 to appear at designated local- 
ities once a year to drill in the manual of arms. Failure to 
do so meant a fine for the person offending. Mrs. Surber was 
opposed to her husband going and endeavored in every way to 
dissuade him from so doing; but in order to avoid the payment 
of a fine, Mr. Surber concluded to attend the muster despite the 
protestations of his wife, and started away leaving her alone. 

From all that can be learned, his wife took umbrage at 
his going, and determined that he should never see her alive 
again, and went about deliberately to kill herself. From the 
floor to the joi«t in the cabin was about seven feet. To this 



HISTORY OF MADISOjN COUNTY, INDIANA. 085 

she securely fastened a rope. She then mounted a stool and 
fastened the other end of the rope with a noose around her 
neck. She then kicked away the stool and swung oft', her 
feet almost touching the iloor and her body turned around with 
her back to the door. 

Mr. Surber, all unconscious of the terrible deed which had 
taken place during his absence, returned at three o'clock in 
the afternoon. He was unaware of the condition of affairs, 
and approached the body, took hold of it by the right arm, 
and asked her what she was doing there and why she had 
closed the door. In doing this he caused her body to turn 
around, and the countenance of his dead wife stared him hor- 
libly and ghastly in his face. So tightly had the rope been 
drawn by the weight of her body that her tongue protruded 
from her mouth and her teeth were firmly imbedded in it. 

The neighbors gathered at the house and gazed upon the 
sickening sight. From a foolish feeling prevalent at that 
time that the body of a suicide must not be touched by any 
person until the Coroner had viewed the remains, it was 
allowed to stay in its position until the following day. Tliis 
occurrence was fixed on the memory of those who had wit- 
nessed it as long as they continued to live. It was the talk of 
the neighborhood for years and many persons were afraid to go 
into the house or venture upon the premises for fear of being 
bodily captured by ghosts or spooks. 

BURNING OF A LITTLE GIRL. 

A little tliree-year-old child of Stephen Orr, wiio resided 
on tile farm of Jesse Skinner, near Markleville, was burned 
to death on 21st of March, 1879- The mother of the child 
had gone to a neighbor's house, leaving the little one with a 
sister. When she returned she found the little one lying on 
the floor, with its clo'.iiing entirely burned off its person. 
The cries of the child failed to reach tiie father who was in 
the woods near by making rails, and he did not know of the 
sad affair until his wife gave the alarm. This \vas indeed a 
terrible accident, and will long be remembered by Mr. and 
Mrs. Orr, and their neighbors who witnessed the horrible 
spectacle of tlic unfortunate child in its charred and lifeless 
condition. 

.VN OLD miJGL.MiV. 

On the 1st of June, 18r)2, the iiouse of .\ndrew Bray, 
Esq., of Adams township, was entercil bv thiexes, ransacked 



686 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and plundered of its contents. Considerable valuable prop- 
erty and money were obtained. 

Mr. Bray was one of the well-to-do farmers of that lo- 
cality and always had more or less cash about the house, there 
being no banks in Madison county in which to deposit it. 

No one was ever apprehended for the crime, although 
suspicion pointed strongly to two well-known characters, but 
no evidence of a positive kind could be adduced against them. 

An occurrence of this kind at that time caused much 
excitement in the neighborhood, and was for a long while a 
cause for gossip. 

Mr. Bray enjoved the distinction of being the richest 
man in Adams township, and he knew it as well as his neigh- 
bors. It is said when any one in the locality would sell a farm, 
Andrew would swell up and walk up and down his posses- 
sions, and interrogate himself, "why don't some one buy 
Andrew Bray?" " JVo one able.'"'' 

He was the first to build a brick residence in the south 
part of the county. At that time it was considered simply 
palatial. 

KILLED HY LIGHTNING. 

John Markle, a young farmer living one mile north of 
Markleville, while cutting logs in the woods near White 
Chapel, about one and a-half miles from his home, was over- 
taken by a storm on the 7th of August, 1890, and he and one 
of his horses were instantly killed by lightning. Mr. ^larkle 
and a boy had gone into the woods with the intention of load- 
ing logs and hauling them home, from which place he intended 
to remove them to the saw-mill the ne.xt morning. The boy 
was terribly shaken up, but suffered no serious injury, and 
after returning to his senses spread the news in the neighbor- 
hood of Markle's sad fate. Tiie dead man was taken home to 
his young wife, to whom he had been married but a short time, 
and whom he had left shortly before in the best of spirits. It 
was a terrible blow to her. and she was completely overcome 
by her grief. Young Markle was only about twenty-two years 
of age. He was sober and industrious, and was held in the 
highest esteem by all who knew him. 

SUICIDE OF .MRS. M.\GGIE SHOVER. 

On the 26th of November, 1882, the citizens of Adams 
township were thrown into a state of excitement and con- 
sternation by the rumor that Mrs. Maggie Sho-ver, wife of 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 087 

Ilenr)' Shover, liad conimitted suicide. Mr. Sliover was a 
wealthy and highly respected farmer of tliat township. Upon 
investigation, it was learned that Mrs. Shover had gone into 
the cellar, and finding a rope, had thrown it over a joist, and 
by this means had strangled herself to death. 

She had been married in July previous to Mr. Shover, 
who was then a widower and the father of three children. 

It is said that domestic trouble was the cause of her un- 
timely end, as she and her husband did not live together hap- 
pily. A Coroner's inquest was promptly held and a verdict 
returned in accordance with the above facts. 

Henry Shover, her husband, is yet a resident of Madison 
countv, and a brother of James Shover, who is well known in 
Anderson. 

niJOWNING OF WILLIAM RECTOR. 

William Rector was an epileptic who for many years lived 
in Adams township, and who on the 9th day of July, 1889, 
was drowned in Fall creek while in the act of bathing, in 
company with his brother-in-law. He had been in the water 
for some time and after coming out for the purpose of chang- 
ing his clothing he went in again. He made a jump and im- 
mediately sank to the bottom. He evidently strangled or had 
been seized with an epileptic fit. His brother-in-law became 
frightened to such an extent that but little attempt was made 
to rescue the drowning man. Rector's body was not recov- 
ered until a day or two later, when an inquest was held by the 
Coroner of Madison county, who returned a verdict of acci- 
dental death by drowning. His remains were interred in the 
neighboriiood of his home on the following Wednesday. 

SUICIDE OF OREN VAX WINKLE. 

Oren ^'anWinkle, a young man of Adams township, 
committed suicide on Sunday, the 27th day of April, 1885, by 
shooting himself. He was a farm hand employed by Isaac 
Jones, of that neighborhood. For a year or more he had been 
paying attention to a most estimable young lady of iiis imme- 
diate \icinity. who received his attentions as a friend, but not 
as a lover. It seems that young VanWinkle was very much 
devoted to her and became deeply enamored of her. A few 
days before this occurrence, in a conversation with the young 
lady, he made known his love, and, it is supposed, asked her 
hand in marriage, to which she had not given her assent. Her 
refusal had such an eflfect upon him as to cause him to become 



688 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

temporarily deranged. Several days prior to his death he wrote 
a letter to his sweetheart, in which he told her how dearly he 
loved her and if she would not marry him he did not care to 
live any longer. The weapon used was a small 22-calibre 
pistol. Shortly before committing the deed he laid down 
upon a lounge and then placing the muzzle of the pistol 
against his head pulled the trigger. The ball penetrated his 
brain and death was instantaneous. He was a very quiet 
young man and was only eighteen years of age. His mother, 
two sisters and a brother lived nearElwood. He was a cousin 
of John Quincy \'an\Vinkle, who is the present Superintend- 
ent of the Big Four Railway system. His funeral took place 
from the residence of Charles VanWinkle, near Mechanics- 
burg, on the following Tuesday. 

A PECULIAR INQUEST. 

William Creason was for many years a resident of Adams 
township and was considered a very peculiar and inoffen- 
sive man, of a harmless disposition. He knew enough to 
go about his business, was industrious, temperate and observ- 
ant of his obligations. He was about forty years of age and 
had been married, but his wife had secured a divorce from him. 

In the month of August, 1881, he mj'steriously disap- 
peared from the neighborhood and his whereabouts were un- 
known to his relatives, who manifested a great deal of anxiety, 
but could find no clue of him. On Sunday, the 21st of 
August, a man of the name of Socrates Campbell was riding 
through the edge of a swamp about two miles southwest of 
Markleville when he was startled by coming suddenly upon 
what appeared to be a human skeleton partly hidden from 
view by the thick growth of bushes. A hasty inspection 
enabled him to identifj' the clothing as belonging to William 
Creason. Mr. Campbell rapidly rode to a neighbor and in- 
formed him of the discovery. Coroner Michael Ryan was 
notified. The remains were permitted to lie in the position in 
whicli they were found until his arrival late at night, when an 
inquest was held. The verdict of the Coroner was that the 
deceased came to his death by a pistol shot fired by his own 
liand with suicidal intent. 

The cause assigned for this act by Mr. Creason's friends 
was that his wife, after having been divorced from him for 
some time, had given evidence of wanting to return to live 
with him, but a few days prior to his disappearance, at a meet- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. Q89 

ing between the two, the wife had changed her mind and' 
refused to again become his wife. Over this announcement 
he brooded so much that liis mind became deranged, and he 
took this means of putting himself out of the way. 

In holding the inquest Coroner Ryan, while making an 
examination of the head, and for the purpose of ascertaining 
the location of the ball, chopped the skull open with an ax. 
This action on the part of the Coroner subjected him to a 
good deal of unfavorable comment for a long time afterward. 

A SAD CASE OF SUICIDE. 

On the 18th of June, 1872, Decatur McCallister, a son of 
John McCallister, a prominent citizen of Adams township, 
committed suicide by shooting himself. He was one of the 
leading young men of that neighborhood, well educated, and 
refined. He had a pleasant home and his relations with his 
brothers, sisters and parents were most happy. No cause could 
be assigned for the rash deed other than that he had been suf- 
fering from some trifling ailment, altiiough nothing serious 
was thought of it by his friends. He had been to Anderson 
on the day of his death and returned home in the evening, 
when he started in company with his father to the barn to feed 
a lot of hogs that they were fattening. He complained of not 
feeling well and stopped before reaching the barn saying that 
he believed he would return to the house. On reaching the 
house he sat down on the veranda, drew a pistol from his 
pocket, said to his sister, who was standing near by, "Good 
bye, Mary," and putting the pistol to his forehead, fired. The 
bullet entered his head, he fell over and expired within a few 
minutes. He was about 21 years of age and was of remarka- 
bly good habits, and paid close attention to business. It was 
difficult to account for his strange conduct. 

His father and mother were deeply affected, and it is said 
that John McCallister, the father of this young man, never 
really recovered from the shock, and was never the same genial,, 
lively companion with friends and neighbors that he was before 
the sad occurrence. The father \vas a prominent Democrat, 
and at one time held the ofHce of County Commissioner, and 
was on several occasions a candidate for the .Sheriff's ofiice of 
Madison county. 

FOUND DEAD. 

On the otii of June, 1874, Henry Rector, an old and re- 
spected farmer of Adams township, was found dead in a fence 

44 



690 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

corner in his field where he had been plowing. Mr. Rector 
was a bachelor, and had resided on his farm for many years. 
He was an upricjht, straightforward man, and had but one 
fault — that of too free indulgence in alcohol, to the use of 
Avhich his death was attributed. It was a very warm day, 
and having been exposed to the burning rays of the sun, this, 
with the alcoholic poison which lie had imbibed, was believed 
to be the cause of his sudden demise. 

He was alone in the field at the time, with no one to wit- 
ness his last moments. Some neighbor passing along found 
his remains. Word was sent to Anderson, and it was not 
long before the Coroner was upon the ground and held an in- 
■quest. A verdict of death from over-heat and from the excess- 
ive use of stimulants was returned. 

Mr. Rector will be remembered by the older residents of 
the neighborhood in which he died, as being one of their most 
thrifty and useful citizens. He always kept his farm very 
neat and clean. 

He was a familiar figure on the streets of Anderson, as 
hardly a Saturday passed on which he was not in the city. 
He was a very free-hearted, jolly, good-natured fellow, and 
was fond of mingling with people, which was largely the 
cause of his drinking habits. If he chanced to be in a place 
where liquor was obtainable he never waited to be asked to 
drink, but invariably called up the " house." He was well- 
liked by people who congregate in such places, and his arrival 
^vas always anxiously looked for. 

AN ACCIDENTAL KILLING. 

Frank Alain, a young man in Adams township, met with 
a fatal accident on Monday, the 9th of December, 1889, while 
out hunting with Joseph McCleary. They had started up a 
rabbit which took refuge behind a log. Main ran to the log 
and standing the butt end of the gun at the end of it, stooped 
over to look after the rabbit, and in doing so accidentally dis- 
charged the weapon which was heavily loaded. The entire 
charge struck him in the side just above the right hip, passing 
upward and lodging in the region of the heart from the effects 
of which he died about 5 o'clock on the same evening. The 
deceased was an excellent young man and his death cast a 
gloom over the home of his childhood, he being well beloved 
by all the neighbors in the community. He bad been at one 
time a resident of Anderson, having purchased a lot in Hazel- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 691 

wood, and it is said that lie was engaged to an estimable 
young lady of Ovid to whom he would soon have been mar- 
ried had iiis life been spared. The parents of the young man 
now reside in Anderson. 

R03BERY AT MARKLEVILLE. 

Mr. S. F. Hardy, of Markleville, is one of the oldest mer- 
chants in Madison county, having kept a store at that place 
and been postmaster of tlie village for many years at different 
periods. On Monday night, the 8th of December, 1884, burg- 
lars effected an entrance to his store and took away with them 
goods and merchandise to the value of .^800. Mr. Hardy was 
at that time postmaster and kept the ofhce in his store, but 
the thieves did not disturb the mail or take any of the stamps. 
There was never any clue obtained as to the guilty parties 
although Mr. Hardy offered a liberal reward for their arrest 
and conviction. Markleville was at that time without any 
railroad or telegraph office and therefore the escape of the 
criminals was a very easy matter. Suspicion rested on certain 
parties known to Mr. Hardy, but no arrests were made for 
"want of positive evidence. 

KILLED BY DYNAMITE. 

Many years ago there was a dam built across Fall Creek 
on what is now the farm of John Forney, for the purpose of 
damming the water sufficiently to run a little mill that at one 
time stood on the stream. Roman Gilmore came into posses- 
sion of the land adjoining on which the dam was located, and 
spent considerable money in trj-ing to prevent the water from 
flooding the portion of his land adjoining the stream. It was 
a source of much aggravation to him, and he finally made up 
his mind to get rid of it. On the 21st of July, 1890, he 
accomplished his desire to a certain extent by blowing up the 
dam with dynamite. A camp of railroad builders was located 
near the Gilmore farm. At the camp a large quantity of dyna- 
mite was stored for the purpose of blasting. Gilmore .had 
talked considerably to the railroad laborers and spoken to 
them in regard to his trouble. Some of the parties suggested 
to him that the way to rid himself of the nuisance would be 
to blow it up with dynamite. Following the suggestion Mr. 
Gilmore, with his two sons. Hugh and Michael, procured a 
quantity of the explosive from some source, and about half 
past 10 o'clock in the night repaired to the place and placed a 



692 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

couple of charges under the dam. One of the cartridges was 
placed in a piece of gas pipe and the other, containing about 
seven pounds, was put at another point. Both charges were 
fired, but only the one in the gas pipe exploded. Hugh Gil- 
more was standing about eight feet from the charge, and when 
it was fired failed to hear the warning given. When the 
explosion took place a piece of the burst gas pipe was driven 
^vith fearful force through his body, terribly lacerating it. 
The terror stricken father and his other son, as soon as they 
had sufficiently recovered from the effects of the explosion, 
were horrified upon returning to the scene to see Hugh writh- 
ing in mortal agony upon the ground. The wounded boy was 
taken home and Dr. Lundy Fussell, of Markleville, was sum- 
moned. The j'oung man lived but a few hours after he reached 
his home, as no medical aid could be of any benefit to him. 
The father of the boy, as well as all the neighbors, was very 
much affected by the affair. The Gilmores were a prominent 
family in the community, and they had the sympathy of all 
who knew them. Forney, the owner of the dam, felt greatly 
outraged over the matter, and for a time threatened Gilmore 
with prosecution, but on account of the fatal result in Gil- 
more's family his heart was softened and no proceedings wei"e 
ever begun against him. This affair caused a profound sen- 
sation throughout the county at the time. Roman Gilmore is 
still a resident of Adams to\vnship near the spot where the 
explosion took place. 

THE BKOWN-CUMMINS MURDER. 

In the annals of crime Adams township, though a peace- 
ful and law-abiding community, has furnished many bloody 
affairs that are within this volume, handed down as a matter 
of history, without comment or conclusion. 

Among the most honible of these affairs was the murder 
of young Cummins by Luther Brown, which is yet fresh in 
the minds of manv people in the county who lived here prior 
to the age of natural gas. It darkened the homes of two 
neighboring families, and caused the death of a well-respected 
young man and ruined the life of another. The facts gleaned 
from papers printed at that time and memoranda made are 
as follows : 

In the spring of 1885 a dance was given at the residence 
of Isaac Ayleshire. 

Eli B. Cummins and Luther Brown were rivals for the 



HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 693 

afiFections of Cynthia Ayleshire, the daughter of Mr. Isaac 
Ayleshire, at, whose house the dance was given. Both young 
men were about the same age — twenty-one, perhaps. 

Cummins was of a stalwart build, while Brown was slen- 
der and small. The former had rather supplanted Brown in 
the affections of Miss Ayleshire, and, stung by jealousy, the 
latter conceived the bitterest hate for Cummins. 

Young Brown belonged to the neighborhood orchestra 
that had been invited to play for the dance, and went with- 
out any other invitation. Upon his arrival at the liouse he 
and Cummins became involved in a quarrel, which ended in 
a fight, and Brown was worsted. Smarting under the humil- 
iation of the affair, and maddened by jealousy, he remained 
outside the house until the dance was over, and skulking in 
the shadow of the barn, armed with a rock, he waited for 
Cummins to pass hv. His opportunity came. Cummins, un- 
conscious of the fact that Brown, with murder in his heart, 
born of jealousy, lay in ambush, passed by the barn, when the 
latter, with the ferocity of a tiger, rushed out and struck Cum- 
mins on the head with a stone, fracturing the skull. 

In spite of this, Cummins grappled with his antagonist, 
and the two rolled to the ground. During the struggle, Brown, 
who was underneath, stabbed Cummins in the heart with a 
pocket knife, and death immediately ensued. 

The case aroused the utmost interest, and the neighbor- 
hood at once took sides. The trial came off at the October 
term of court, 1885. It was one of the most memorable in the 
history of criminal cases in this county. The prosecution was 
conducted by D. W. Wood, and Robinson & Lovett were for 
the defense. The latter made a strong plea of self-defense, 
and, while it failed to win the jury, it stemmed the tide of 
popular opinion against the ac.used. A sentence for life was 
returned against young Brown. The case was taken to the 
Supreme Court, but the finding of the lower court was sus- 
tained. 

After nearly six years of imprisonment in the Northern 
penitentiary at Michigan City, Brown obtained his liberty 
through the tireless efTorts of friends and the interposition of 
the executive power, being paroled on the 4th of May, 1891. 

The verdict of the jury which sentenced him to imprison- 
ment for life stood six long years, only to be annulled by the 
stroke of a pen in the hands of the Governor. 

His friends had never given up hope of obtaining liis par- 



694 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

don, and from the day ihe Supreme Court affirmed the de- 
cision of the lower court they had been tireless in their efforts 
to secure the exercise of executive clemency. 

Petition after petition had been filed with Governor Gray 
and Governor Hovey. Hon. John W. Lovett, who wa& 
Luther Brown's attorney, together with Judge M. S. Robin- 
son, directed all the efforts looking to young Brown's release. 

In getting up the petition to the Governor, eight of the 
jurors who returned the verdict sentencing him to imprison- 
ment for life signed the petition for his pardon. Judge Moss,^ 
of Noblesville, who occupied the bench during this trial, re- 
fused to sign it. 

One of the main things that induced the Governor to ex- 
tend clemency to the prisoner was the fact that the prison 
officials gave the warmest recommendations touching his con- 
duct while in the penitentiary. 

After being released and returning to Anderson he was 
utterly dumbfounded. Anderson had struck gas in the in- 
terim and it was altogether as much changed in its appear- 
ance as he had been in his personal appearance by his confine- 
ment. It was not the same town ; all landmarks had vanished 
and gone. And never was man more completely bewildered 
in the midst of scenes that were once familiar to him than 
he. Even the points of the compass had passed from his 
memory and he could not tell north from south. 

The changes, however, in the objects around him were 
not any greater than the transformation in himself. He had 
aged in the fleeting six years of his confinement wonderfully. 

The trial of this case lasted for several days and was at- 
tended by the entire community where the killing occurred, 
as well as by many of the citizens of Anderson. 

The effort of Colonel !M. S. Robinson, made in behalf of 
young Brown, was undoubtedly the effort of his life. His 
masterly argument still rings in the ears of all those who heard 
it, although his tongue is now still in death. 

Hon. David \V. Wood, the young and eloquent prosecu- 
tor, excelled all his former efforts in the prosecution of the 
case for the State. His effort was worthy of one older in 
years and the practice of law. 

After serving nearly' five years in the State prison young 
Brown was paroled by Governor Hovey and is yet living at 
this writing, and is said to be a peaceable and law-abiding 
citizen. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 695 

SHOOTINt; OF THORNTON RECTOR. 

John Adams was a quiet, inoft'ensive farmer who for 
many years lived in Anderson township, about tliree and a 
half miles southeast of Anderson. He was occasionally in 
the habit on coming to the city of getting more to drink than 
was good for him. 

On the 19th of December, 1872, Adams with a number of 
friends was returning from the city, when a difficulty arose 
between the son of Mr. Adams and Thornton Rector. After 
several blows had been exchanged between the parties, Rector 
got up against a fence and took out a knife and warned his 
antagonists to stand back, telling them that if they interfered 
with him anj- further they would be hurt. John Adams, the 
father of the young man engaged in the fight with Rector, 
stepped up, and drew a revolver and pointing it at Rector, 
fired, the bullet taking effect in his lip, passing through his 
mouth and knocking out several of his teeth. After the shot 
was fired. Rector came back to Anderson and had his wounds 
dressed, and Mr. Adams went on his way home. The weapon 
used was a small Smith & Wesson seven-shooter, which ac- 
counts for the fact that so little damage was done to the re- 
cipient of the shot. No arrest was made for several days until 
the convening of the grand jurv when Adams was indicted 
and placed under arrest by the Sheriff of the county for assault 
and battery with intent to kill. He immediately gave bail 
and was released to appear at the next term of court for trial. 

At the convening of the court, Adams attended from day 
to day during the proceedings ; the evidence had all been ad- 
duced, the arguments of the counsel were made, charge deliv- 
ered to the jury by the Hon. Hervey Craven, Judge of the 
court, and the jury had retired for deliberation. The jury 
were out but a short time when they returned to the court 
room with their verdict to be read in open court. The verdict 
was about to be handed to the judge for publication when it 
was noticed by one of the attorneys for the defense that Adams^ 
the prisoner, was absent. . The sheriff called him in the Court 
House yard and made a diligent search in the immediate neigh- 
borhood, but no traces of him could be found. After the re- 
tirement of the jurv Adams had become alarmed and had quietly 
got awav from the scene. The question was immediately 
raised by the defense that it would be improper and contrary 
to law to publish the verdict of the jury in the absence of the 



696 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

accused and therefore moved to suppress the same. After 
some arguments pro. and con., the judge sust'ained the motion 
and the jury was discharged. This was a complication that 
had never risen in the courts of the county and gave rise to a 
legal battle on the points involved. The cause was taken to 
the supreme court for determination of the questions raised by 
the defense. In the meantime A. J. Ross, sheriff of the county, 
had re-arrested Adams and placed him in custody again. 
Judge Craven admitted him to bail by his giving a bond for 
his appearance. At the succeeding term of the court Adams 
•was again placed upon trial and was finally acquitted. 

DEATH OF HARRY IRISH. 

Harr)' Irish was born and reared in Pendleton and was a 
■well respected and fine young business man who embarked in 
the drug business at Wilkinson, in Hancock county. At this 
place, it is sad to relate, he died on Sunday, the 27tli day of 
February, 1887. He was alone at the time when he took the 
fatal drug, consisting of twenty drops of belladonna. During 
the temporary absence of his wife, about noon time, he went 
into the drug store, which occupied a part of the same build- 
ing as his residence, and procured a phial containing a drachm 
of belladonna, swallowed about one-third of its contents, first 
taking the precaution to return to his bed. he having been sick 
for several days. He died a few minutes afterward without 
speaking. He formerly had conducted a drug store at Markle- 
ville, in Adams township, and had moved from that place to 
Wilkinson about a year prior to his death. His wife was a 
most estimable woman, heing the daughter of Dr. S. B. Mc- 
Crillus, of Anderson. His funeral took place at Pendleton on 
the Tuesday following the occurrence. His remains were in- 
terred in the Falls cemetery. His widow is now a resident of 
Los Angeles, California. 

ROHBERY AT ALLIANCE. 

On the 23d of January, 1894, the store of Michael Stohler, 
who lives in Adams township, six miles south of Anderson, on 
the Rushville extension of the Big Four Railway, was entered 
by thieves. Among other things stolen was a large amount 
of coffee, tobacco, cigars, sugar and miscellaneous articles, in- 
cluding a shot gun, amounting in value to perhaps two hun- 
dred dollars. The thieves had with them a two-horse wagon 
in which they loaded their plunder and made good their es- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 697 

cape. Who the parties were has never been ascertained, and 
" who stole Stohler's gun"' will in all probability always re- 
main a mystery. 

Herron Richardson was placed on trial at the May term, 
1896, of the Madison Circuit Court, for this theft, and after a 
long and hard fought battle was acquitted. He was prosecuted 
by Hon. B. H. Campbell and defended by W. A. Kittinger and 
G. M. Ballard. 

KILLING OF JOSEPH RAILSBACK. 

About half past 7 o'clock on the evening of the 8th of 
September, 1888, there occurred on a lonely road, three miles 
south of New Columbus, one of the bloodiest homicides ever 
perpetrated in the county. On that evening two young men, 
Thomas Surber and Joseph Railsback started from Pendleton 
ostensibly to attend a Republican meeting at Markleville. On 
the way they stopped at the house of a brother of Surber, liv- 
ing near the scene of the crime in Adams township, where 
they appeared to be in a friendly mood. After remaining a 
while at the house of his brother, Surber left accompanied by 
Railsback, but instead of proceeding to Markleville they went 
west along a country road in the direction of Pendleton. 
They had not gone very far when it appears that they began 
to quarrel, whether about politics or some other matter will 
never be known. It was thought, however, that the diffi- 
culty had its origin in a scandal in which both were invohed 
as it was intimated by parties attending the inquest held by 
Coroner W. A. Hunt over Railsback's remains that rumors of 
that character had been in circulation i-n the neighborhood. 

While the men were quarreling a man of the name of 
Joseph t eedy came up, and from him the only testimony con- 
cerning the homicide was elicited. And his testimony was 
not satisfactory, as it was evident that he had either been in 
an intoxicated condition at the time, or so badly frightened 
that he could not remember what the men were quarreling 
about. He stated that Surber and Railsback were apparently' 
sober, and that they had been fighting before he met them, 
as the former called his attention to a wound on his face 
where Railsback had struck him with a stone tied in a hand- 
kerchief. While Surber was talking Railsback again as- 
saulted him and the fight was resumed. Surber pulled out a 
knife and used it so effectively upon the person of his antagon- 
ist that the latter soon sank to the ground from loss of blood. 



698 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and before assistance could be summoned, expired. Surber re- 
turned to his brother's house, and, after informing him what 
he had done, left the country. No eflFort was ever made to 
apprehend him for the reason, doubtless, that the testimony 
indicated that he acted in self-defense. 

After an examination of Railsback's wounds had been 
made by the Coroner his body was delivered to his father who 
conveyed it to Fall Creek township, where it was properly 
interred. 

Railsback received no fewer than a dozen stabs, nearly 
any one of which would have proven fatal. 

Neither of the men had any social standing in that part 
of the county, and, aside from the stigma of the crime upon 
the fair name of the community, their fatal encounter caused 
no regret. 



CHAPTER LXVII. 



Boone Township. 



The following concerning the early history of Boone 
township has been kindly contributed by the Hon. J. R. Brunt, 
a native of the township, but at present a resident of Anderson. 

" Boone township was first settled by immigrants from 
North Carolina. James Brunt in 1829 emigrated from that 
State and settled on Blue river, in Rush county, and was fol- 
lowed by his sons and sons-in-law later. 

"In the spring of 1886 Thomas Brunt and his brother-in- 
law, Wright Smith, came to Madison county and selected land 
in what is now Boone township. They went to Fort Wayne, 
where the government land office was located and entered the 
land, paying $1.25 an acre. Smith's land was in the south 
part of the township on a creek ; Brunt's some two miles fur- 
ther north on the same creek. This creek, on account of the 
great quantity of blue Hag, commonly called lilies, that grew 
along it, they named ' Lily Creek.' 

Smith moved his family onto his land and lived in a tent 
till he cleared a ' truck patch ' and built a cabin. He was the 
first white man to build a home in the township. 

" Brunt rented a cabin and truck patch of 'Granny' Bal- 
lance, in the north part of Monroe township. He moved onto 
his land in Boone township in January, 1837, and was the 
second to move into the township. 

Soon after came his father, James Brunt, and another 
brother-in-law, John Moore, from Rush county, and located 
between Thomas Brunt's and Wright Smith's farms. 

The first school house was built on John Moore's land 
and was a rude atl'air of rough round logs, covered with clap- 
boards, weighted on with weight-poles. In one end was a 
large fireplace, with a mud and stick chimney; the door was 
made of clapboards, and there were no windows. The floor 
was made of dirt, pounded down, and the seats of logs split 
in two, with four pegs for legs. James Smith, son of ^\'right 
Smith, taught the first school. 



700 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

The first white child born in the township was Joseph 
Taylor Smith, son of Wright Smith. He was the captain of 
a company in the Seventy-fifth Indiana Regiment during the 
war for the maintenance of the Union. He afterwards prac- 
ticed law in Anderson, and now resides in Manhattan, Kansas. 

In 1837 and 1838 many bought lands and made homes in 
the township Bazilel Thomas, John and James Tomlinson 
and Hugh Dickey, frorh North Carolina ; Dudley and George 
Doyle and Peter Eaton, from the same State ; Robert Webster, 
from Delaware ; John W. Forrest, Ben Sebrell and Micajah 
Francis, from Virginia — but mention cannot be made of all. 

These early settlers depended upon their guns for all their 
meat. Game was plentiful. Deer and turkey were to be 
found everywhere, while coon and squirrel were so numerous 
that the pioneer had to fight both day and night for a few 
bushels of corn, and then take it on horse back to Pendleton 
to mill, taking two days to get a bushel of meal. No wonder 
that hominy and coarse meal pounded in a '' mortar" with a 
pestle, was a staple article of diet. 

Wright Smith, the first settler, died on his farm December 
23, 1863, and Thomas Brunt December 31, 1879, both having 
been useful citizens, always active, honest and industrious. 

These men found Boone township a wilderness. They 
gave it the name of Boone ; also named the creeks, laid out 
the roads, helped to raise nearly all the houses and barns, and 
built all the first schoolhouses and churches. Providence 
raised them up for the times and place and their work under 
the circumstances was well done." 

Boone township was named in honor of the famous fron- 
tiersman and Indian fighter, Daniel Boone. The township is 
bounded on the north by Grant county, on the east by Van- 
Buren township, on the south by Monroe township and on the 
west by Duck Creek township. It is six miles from the east 
line to the west line and five miles from the north line to the 
south line, containing thirty square miles. 

Among the early pioneers of the township not named in 
Mr. Brunt's contribution to these pages, who are worthy of 
honorable mention, are Bryant Ellis, Enoch and Morgan B. 
McMahan, Eli Freestone, Elijah Ward and Ambrose Keaton, 
all of whom settled in the township, with the exception of 
Mr. Keaton, who is still alive, in 1825. From that time until 
1847 they and their families constituted the population of the 
township. During the latter year and year following they 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 701 

were joined by William Schooley, Jesse Windsor, William 
Hyatt, Andrew Taggart and J. Purtee. The last named was 
the first white man in the township to settle on the Miami 
Indian Reserve. After Mr. Purtee settled there the Reserve 
became popular with immigrants to the township and a major- 
ity of them located within its borders. 

EARLY EVENTS. 

The first marriage was celebrated on the 18th of April, 
1838. The contracting parties were Dudley Doyle and Miss 
Sarah Eaton. 

The first death in the township was occasioned by the 
falling of a tree on John Huff in 1843. The second death was 
that of Mrs. Adam Doyle, which occurred January 21, 1844. 

The first election was held September, 1843, at a log school- 
house near the site of what was afterward known as the Tom- 
linson schoolhouse. At this election Dudley Doyle and Mor- 
gan B. McMahan were elected Justices of the Peace for a 
term of five years. Peter Eaton acted as Inspector at this 
election by appointment. 

The first Sunday School in the township was organized 
by the Methodists in 1853. Wright Smith was the first Su- 
perintendent. The second school was organized by J. W. For- 
rest in 1854. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

The first school house in the township was built in 1840, 
but it was not until 1853 that educational matters received 
much attention. During that year Thomas Brunt, Benjamin 
Sebrell and M. L. Overshiner, trustees at that time, caused to 
be erected four or five school houses at as many different points 
in the township. These buildings were all log structures and 
built upon the general plan that obtained during the pioneer 
period. They have all disappeared, and the school children 
of to-day enjoy all the conveniences of modern school build- 
ings, as well as the advantages of a school system that is 
acknowledged to be second to none in the Union. 

In 1858 the school enumeration was 296 ; in 1874 there 
were 390 children of legal school age, and at the present time 
414. There are nine school houses in the township, and nine 
teachers are employed. 

CHURCHES. 

Many years before a church was erected in the township 
the pioneers enjoj'ed religious exercises at their homes. Among 



702 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the early preachers were Rev. Peter Cassel, Elder Daniel 
Franklin, Aquilla Purtee, Wright Smith, Rev. John W. For- 
rest and William Cole. 

The first church organized in the township was the Meth- 
odist, in 1851. During that year Rev. William Boyden organ- 
ized a society at the home of Aaron Taffe. This society was 
composed of seven members. Wright Smith was selected as 
class-leader, and not long after built a log church at his own 
expense. He afterwards sold this building to the township 
for school purposes, and erected a substantial frame structure, 
which has since been known as Smith's chapel. 

In 1853 a Baptist society was organized by Rev. John W. 
Forrest, and four years later a place of worship was erected on 
Mr. Forrest's farm. 

STATISTICAL. 

In 1850 the population of the township was 299 ; in 1860 
it was 678; in 1870 it was 1,078; in 1880 it was 1,110, and in 
1890 it was 1,325. The value of lands at the present time, as 
shown by the assessor's returns, is $528,225 ; value of lands 
and improvements, $584,450 ; total taxables, $742,405. No 
township in the county has made greater progress in the way 
of improving lands during the past twenty years than Boone. 
It is one of the finest agricultural townships in the county. 

PROMINENT CITIZENS. 

The following citizens of the township have been elected 
to office in the county : Benjamin Sebrell, Sheriff, from 
1860 to 1864; Thomas Brunt, Commissioner, from 1860 to 
1870; James W. Thomas, Treasurer, from 1870 to 1872 ; Ed- 
ward Peters, Commissioner, from 1887 to 1893 ; Nathan T. 
-Call, Treasurer, from 1884 to 1886 ; Timothy Metcalf , Com- 
missioner, from 1894 to 189-. 

FORREST\-ILLE. 

The site of this village was in Section 21, near the center 
■of the township. It was selected by John W. Forrest and 
laid out into lots on the 24th of July, 1850. Several houses 
\vere subsequently erected, among which was a church. There 
was a general store and a post-office at one time. But these 
have all disappeared and nothing remains to indicate that 
such a place ever existed. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 703 

INDEPENDENCE. 

Mention is made elsewhere of this village. It is situated 
in four townships, two of which are in Madison, and two in 
Grant county. A portion of the town is in the extreme north- 
west corner of Boone township. But little business is done 
here, and it is probably only a question of time when it, like 
other towns that have been similarly situated, will be aban- 
doned. 

CLAIJKTOWN. 

This village was laid out by Benjamin Clark and is situ- 
ated just across the west line of Van Buren township, in Sec- 
tion 13. There is no post-office here and but one small, gen- 
eral store 

REMINISCENCES AND EARLY HUNTING INCIDENTS. 

In opening up and developing the north part of the county, 
particularly Boone township, Thomas Brunt's cabin was al- 
ways selected as " headquarters '' by land buyers, hunters, and 
the " comers and goers " generally to the new country. Mr. 
Brunt was well informed concerning the lands in his vicinity 
and was accjuainted with all the tracts that had been entered. 
He was frequently employed by persons desiring to enter land 
to go to Fort Wayne and act as their agent. He would in- 
variably go on foot, the distance being 60 miles from his cabin 
to the land office. Much of the road he was compelled to travel 
w^as nothing more than what was called at that time, a " blazed 
trace." Houses were from three to six miles apart the entire 
distance. Among those who used to Inmt in season and make 
Mr. Brunt's home an abiding place was Jesse Forkner, father 
of the late Samuel and Madison Forkner, of Richland town- 
ship. One of the sons would usually accompany the fatlier to 
assist in taking care of the game. Mr. Forkner was an excel- 
lent marksman and well versed in woodcraft. William Scott, 
father of the late Daniel M. vScott, of Monroe township, also 
of James P. Scott, at present one of the leading merchants of 
Alexandria, was another of the early pioneers who used to 
make an annual visit to Mr. Brunt's for the purpose of hunting 
deer and wild turkey. Another successful hunter and trapper 
of that day who used to " stop "' with Mr. Brunt while hunting 
in the nortli part of the county was Matthew Taylor, of Lafay- 
ette township. He would always go prepared for a season of 
enjoyment, carrying on a large gray horse his gun and ammu- 
nition, a " fiddle " and a three-gallon jug filled with whiskv. 



704 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Whenever it was known that "Uncle Matthew" was in the 
neighborhood the boys would gather at Mr. Brunt's with full 
assurance that they would have a good time, and it may be said 
that they were never disappointed. 

The most successful and intrepid hunter in the north part 
of the county in that day was Elijah Williamson. Jle is de- 
scribed by Mr. A. J. Brunt, who has kindly contributed a share 
of these reminiscences, as a large, active, powerful man with 
an iron constitution and absolutely fearless. Frontier life was 
his glory and there was nothing too hazardous to turn him 
aside in the pursuit of game. He knew the grand old woods 
of that day like the experienced navigator knows the ocean. 
He was familiar with the habits of game and knew the habits 
of fur-bearing animals thoroughly, having been reared in the 
woods and having as associates men who had learned no lessons 
save those which had been taught them by nature. He was 
besides a practical joker and enjoyed a funny situation. He 
was continually playing pranks on his neighbors, particularly 
those who ^vere afraid of Indians or the savage animals that 
infested the forest. He came from Maryland and about the 
same time and from the same place came another man of the 
name of John Blades and settled in the south-east corner of 
Monroe township on the Fort Wayne trace which afterwards 
became the Fort Wayne state road. Blades was just the op- 
posite of Williamson in nearly every respect. He was afraid 
of Indians and wolves and was ready to start at the slightest 
indication of danger. On account of his cowardice he was 
made the victim of many of Williamson's jokes. Indians 
would often pass through the neighborhood and frequently stop 
at the cabins of the settlers who always received and treated 
them kindly. The settlers had nothing to feed their horses 
and would let them run at large. Very often they would stray 
off and it would be reported that they were stolen by the In- 
dians when the latter had nothing to do with their disappear- 
ance. 

On one occasion Williamson reported to Blades that the 
Indians were around stealing horses and that he would better 
•' look out." Blades, like all the settlers, while tending his 
little corn patch would hitch his horse so that he could graze 
during dinner time. One day Williamson directed his oldest 
son to put on a pair of moccasins and go to the place where 
Blades had his horse hitched, or hobbled, and after making 
tracks that could be discovered to ride the animal through the 



II 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 705 

woods a mile or so and hitch it securely. Tlie boy did as 
directed and when Blades discovered that his horse was gone 
and saw the moccasin tracks, he concluded that the Indians 
had stolen the animal. He at once went to Williamson and 
informed him of what had happened and asked him to take 
the lead in an effort to recover his property. Williamson said 
that the Indians had undoubtedly stolen his horse and that the 
proper thing to do was to gather the neighbors together with 
their rifles and go in pursuit of them. Blades mounted his 
remaining horse and, with Williamson's two boys, started out 
to arouse the neighbors. In a short time a small number of 
the settlers had assembled at the place where the horse had 
been stolen. Williamson gave directions as to the way the 
pursuit of the Indians should be conducted. It was agreed 
that if anyone should find the animal two shots were to be 
fired and these to be followed by two more in the course of a 
few minutes. After riding through the brush for an hour or 
so two shots were heard, which were presently followed by 
two more. Williamson had found the horse ! He was soon 
surrounded by the entile party to whom he related a thrilling 
story of his pursuit of the Indians and capture of the horse. 
He said that he " pushed the Indians so close " that they had 
to abandon the animal. Blades was delighted to get his horse 
back and had no idea that he was the victim of a joke. The 
moccasin tracks were evidence enough to him that a prowling 
Indian had stolen his property. 

On another occasion Blades was working on the roof of a 
small log stable that his neighbors had assisted him in raising, 
when he heard the crackling of some dry twigs. He glanced 
around and seeing an Indian by the side of a tree trjing to 
draw a bead on him with his rifle, lost control of his nerves 
and rolled off the roof to the ground. The fall aroused him 
and he ran to his house, where he remained for some time 
before venturing out. While Blades was rolling off his stable 
his neighbor, Williamson, was off some distance enjoying the 
joke he had played him. Williamson had dressed one of his 
boys like an Indian and, knowing that Blades would run at 
the sight of one, concluded to have a little fun at his expense. 

THE TABLES TURNED. 

Williamson had a son-in-law of the name of John Camp- 
bell, a stout, brawny man, who also enjoyed a joke. One of 

their neighbors was a man of the name of May, who would 
45 



706 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

frequently indulge his appetite for intoxicating liquors to the 
extent of becoming tipsy. In fact, May rather enjoyed being 
"mellow," and never refused to imbibe when invited. It was 
arranged between Williamson and Campbell that the latter 
was to invite May to accompany him to Alexandria and get 
him tipsy. Williamson had a large bear skin and the scheme 
■was for him to envelope himself in the shaggy coat, secrete 
'himself in a thicket near the trail by which Campbell and 
May would return from Alexandria, and as they approached 
for Williamson to make a noise in the brush and imitate the 
growling of a bear. In order to prepare May for the antici- 
pated " scare " they purposed giving him, Campbell talked 
about bear on the way to Alexandria and the danger of going 
about without being armed, as he had noticed fresh bear 
tracks and felt satisfied that there were several large ones in 
the vicinity, designating a particular thicket situated near the 
path they were traveling as a probable bear haunt. They 
stayed in Alexandria until dusk, when Campbell suggested 
that it was time for them to start home. May was feeling the 
effects of the liquor Campbell had treated him to, and, like a 
great many others who sometimes get in a similar condition, 
did not care what might happen. It was quite dark when 
they reached the' thicket where Williamson was waiting for 
them. As they approached they heard the brush crackle and 
a ferocious growling. Campbell shouted, "There comes a 
bear!" and started to run. May attempted to follow, but be- 
ing intoxicated, could not run as fast as Campbell and was 
■soon overtaken by Williamson, who growled more ferociously 
than ever. May saw that he could not escape and stopped, 
saying "D — n the bear." He had no weapon with which to 
■defend himself, care having been taken by Campbell that he 
should be without even a knife, and he promptly resorted to 
his only means of defense — his fists — and these he used with 
such herculean vigor about the ears of the " bear " that Will- 
iamson soon realized that the joke was turned on him and 
cried out, "It's me, May; it's me!" Williamson extricated 
himself from the bear skin and frankly acknowledged that his 
neighbor had the best of the joke. He and Campbell often 
referred to their experience with May, as they enjoyed a joke 
even if it was at their own expense. 

Williamson had another neighbor of the name of Bryan 
Ellis, who, while not an experienced hunter, had a verj' supe- 
rior coon dog. Williamson was aware of the dog's good 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 707 

qualities and would often invite Ellis to go coon hunting with 
him. They would usuall}- have good luck as Williamson, be- 
sides being an expert hunter, had a number of good coon dogs 
himself. It is related that on one occasion in the month of 
March, when the streams and branches were open and clear of 
ice, that Williamson called one evening at the cabin of his 
neighbor and asked him to go hunting with him. Ellis was 
not inclined to go, but while they were talking the dogs 
struck out and treed a coon across a small creek that had its 
course near Ellis' cabin. Williamson called his attention to 
the fact that a coon had been treed and finally Ellis consented 
to go and help catch it. The spring rains and thaws had 
swollen the stream to unusual proportions and after going as 
far as they could without getting wet, Williamson told Ellis 
to climb on his back and he would carry him across. William- 
son took the torch and axe, ^vith which they had provided 
themselves, and with Ellis on his back started across the deep- 
est part of the creek. As he proceeded and the water got 
deeper, he would squat and tell Ellis to climb higher. Ellis 
finally got on Williamson's shoulders when the latter pur- 
posely stumbled, "ducked" his head and let Ellis go head 
foremost to the bottom of the creek. Williamson appeared 
A^er}' sorry and expressed great regret about the mishap that 
had befallen him, but in relating the occurrence to others, 
which he often did and for years afterward, he expressed no 
regret unless it was that the water was not a little colder and 
perhaps a little deeper. It is proper to say that they caught 
the coon, but never after would Ellis go coon hunting with 
Williamson. 

These are only a few of the many pranks played by Will- 
iamson on his neighbors. Mr. A. J. Brunt says that when he was 
a small boy Williamson taught him how to make and set mink 
and coon traps, also how to construct wild turkey pens, and 
that he gave him the first twenty-five-cent piece he remembers 
of owning for a coon skin. Years after he paid him many 
dollars at difl'erent times for coon, mink and deer pelts. Mr. 
Brunt and the Williamson boys were " great friends," and 
did much of their hunting together. When it was impossible 
for one party to go they would let the other take the hounds. 
Like all boys, they were full of life and fun, and played many 
jokes on the early settlers. Nothing was done maliciously, 
and no heart-burnings were engendered. In the language of 



708 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Mr. Brunt. " there has never since been the innocent sport in 
this county that was enjoyed by the early settlers.'" 

In the early settlement of Iowa Williamson emigrated to 
that state, where he continued to hunt and trap as long as 
there was any wild game left worthy of the name. At 
the age of seventy-two years he could hunt all day and 
never complain of being fatigued. At this age he could see 
to read and shoot his rifle without glasses. He has one son, 
Robert, who is yet living in Iowa, and two daughters, who 
are still living in Boone township. Lily was married to Jesse 
McMahan.and Ann to Morgan B. McMahan, deceased. Both 
daughters have lived in the same vicinity in Boone township 
since they were children, and have always been held in the 
highest esteem by all who know them. Their father would 
frequently return from Iowa and pay them and his grand- 
children a visit, and they would invite the neighbors to call 
and see him of evenings during his stay. On these occasions 
the young and old would gather round him and listen with 
eager interest, often until the midnight hour, while he related 
his early experiences in the township, recounted his "hair- 
breadth escapes by field and flood," and recalled old recollec- 
tions generally. Elijah Williamson lived to the ripe old age 
of ninety years, when he departed for the "happy hunting 
ground" of paradise. 

HUNTI.NG INCIDENTS. 

The following hunting incidents are contiibuted to this 
work by the Hon. John R. Brunt: 

ABUNDANT G.\.ME. 

One day in summer Thomas Brunt was in the woods 
hunting for meat. As he was noiselesslv passing along he saw 
a deer in a thicket fighting flies; the foliage was so thick he 
could onl)' see a small part of the animal, but " no shot, no 
meat," so bringing his gun to his face he fired. At the crack 
of the gun the deer made an immense leap and bounded away. 
Quickly loading his gun he went to the place where the deer 
stood to see how badly it was wounrled, for a wounded deer 
always leaves signs that the practical hunter read like a book. 
On reaching the place, great was his surprise to find a deer 
struggling on the ground, when drawing his knife he dis- 
patched it. The two deer had been standing side bv side and 
tlie ball passed through the brisket of the first and the body of 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 709 

the second and he had killed the one he had not seen at all. 
He followed the blood tracks of the other and soon secured it 
also. 

One day Moses Moore, son of John Moore, was passing 
along a path in the woods with an axe on his shoulder, when 
he saw a deer coming toward him. It was coming slowly 
along the path smelling the ground and had not seen him. He 
stepped quickly behind a tree beside the path and as the deer 
came opposite, dealt it a blow with the axe, killing it on the 
spot. 

One Sunday Thomas Brunt was sitting in his cabin and, 
looking out of a hole called a window in the side, he saw two 
large wild turkeys in his corn patch. He watched them for 
some time, being a strict church member he did not like to 
violate the Lord's day. but finally the temptation was too great, 
and turning to his wife, he said : " Sallie, I believe I will 
take • Old Betsie " (his gun) and make these gentlemen ac- 
quainted with her voice."' 

"Oh, no, Tommy, I wouldn't go hunting on .Sunday." 
" No, I'll not go hunting, but I'll just slip down the fence 
and let ' Betsie ' speak to those fellows once." So off he went ; 
crawling into a fence corner, he poked "Betsie" through, and 
she spoke, and over tumbled a fine gobbler ; the other evi- 
dently thought the turkey flopping on the ground was fun- 
ning, so he bristtled up as if to fight him. "Tommy" had 
slipped in another load and " Betsie " soon spoke again, and 
over tumbled the other gobbler. They had plenty for a Sun- 
day turkey dinner. 

THE LAST WILD DEER. 

Morgan Sebrell, who still resides in the township, has the 
distinction of killing the last wild deer seen in the county. 
On the 24th of November, 1871, while he and Timothy Met- 
calf were out hunting in the woods near the house of T. B. 
Eaton, they discovered fresh deer tracks which they cau- 
tiously followed some distance when Sebrell got a shot at the 
animal and killed it. It was a large buck, each of its antlers 
having seven prongs. The antlers are preserved by Mr. Se- 
brell as a trophy, as he is justly, though modestly, proud of 
the fact that it was his fortune to kill the last wild animal of 
its species in the county. 



710 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA, 

OTHER REMINISCENCES AND SKETCHES HOW DUDLEY DOYLE 

MADE HIS WILL. 

In Boone township, there lived an old Virginian, of the 
true "Old Virginy" style, by the name of Dudley Doyle, 
whom all of the early settlers of Madison count}- will remem- 
ber. Dudley was one of those industrious, hard-working pio- 
neers, who helped to make Madison county what it now is — 
the garden spot of Indiana. He was honest with himself and 
as true as steel to his friends. He came as nearly fulfilling the 
commandment to " love thy neighbor as thyself " as it is pos- 
sible for it to be done. At one time, Dudley had a long spell 
of sickness and it was thought that he could not recover. He 
was informed by the attending physician that he had better 
prepare his worldly affairs, which he was about to leave be- 
hind, in the manner in which he desired to leave them, as his 
time was very short. He accordingly sent for a " 'Squire " to 
draft his will. The 'Squire came, and Dudley dictated the 
document in solemn accents from first to last, while the 'Squire 
slowly and carefully penned it down. After the last line had 
been written, the last bequest made, Dudley signed his name, 
called his friends around him, and bade them goodbye. All 
was solemn and silent as the tomb, save an occasional sob, or 
sigh, from the sorrowing friends. The 'Squire placed his 
" specs " in their box, picked up his statutes and was in the act 
of stealing quietly out of the room, when Dudley halted him 
and said ; " Say, 'Squire, I forgot something ." 

"Ah, what is it, Mr. Doyle.?" 

" Why, I want you to put in there that Dudley Doyle 
died a Democrat." The codicil was added as directed and 
Dudley turned his face to the wall to die, but as fate would 
have it, he was not called away. He recovered from his spell 
of sickness and lived for many years thereafter. He was con- 
tinuously elected Justice of the Peace as long as he would ac- 
cept the office. Living to a ripe, old age, but making his 
words in the codicil good, he died a Democrat. 

THOMAS B. EATON, ONE OF THE CHARACTERS OF BOONE 

TOWNSHIP. 

Thomas B. Eaton, late of Boone township, was one of the 
pioneers of Madison county. He was a brother-in-law to 
Dudley Doyle, who came to the county many years ago. 
Thomas was one of those eccentric kind of fellows — had his 
odd ways and whims, but was no fool by any means. He 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 711 

was a good scholar, being at one time considered one of the 
best mathematicians in the county. 

Away back in the early history of the county he was for 
a while Deputy Treasurer. It is said he could tell any man's 
taxes off-hand to a cent without looking on the books. The 
County Commissioners at one time named a ditch in honor of 
him, and appointed him to see that it was completed accord- 
ing to the plans and specifications. This was one of the 
proudest distinctions of Thomas' life. He put in his whole 
time and energies in seeing that nothing was left undone. 
He was a terror to those assessed on the ditch. Many wanted 
to slight the work, but it would not go with Thomas. He was 
armed with copies of the law and specifications, and nothing 
would do but the fulfillment to the letter. 

He consulted every one in authority in regard to the 
ditch law, from County Attorney to the Attorney General of 
the State, until he had it pat, and no evasion whatever was 
allowed in his management of the affair. 

In an early day when there was no machine shops nearer 
than Richmond, some parties were running a threshing ma- 
chine in his neighborhood, when they broke the " concave.'* 
They sent Thomas to Richmond for a new one. This he took 
as quite an honor, and performed his duty in elegant style. 
He rode to Anderson on horseback, where he took the train 
next day for Richmond. There was but one train each way 
on the road between Anderson and Richmond. He succeeded 
in getting his repairs made and started to the depot for his train 
towards home, carrying the concave on his back. When he 
got nearly to the station, the train began to move out. Thomas 
immediately began to motion them to stop. " Whoa, there,, 
whoa! Hold on, hold on! Thomas B. Eaton, of Madison 
county, with a concave! Whoa, there! " But the train did 
not whoa ; it moved out leaving him, where he had to remain 
until next day. He thought he was greatly outraged and long 
talked about the iniquities of the infernal railroad companies. 
Thomas is now dead, but he left behind him many recollec- 
tions. He was an odd character, but honest and true to his 
friends. He filled a place in Madison county's history, and is 
entitled to his share of her greatness. 

DEATH OF JOHN C. JONES, EX-M,\YOR OF ANDERSON. 

John C. Jones, an old and highly respected citizen of 
Madison county, died at his home in Boone township on the 



712 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

26th day of July, 18U5. Mr. Jones was the second Mayor of 
Anderson, having been elected to that position in the spring 
of 1866, and served two years, at the end of which time he 
removed to his farm where he resided until the time of his 
death. His wife was a sister of Benjamin Sebrell, who was 
from 1860 to 1864, Sheriff' of Madison county, Mr. Jones being 
his chief deputy. Mr. Jones never accumulated much of this 
world's goods, but he saw a good deal of the bright side of life 
and was a hale fellow well met, who enjoyed the respect of 
nearly everybody, and had but few enemies. 

He will be long remembered by the old settlers of Mad- 
ison county. 

FOUND DEAD IN BED SUDDEN DE.\TH OF LABAN ANDREWS. 

Laban Andrews, who lived on the line between Madison 
and Grant counties, died very suddenly on the 16th day of 
November, 1888, having been found dead in bed. At first it 
was thought that foul play had been the cause of his taking 
oflF, but upon investigation made by Dr. William A. Hunt, 
Coroner of Madison county, a verdict was returned of death 
from natural causes. The house at which he died was situated 
about a mile east of the road, on the line separating Grant and 
Madison counties. He was about twenty-one years of age and 
left a wife and one child. The inquest showed that there was 
a hereditary tendency to heart disease on the part of his fam- 
ily, and this was supposed to have been the cause of his 
demise. 

SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO NATHAN T. CALL, EX-TREASURER OF 
MADISON COUNTY. 

Nathan T. Call, ex-Treasurer of Madison county, met 
with a serious accident on his farm in Boone township on the 
9th day of March, 1892, while sawing down a tree. In falling, 
the tree caught Mr. Call beneath its weight and severely 
wounded him, breaking one of his legs and otherwise maiming 
him. It was thought for awhile that he would die from the 
effects of his injuries, but he finally revived, although a cripple 
for life. 

Mr. Call was in 1884 elected Treasurer of Madison county 
and served for two j'ears. He is one of the leading Demo- 
crats of the north part of the county. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 713 

A BOY KILLED IN BOONE TOWNSHIP ON THE PLAY GROUND 
AT THE BRUNT SCHOOLHOUSE IN THE INNO- 
CENT PASTIME OF PLAYING BALL. 

The Brunt schoolhouse in Boone township is one of the 
old landmarks of Madison county, and has witnessed many 
scenes of pleasure and merriment which will be long remem- 
bered by those who attended school and " spelling bees " at 
that place, prominent among whom are A. J. Brunt, John 
R. Brunt, Isaac D. Forrest, Albert J. Ross and many others 
who are now the leading citizens of Madison county. But 
while speaking of the pleasures enjoyed at this schoolhouse 
it is our melancholy duty to record one unfortunate affair, 
which took place on the 19th day of November, 1874. While 
the boys were out at recess, romping and plaj'ing as boys at 
school usually do, and some of them were engaged in the 
game of town ball, a bat in the hands of Richard Brunt slipped 
from his grasp, striking a comrade by the name of McLane in 
the forehead, injuring him so badly that he died on the follow- 
ing day. Both of the parties were prominently connected in 
the neighborhood, and the unfortunate accident cast a gloom 
over the entire community, which hung for a long time like 
a pall over the sad scene of this accident. Voung Brunt was 
nearly heart-broken and did everything he possibly could to 
alleviate the sufferings of his playmate until death relieved 
him of his pains. Richard Brunt is now living in the town- 
ship. He is a good neighbor, an honest and upright citizen 
and well respected by all who know him. He is the youngest 
son of the late Thomas Brunt, frequently spoken of in this 
volume. 

ENOCH m'mAHAN AND HENRY STREETS, A FARM HAND, 
BURNED TO DEATH. 

On the 10th day of May, 1888, the house of Enoch Mc- 
Mahan, of Boone township, was burned to the ground, and 
Mr. McMahan and Henry Streets, a farm hand, nineteen 
years old, the only occupants of the building, were burned to 
death. 

Enoch McMahan was a widower, his wife having died 
several years prior to this occurrence. He and his farm hand 
lived alone in the house, and were on the night of the fire 
sleeping in the same room, unconscious of the flames that were 
about to enwrap them. Some neighbors discovered the fire 
and ran to the house to notify the occupants, but the unfor- 



714 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

tunate men did not awaken in time to extricate themselves. 
They could be clearly seen through the flames by those who 
first arrived at the burning building. It was a shocking sight 
for the old neighbors and friends of the deceased to be com- 
pelled to stand by and behold them perish before their eyes 
when no help could be rendered them. 

Enoch McMahan was one of the early settlers of Boone 
township, who helped to fell the forests and make it one of 
the most beautiful localities in the county. He was a man 
possessed of truly Christian virtues, and it was often said 
of him that if ever there was a man beneath the heavens 
who was really a Christian, Enoch McMahan was one. He 
believed in the Golden R"le and practiced it. He was a man 
who had the highest regard for his word and obligations ; he 
was a kind neighbor and a benefactor to many beginners in 
the locality in which he lived. 

Mr. McMahan was related to Thomas J. McMahan, ex- 
SherifF of Madison county, and now President of the National 
Exchange Bank, of Anderson. He was also related to A. J. 
Brunt and John R. Brunt, of Anderson 

This shocking fire left a lasting effect upon all those who 
witnessed it, and will long be remembered in the locality in 
which it occurred. No sadder event ever took place within 
the bounds of Madison countv. 






CHAPTER LXVIII. 



Duck Creek Township. 



This township was tlie last organized in the county 
(1852). It is situated in the north-west corner of the county 
and is bounded on the north by Grant county, on the east by 
Boone and Pipe Creek townships, on the south by Pipe Creek 
township, and on the west by Tipton county. Two-thirds of 
the township originally belonged to the Miami Indian reserva- 
tion, and up to the time of its organization was a part of Pipe 
Creek township. It has an area of twenty-four square miles 
and derives its name from the small creek that flows through 
the south-eastern part of its territorj-. 

Henry Cochran was the first settler in the township. 
He came from Butler county, Ohio, in the fall of 1888, and se- 
lected a tract of land on Section 38, where he erected a small 
log cabin. He afterwards returned to Ohio, where he re- 
mained a year, when he returned with his father and took 
possession of his cabin. These two men were the only set- 
tlers until the latter part of 1839, when Thomas Casteel and 
Elijah Berryman located in the township. The next decade 
did not bring many immigrants to the township, but from 
1849 settlers began coming in and the population increased 
rapidly. It is worthy of note here that A. C. Ritter, of Ohio, 
made the first entry of land on the Miami reserve in this town- 
ship in 1848. Among those who came to the township about 
this time and a few years later on were Anthony Minnick, 
James French, Azel Stanberry, Stephen Williamson, Mahlon 
Hosier, David and Elliott Waymire, Aniasa Clymer, Samuel 
Purtee, Fielding Sampson, Isaac Daughertv, Isaac Wann and 
D. B. Xewkirk. Thomas W. Harmon, John Adair and others 
settled in the township in the early '50s. 



FIRST ELECTION. 



The first election in the township was held during August,. 
1852, in a little log church belonging to the United Brethren 
society and situated on the bank of the creek near the present 
site of what has since been known as the Waymire graveyard. 



716 HISTORY OF iMADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

This church continued to be the voting place until 1856, when 
a school house was built on Anthony Minnick's land and there- 
after used as a polling place. The first Trustees elected were 
Thomas W. Harmon, John T. Adair and John Hosier, the first 
Assessor, Anthony Minnick ; the first Justices of the Peace, 
Elliott Waymire and Amasa Clymer. The latter served for a 
period of sixteen years. 

OTHER EARLY EVENTS. 

James Casteel was the first white child born in the town- 
ship. This event occured on the 9th of November, 1842. 
Henry Cochran and Miss Rebecca Casteel were marrieil on 
the 26th of December, 1844, — the first marriage in the town- 
ship. Of this event a historian says: " No invitations were 
issued and the ceremony was not marked by the presence of 
liveried servants or gorgeous costumes. The well-wishers of 
the happy couple cro\vded around them in homespun suits, ac- 
companying their congratulations with a pressure of hands 
seared and calloused by honest toil." Mr. Cochran is now re- 
siding in Elwood at an advanced age but without the comj)an- 
ion of his life's journey, Mrs. Cochran having died in 1895. 

The first death in the township was that of Samuel Coch- 
ran on September 11, 1844. 

FIRST ORCHARDS. 

The first orchards planted in the to^vnship were those of 
Thomas Casteel and Henry and Samuel Cochran. The trees 
were purchased of John Mills, in Pipe Creek township, and 
they were planted in the spring of 1843. 

FIRST MILLS. 

Jacob E. Waymire erected a steam sawmill near the for- 
mer residence of Henry Cochran, about the year 1850, which 
operated until 1866, when he sold to Mr. Cociiran, who added 
some improvements in the way of new machinery and con- 
tinued to operate the mill until 1873, when he admitted his 
son Samuel to a partnership in the business and removed the 
machinery to Elwood. 

S. and V. Worley also built a steam sawmill near the 
present site of schoolhouse No. 6, in 1875. This mill was 
afterwards purchased by William and J. B. Hollingsworth 
and removed to the farm of the latter. 

William Hedrick also owned a large sawmill in this 
township. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 717 

SCHOOLS. 

The first schoolhouse in the township was erected in 
1841, on the Knott farm. It was an unhewn log structure 
and was subsequently removed to the present site of school- 
house No. 2. The second schoolhouse was constructed of 
hewed logs and was erected on tlie farm of Isaac Wann, in 
1858. There were 205 school children in 1858, while the 
enumeration for the present year shows that there are 422 
persons eligible to the privileges of the public schools. There 
are seven school houses in the township, and seven teachers 
are employed. 

CHURCHES. 

The pioneer Christian denomination in this township was 
the United Brethren. This denomination built the first 
church in the township, a little before or soon after it was 
organized, in 1852. Some time during that year Elder Samuel 
Purtee organized a society of eight members, who held their 
meetings regularly at the homes of the membership until their 
house of worship was completed. The building was a rude 
structure, and the New Light Christians afterwards co-oper- 
ated witii the United Brethren in erecting a place of worship 
on the farm of VV. F. Hollingsworth. At the present time 
there are five religious congregations or churches in the town- 
ship, namely : The United Brethren, the Maple Grove Meth- 
odist Episcopal church, the Concordia Christian church, the 
Harmony Christian church and the Heavenly Recruits' church. 
The New Lights, who had a congregation of about twenty 
members in 1876, have no society at the present time. 

STATISTICAL MATTERS. 

The population in 1860 was 498 ; in 1870 it was 789 ; in 
1880 it was 1,110; in 1890 it was 1,325. The value of lands 
at the present time, as shown by the tax duplicate, is !(!5O7,720; 
lands and improvements, .t!566,636 ; total value of taxables, 
$670,645. 

PROMINENT CITIZENS. 

Duck Creek has been represented but twice in the admin- 
istration of the county government, Charlton Reed having 
served one term as County Surveyor (from 1874—6) and Moses 
D. Harmon elected Recorder in 1894. Mr. Harmon is the 
only Republican ever elected to this office in the county. He 
is both courteous and efficient and is popular with all classes. 



718 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

INDEPENDENCE. 

A portion of this village is in the north-east corner of the 
township. The village is situated in four townships — Boone 
and Duck Creek in Madison county and Liberty and Greene 
townships in Grant county. It has a population at this time 
of about two hundred, but as it has no railway facilities but 
little business is done here. 

KILLING OF GEORGE ADAMS. 

One of the most exciting homicides that ever took place 
in Madison county occurred near Elwood on the 17th daj' of 
May, 1888, in which George Adams, a farmer of Duck Creek 
township, was killed by Charles Conway, of Henry county. 
George Adams, the victim, and George Melrose and Charles 
Conway, the perpetrator of the deed, came to Elwood on 
Saturday morning and met at that place. While there they 
visited several saloons and became very boisterous before 
evening. They started toward home, George Adams in a 
wagon, and when near the residence of William Rybolt 
Adams stopped to deliver some packages which he had pur- 
■chased for Rybolt while at Elwood. Melrose and Conway 
were in a buckboard and overtook Adams while he was at 
Rybolt's house. The parties got into a conversation which 
resulted in a quarrel, ending in blows. Conway jumped out 
of the buckboard w^ith a revolver in his hand and flourished it 
at Adams, when a comrade took it away from him. He then 
jerked out his knife and made a lunge at Adams, cutting him 
in the arm between the shoulder and the elbow. After this, 
the fighting ceased and in a few minutes Adams fainted from 
the loss of blood. He was carried to Rybolt's door j'ard and 
laid on the ground ; his coat was removed and it was discov- 
ered that he had been seriously injured. Further examination 
showed that an artery had been severed. Efforts were made 
to stop the flow- of blood, which proved unsuccessful. The 
wounded man was taken into Rybolt's house and a messenger 
was dispatched for Doctor M. J. McTurnan, at Rigdon, and 
Doctor Daniel Sigler, of Elwood. McTurnan was the first 
to arrive, but Adams had suffered so much from the loss of 
blood that he was beyond medical aid. When Doctor .Sigler 
arrived an effort was made to tie the artery, but it was too 
late to be of any benefit. Adams died about 5 o'clock the 
next morning. In the meantime Conway had become alarmed 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 719 

at the serious turn that affairs had taken and started for his 
home in Henry county. Melrose, however, lingered at the 
house, and when he learned that Adams was perliaps fatally 
injured he went to him and asked him to testify in the pres- 
ence of those assembled that the wound was not received from 
his hands, which Adams readily agreed to. 

Melrose immediately went to Elwood and gave himself 
up to the officers, and was taken before 'Squire Ward L. 
Roach for a preliminary hearing and was bound over to the 
court as an accessory to the crime. He \vas taken to Ander- 
son, placed in jail and held to await the action of the Grand 
Jury. Conway, in the meantime, had driven to Windfall and 
taken the train there for his home, not knowing of the fatal 
consecjuences of the stab he had inflicted on Adams until the 
following Sunday evening, when he was arrested by the 
Sheriff of Henrv countv on a warrant issued from Madison 
county. He was brought to Anderson on the following Mon- 
day and taken before the Mayor of the city, but waived an 
examination. He was placed in jail and made no effort to 
give bond. Conway was accompanied by his father, who was 
a highly respected citizen of Henry county, and also by James 
Brown, an attornej' of New Castle. Conway justified him- 
self in the act by stating that Melrose and Adams had become 
engaged in a quarrel, and that Adams struck Melrose with a 
club, lie stated that all the parties, including himself, had 
been drinking, and that while Adams was fighting Melrose 
with a club, he from his seat in the buckboard ordered Adams 
to stop when Adams turned to him and started to assault him. 
He grabbed him by the collar and jerked him over the seat 
and while handling him had struck him, and that he, Con- 
way, during the melee, had drawn a revolver from his pocket 
and attempted to defend himself, but was frustrated by a com- 
panion, who knocked it from his hands. Conway strenuously 
denied having cut Adams, and stated that the only knife that 
he saw in the crowd was one in the hands of Melrose. 

Adams was a tenant living on the farm of Gustave Kra- 
mer, about six miles from Elwood. He was an industrious 
man, and always bore a good reputation. He had removed 
from Franklin county about two years prior to the occurrence. 

Young Conway was about twenty-four years of age and 
lived near Moreland, in Henry county, and had been visiting 
his uncle, who resided near the scene of the tragedy. He had 
been subjected from early life to epilepsy and had been petted 



720 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

by his parents on account of the infirmity, and was a badly 
spoiled boy. He was verj' peevish and of an irritable dispo- 
sition. On former occasions he had made demonstrations of 
viciousness several times, and had used his knife, but with no 
fatal result. George Melrose was acquitted of any criminal 
action in this matter. Conway was brought into the Circuit 
Court in Anderson for trial after an indictment had been found 
against him by the Grand Jury, but took a change of venue to 
Delaware county. On the 9th day of August, 1888, he was 
there found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to ten 
years' imprisonment in the penitentiary. Goodykoontz & Bal- 
lard defended Melrose, and were credited with handling the 
case judiciously, and thereby gaining for him his freedom. 



CHAPTER LXIX. 



Fall Creek Township. 



Fall Creek township derives its name from its principal 
stream and natural falls. The history of no township in the 
county possesses greater interest, perhaps, for the " old- 
timers " and their descendants than that of Fall Creek. It 
was here that the settlement of the county was begun and the 
first of all the interesting happenings incident thereto occur- 
red. The township contains forty-two square miles and is- 
bounded as follows : On the north by Anderson and Stony 
Creek townships; on the east by Adams township; on the 
south by Hancock county and on the west by Greene township. 

As stated in a previous chapter, John Rogers, an Irish- 
man, was unquestionably the first white man to locate in the 
county. He left a record written by himself in a book which 
indicates that he came to Fall Creek township December 29,. 
1818. It is doubtless true that others visited the vicinitj' of 
the falls earlier than this date, but as they did not locate, 
their names are not known. Mr. Rogers located at a point 
east of the present site of Pendleton, on what has been known 
for many years as the " Vernon farm." 

The first colony to settle in the township was composed' 
of Elias Hollingsworth, William Curtis, Moses Corvvin, 
Thomas McCartney, Manly Richards, William McCarty, 
Saul Shaul and Israel Cox. They were all heads of families 
excepting Moses Corwin. They came from the vicinity of 
Springfield, Ohio, and after selecting their respective tracts- 
of land returned home for their families. The journey back, 
to the Falls was accomplished by the aid of an ox team and 
wagon and four pack horses. There being no roads west of 
New Castle their journey from that place to their new home 
^vas beset by many difficulties and trials. Uncle Jimmy Hol- 
lingsworth, who is still living in Anderson, at the ripe old age 
of eighty-one years, was a member of the party, and still re- 
members trudging along behind the ox wagon, as well as 
many other little incidents connected with the journey. 

This colony was joined by Conrad Crossley, Isaac Jones,. 

46 " ' 



722 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

William Neal, William, Isaac and Henry Seybert, Adam Dob- 
son, Palmer Patrick, Nathaniel Richmond, Judge HoUiday, 
Adam Winsell, Jacob Shaul, Thomas and William Silver, 
Kilbourn Morley and Dr. Hiday. It is claimed by good 
■authority that Judge Stanfield and a man of the name of 
Burras, were living on the prairie north-east of Pendleton 
about the time of the arrival of the Ohio colon)' in 1820. 

Saul Shaul was the first of the early settlers to enter a tract 
■of land in the county, a portion of .Section 30, which he cleared, 
improved and cultivated. This farm is situated about two 
and a-half miles south-west of Pendleton and upon it was 
planted the first orchard probably in the county. Nathaniel 
Richmond, John Rogers, John Gunse and Adam Winsell, 
also set out orchards about this time — 1828—4. The trees were 
brought from Henry county by John Berrj-. The tirst nur- 
sery in the county was planted by William Williams, three 
miles east of Pendleton in the '30s. Mr. Williams died in 
1847. 

Adam Winsell started the first blacksmith-shop in the 
township on his farm, two miles east of where Pendleton is 
now situated. It is probable that this was the first blacksmith- 
shop in the county. lie was one of the first Associate Judges 
elected in the county and notwithstanding he was uneducated, 
filled the office creditably to himself and acceptablj- to the people. 
He was one of the Judges who presided at the famous trial of 
the Bridges, Sawyer and Hudson for the murder of the 
friendly Indians on Fall Creek in 1824, a full account of which 
will be found in another chapter. 

OTHEK PIONEERS. 

Besides the pioneers already mentioned there came to the 
township at an early day : Thomas M. Pendleton, in whose 
honor the town of Pendleton was named, F. M. Richmond, 
Dr. Lewis Bordwell, Thomas and James Scott, Enos Adam- 
son, Martin Chapman, Thomas and Isaac Busby, Moses White- 
cotton, James Irish, Absalom Ulen, Jesse Boston, Thomas Sny- 
der, Joseph Carter, Jacob Mingle, George Nicholson, Thomas 
Bell, J. T. Swain, and B. F. Gregory. Dr. Bordwell was the 
first physician in the township and enjo3'ed the confidence and 
and esteem of all who knew him. These early pioneers have 
all passed from earth, but many of their descendants are still 
living in the township and are universally' esteemed. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 723 

THE FIRST MARKIAGE. 

The first marriage in the county occurred in Fall Creek 
township. This social event took place sometime during the 
year 1821, Stephen Corwin and Miss Hannah Ellsworth being 
the contracting parlies. Their marriage was consummated 
under difficulties. The county at that time was not organized 
and Mr. Corwin was compelled to go to Connersville on horse- 
back to procure a marriage license. The incidents relating to 
the marriage are meagre, but the descendants of the early set- 
tlers still remember some of the circumstances as related by 
those who were present on that occasion. It is said that there 
was no table upon which to spread the marriage feast and that 
a door was lifted from its wooden hinges and utilized for that 
purpose. 

THE FIRST WHITE CHILD. 

The first white cliild born in the county was E. P. Holl- 
ingsworth, son of Mr. and Mrs. Elias Hollings worth and 
brother of James Hollingsworth, of Anderson. Mr. Hollings- 
worth was born in Fall Creek township, November 7, 1820. 
While he has the distinction of being the first child of civilized 
parentage born in the county it is shared to some extent, if not 
full}-, by Electa Shaul, who came into the world on the same 
night. Mr. Hollingsworth is still living. 

THE FIRST DEATH. 

Sometime in the fall of 1823 a man of the name of Martin 
and his wife were stricken with fever and both died, it was 
supposed about the same time. The fact that they were sick 
was not known to the settlers and they died unattended. 
They were not discovered for several days after their demise. 
They were buried in the same grave on the west side of the 
present site of Pendleton. 

THE FIRST Sl'ICIDE. 

The first suicide in tiie township occurred in 1838 on the 
farm owned at the present time by John Goul. An old man 
named Jacob Fo.x entered an untenanted cabin and hung him- 
self. The cause of the suicide was not known. 

AN INCIDENT OF EARLY TIMES. 

There were no .social cliques or classes aniong the early 
pioneers, the interest of one being the concern of all, and the 
consequence was that many acts of neighborly kindness were 



724 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

performed by them that are worthy of remembrance. A case 
in point is that of the generosity and good will displayed by 
Conrad Crossley on one occasion. In 1822 Mrs. Elias Hol- 
lingsworth was stricken ^vith a fever and \vas very ill. She 
conceived the idea that if she had some imported tea she 
would not only get better, but would soon recover. There 
was no tea in the settlement and the nearest point at which it 
was thought the commodity could be obtained was New 
Castle. Conrad Crossley heard of Mrs. HoUingsworth's de- 
sire for a drink of the beverage and at once volunteered his 
services to procure it. He immediately set out on horseback 
for New Castle, but on arriving at that place found that there 
was no tea in the village. Nothing daunted, he remounted 
his horse and rode to Richmond, where he was again 
disappointed, the merchants of that place having no tea in 
stock. He once more rode forward and at Eaton, O., found 
what he had gone so far to obtain. He returned to the settle- 
ment on Fall Creek after an absence of several days and the 
craving of his sick neighbor was fully satisfied. Such an ex- 
hibition of self-sacrifice is seldom heard of in these times. 
The journey was fraught not only with great inconvenience, 
but danger, matters that did not deter the big-hearted back- 
woodsman in his willingness to assist a friend in distress. 

THE FIRST CORN-CRACKER. 

The first settlers on Fall Creek experienced many diffi- 
culties in securing breadstuff for their families, there being no 
mill in the county, until the latter part of 1821, when one was 
built by Thomas McCartney. Previous to that they were 
compelled to go to Connersville for their meal and flour. In 
1820 corn was very scarce in the settlement, and Elias Hol- 
lingsworth, Samuel Shaul and William Curtis went to Straw- 
town, Hamilton county, where thev purchased two canoe 
loads of that cereal. They pushed or " poled"' the canoe up 
White river to the present site of Anderson, when the corn 
\vas loaded into an ox wagon belonging to ^Ir. Hollings- 
worth and hauled to the Falls. It was afterward taken to 
Connersville and ground into meal. Monday morning was 
the usual time for starting to mill and very often the trip 
would consume a week. 

The mill built by Mr. McCartney was situated on the 
south side of Fall creek at the Falls. The work of construct- 
ing the mill, dressing the stone and arranging the machinery 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 725 

was done principally by himself. Mr. McCartney also had a 
little store at the Falls which he kept in connection with his 
mill. Besides the pioneers, he did considerable business with 
the Delaware Indians, who had not yet left the county. He 
kept a small stock of beads, brooches and other trinkets which 
he disposed of to the red men in exchange for furs and other 
peltries. Mr. McCartney was among the first merchants in 
the county, if not the first. 

THE FIRST ROAD. 

The first road surveyed in the township was known as 
the New Castle and LaFayette State Road. By an act of the 
Legislature Morgan Shortridge and Zenas Beckwith were ap- 
pointed to locate this road, and on the 18th of December, 
1828, they reported to the Board of Justices of each county 
through which it passed, that the line of the road had been 
surveyed. The road passed through Pendleton, and a portion 
of it is j-et known as the Pendleton and New Castle pike. 

THE FIRST POTTERY WORKS. 

Among the first industries established in Fall Creek town- 
ship was a factory for the manufacture of potter3-ware, such as 
crocks, jugs, etc. The factory was erected by James Perkins 
at a point on what is now Tariflf street, on the east side of the 
Big Four railroad, in Pendleton. Mr. Perkins manufactured 
potteryware at this place for some time, when he sold out to 
Lewis, better known in his day as "Potter" Johnson. The 
product of this industry was in great demand at one time and 
it flourished for a number of years. 

THE FIRST TANNERY. 

It was in 1827 that Thomas McCartney built the first tan- 
nery in the township. It was located in the north-west part 
of the town of Pendleton, on out-lot No. 2, and was operated 
with more or less success until 1863, when it was abandoned. 
Among others who owned this tannery in its day were Aaron 
vShaul, Charles Mitchell, H. Neal, A. M. Ulin, A. E. Russell, 
James Thomas, Neal and J. O. Hardy. 

THE FIRST CAMP-MEETING. 

The first camp-meeting in the county was held in 1832, 
about three miles south-west of Pendleton on the Samuel Hund- 
ley farm, now owned by John Hickey, Esq., of Anderson. 



726 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

The meeting was held under the auspices of the Methodists- 
and was conducted by Rev. James Havens and others. Camp- 
meetings were held at this place every summer or in the early 
fall for many years, and were always largely attended by the 
early settlers. The scenes of religious fervor witnessed at 
these annual meetings were peculiar to the times and people 
and are seldom, if ever, seen at the camp-meetings of to-day. 
People who had religious convictions were not ashamed to 
shout in those days. They were not afraid of criticism. They 
became happy when the old-time Christian songs were sung 
and gave expression to their feelings in loud but honest, heart- 
felt hosannas. Their descendants are Christians, too, but not 
demonstrative. They are "conservative." The old-fashioned 
religion and the old-fashioned songs that the pioneer ministers 
of the Gospel used to preach and sing are not "popular" in 
this age of " progress." They are too rude and boisterous to 
suit "society" as constituted to-day. Still, it is no doubt 
true that society, as constituted to-day, does a great many 
things that would have been quite as shocking to the early 
Christians as their old-fashioned singing and praise-oflFerings 
are to the modern Christian. The modern Christian, it may 
be said, is not always a Christian, except by profession. 

THE FALLS OF FALL CREEK. 

Much has been said and written about this historic spot 
and its picturesque surroundings, yet few, comparatively, of 
the younger class of people living in the central and northern 
parts of the county know anything about its beauties or its 
history. This freak of nature is not surpassed in the State for 
romantic beauty, and much of the interest attaching to the 
early history of the county arises out of the many incidents 
that have occurred in its immediate vicinity. It would be a 
matter of more interest than importance, perhaps, to know the 
name of the first white man who gazed upon the pellucid 
waters of the stream as they dashed over the solid rock, a dis- 
tance of ten feet, to the eddying pool below. As stated else- 
where in these pages, the Falls had no doubt been visited by 
explorers and home-seekers before John Rogers located in the 
vicinity, but who they were or whence they came is not known. 
The quarter section on which the Falls are located, says Helm, 
is a part of the sixteenth section set apart by Congress in each 
township for school purposes. The proximity of the Falls 
made it a desirable point. Here there was a natural mill- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 727 

site — a dam constructed by nature, and settlers were attracted 
to it regardless of the fact that the land was not in the mar- 
ket. No one took the matter in hand until the year 1850. 
By that time the peaceable possession of twenty years was 
about to expire. It was then suggested that measures be in- 
stituted to restore the land to the school fund, which, it was 
claimed, could then be done at a trifling expense; but the 
matter was neglected until it was too late. 

The Falls property and surroundings have undergone 
many changes. The corn-mill erected by Thomas McCart- 
ney on the south side of the creek at the Falls gave way to a 
large grist-mill built by Thomas Bell which did a flour- 
ishing business for years. This mill, as well as the Falls 
property, was afterwards owned by James M. Irish, one 
of the early settlers of the township, who purchased the 
land of the County Treasurer at a sale of school lands. He 
transferred his interest in the property sometime during the 
'30s to his son Samuel D. Irish, and removed to Texas where 
he remained until 1848, when he returned and remained 
until 1859. During that year he removed to Texas again 
and died there. Mr. Irish was a man of progressve ideas 
and on account of his dark complexion was given the 
sobriquet of " Black Hawk " by the pioneers. Andrew 
Jackson, who afterward became one of the most prominent 
men in the county, had built a woolen or carding mill, in the 
vicinity of the present site of the Universalist church at Pen- 
dleton, and as Mr. Irish wanted to erect a woolen-mill on his 
Falls property he purchased Mr. Jackson's factory and saw- 
mill on the north side of the creek opposite the grist-mill. 
These mills were operated very successfully for many years by 
Samuel D. Irish and attracted a great deal of business to Pen- 
dleton. It is said that this saw-mill supplied the lumber for 
the first court house built at Indianapolis. In 1850 the woolen- 
mill was enlarged and provided with improved machinery ; 
trade increased with the development of the country and a 
large business was done in woolen fabrics and textiles up to 
the death of Mr. Irish in 1864. Soon after his death the prop- 
erty was sold at a Commissioner's sale by George R. Boram 
to a syndicate composed of J. W. Bomgardner, J. N. Zeublin, 
J. E. French and Dr. Madison G. Walker. This company, 
with Bomgardner as manager, constructed a system of stone 
work across the creek just above the falls for the purpose of 
augmenting the water power. The work was arranged in 



728 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

three semi-circles about three feet above the bed of the stream. 
This masonry may answer the purpose for which it was in- 
tended, but adds nothing to the primeval beauty of the Falls. 
In fact, every change, every improvement that has been made 
in their surroundings since the white man first settled in this 
vicinity has detracted from their native grandeur. No farther 
back than forty years ago the Falls and their environment pre- 
sented a scene of picturesque beauty rivaled only in the idle 
visions of the romancer and poet. What they were in the 
solitude of long ago when the Mound Builders were here, can 
only be imagined. 

The mills owned by the company were swept away by 
fire June 1, 1865, and a large two-story flouring-mill was 
afterwards built upon their site. This property is now owned 
by B. F. Aimen, one of the oldest and most enterprising of 
Fall Creek township's citizens. 

The raising of flax in Madison county has nearly become 
a thing of the past. It was for many years one of the leading 
industries and yielded large and ready profits to the farmer, 
but as the soil became worn it was no longer a paving busi- 
ness, and now it is a rare thing to see a field of growing flax. 
It takes strong, fresh land to grow a paying crop, and it will 
not grow a second time on the same ground to a profit. In 
the flax-raising period all of the towns of importance had flax 
mills, where the straw was manufactured into jute for bag- 
ging and similar uses. Pendleton, not behind its rival towns, 
had one of these mills erected by J. Casely & Son, in 1869, at 
a cost of $5,000. It did a flourishing business until the pro- 
duction of flax ceased to be profitable, when it was abandoned. 

Just above the Falls and west of the Big Four railroad, on 
the north side of the creek, is the spot where Hudson, Bridge 
and Sawyer expiated their brutal crime — the murder of the 
Indians — a crime which cau.sed the greatest alarm throughout 
the settlement at the time and aroused to the highest pitch the 
indignation of the pioneers against the murderers. Just below 
the Falls is where the noted negro politician and ex-slave, the 
Hon. Fred. Douglas, was assaulted by a mob of pro-slavery 
men in 1843, a full account of which will be found elsewhere 
in this work. 

TOWN OK PENDLETON. 

A large per cent of the first settlers of Fall Creek town- 
ship located along the creek near the Falls, and the proximity 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 729 

of their homes gave the locality the appearance of a town. 
The ground upon which the town of Pendleton now stands 
belonged to Thomas M. Pendleton and the density of popula- 
tion in that vicinity suggested to him the idea of founding a 
town. With this end in view he had his property surveyed 
and divided into town lots on the IHth of January, 1830. He 
had entered this land in 1823. The lots were platted and 
duly recorded. Several additions have since been made to the 
original plat and the town to-day is one of the prettiest in the 
State. But few of the old landmarks of the original village 
remain ; the buildings devoted to business, to worship, to 
education, to private residences — all impress the beholder with 
the fact that while improvements have been going on in other 
parts of the county, the citizens of Pendleton have kept pace 
^vith the tiines. To one not familiar witii the history of the 
place it would be difficult to believe that it is the oldest town 
in the county, and that for many years it ^vas one of the most 
important business points in central Indiana. There is an 
appearance of refinement, an air of independence and progress 
that is presented by but few towns of its size in the West. 

The Bellefontaine railroad (Rig Four) was completed to 
Pendleton in 1850, and on the 24th of December, 1853, a vote 
was taken to determine whether the place sliould be incorpor- 
ated as a town or remain a village. Nathaniel Richmond, 
G. M. Rogers and T. G. Mitchell were the inspectors and the 
vote stood 37 for, to 4 against the proposition. The first Board 
of Trustees was composed of Nathaniel Richmond, T. G. 
Mitchell and John Houston and the first meeting of the Board 
was held March 81, 1854. David Bowsman was the first 
Marshal of the town. The first street Commissioner was John 
Houston, who was elected in 1855. John Taylor Wall was 
the first School Trustee. 

RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 

The Pendleton Methodist Episcopal church was the first 
religious society organized in the county. Its organization 
occurred in 1828, before there was a frame building in the 
town or township. The first members of this society were 
Thomas M. Pendleton and family, Mrs. Thomas McCartney, 
Mrs. Samuel Holliday, Mr. and Mrs. Elias Hollingsworth, 
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Hundley and Mr. and Mrs. James Scott. 
Religious exercises had been held in the township, however, 
two years at least before this society was organized, by a Rev. 



730 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Mr. Taylor, who preached at the house of Elias Hollings worth 
to the early settlers. Whenever a circuit rider would visit the 
settlement a courier would be sent out to inform the settlers 
that religious services \vere to be held, designating the time 
and place. Uncle Jimmy Hollingsworth, mention of whom 
has been frequently made by the authors, was then a mere lad 
and often discharged this office. Rev. Xathan Fairchild also 
preached to the early settlers of the township and is still kindly 
remembered by the few remaining old-timers. 

On the 28th of April, 1832, or nine years after this society 
was organized, Thomas M. Pendleton and wife deeded to F. 
M. Richmond and others, trustees of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, the north half of Lot 32. in the town of Pendleton, 
forever, in trust, "in consideration that they erect, or cause to 
be erected, a house of worship for the use of the members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Churcli." Up to this time services 
were held at the homes of members. A log church was at 
once erected on the lot donated by Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton, 
where services were held until 183U, when it was torn down 
and a frame building, with a seating capacity of about 600, 
erected in its place. This building was enlarged and re- 
modeled in 1877. Among the early pastors who have minis- 
tered to the congregation of this church were : Revs. James 
Reeder, James Havens, Edward Ray, F. M. Richmond, J. H. 
Hull and W. H. Goode. Many of the ablest and most elo- 
quent ministers connected with theXorth Indiana Conference 
have visited Pendleton and preached from the pulpit of this 
church. The congregation is the largest in the township and 
is composed largely of the best and most prominent citizens in 
this part of the county. 

The Baptists at one time had a small congregation at Pen- 
dleton, and in 1834 erected a house of worship, but in 1872 
the society united with the Baptists at Anderson and disposed 
of the building. Nathaniel P. Richmond, Martin Brown and 
wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Irish and Susannah Richmond were 
among those who organized this society. 

The Society of Friends once had a place of worship at 
Pendleton at an early day, but it was abandoned, and there is 
now no regular place for holding religious services in the 
township, although there are a good inanv Friends in the 
locality. John Middleton ^vas the first minister of the society, 
and held services at the house of Jonathan and Ann Thomas 
as far back as 1836. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 731' 

The First Universalist church of Pendleton was organ- 
ized February 20, 1859, at Huntsville, a previous meeting hav- 
ing been held on the 6th of that month at Pendleton for the 
purpose of taking preliminary steps towards organizing a 
society of those who believed in the doctrine of Universalism. 
A committee was appointed at the Pendleton meeting to draft 
a constitution and by-laws for the government of the society, 
and at the Huntsville meeting the report of the committee was 
received and adopted. Those who participated in this meet- 
ing were James Cassady, Joshua Crawford, John Tillson, 
John Houston, David Bowsman. Jacob Weford, Lewis Cas- 
sady, John Wert and T. G. Mitchell. A board of trustees, 
consisting of John Houston, John Tillson and David Bows- 
man, was elected, and preparations were begun at once for 
the erection of a church. Meetings had been held by mem- 
bers of the society previous to this in the second story of the 
seminary and other places. The late Rev. B. F. Foster, of 
Indianapolis, the memory of whose gentleness, benevolence 
and Christian effort is still fragrant throughout Indiana, 
preached the first Universalist sermon in Pendleton. Rev. 
Gibson \vas called to the pulpit soon after the church organiza- 
tion had been effected, and during his incumbency a place of 
worship was erected on the corner ot Main and Water streets. 
The paper circulated for subscriptions to the building fund de- 
clared that this church " shall always be open to moral, scien- 
tific, religious and political lectures so long as and whenever 
they are conducted in an orderly manner." The building was 
a frame, but in 1895 it was reconstructed and is now a brick 
edifice, of neat and substantial appearance. Many of the 
leading citizens of the town and township are connected with 
this society. The present pastor is the Rev. Forshire. 

This church occupies the site of the lirst court house 
erected in the county. 

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

The school enumeration for the present year shows that 
the number of persons in the township eligible to the privi- 
leges of the public schools is 928, of which 405 reside with- 
in the corporate limits of Pendleton. The enumeration alsa 
shows that there is but one colored child of legal school 
age in the township. The township has eleven school houses 
and thirteen teachers exclusive of the corporation of Pendle- 
ton, which has two buildings and employs nine teachers. The 



732 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

buildings at Pendleton are eligibly situated, and besides being 
commodious are supplied with everything necessary for the 
comfort and convenience of pupils. For many years Pendle- 
ton had but one school building, a two-story brick structure, 
kno\vn as the Pendleton Academy. This building was erected 
in 1864 upon the site of the second school house built in the 
town. The first school house stood just east of the Big Four 
railroad near the present thoroughfare known as Tariff" street. 
The new building erected in 1895 is modern in ever}' respect 
and one of the handsomest in the county. 

FRATERNAL SOCIETIES. 

The first lodge of any order instituted in the county was 
Madison Lodge No. 44, F. and A. M., at Pendleton, on the 
10th of Februarj', 1841. A meeting of Master Masons had 
been held, however, previous to this for the purpose of taking 
the initial steps necessary to the organization of a lodge. 
This meeting was attended bj' Henry Wyman, William Roach, 
J. L. Bell, J. H. Cook, S. D. Irish, Thomas Adamson, W. 
H. Mershon, Thomas Silver and Archibald Cooney, the origi- 
nal proiTioters and members of the lodge. Henry Wyman pre- 
sented the petition for a dispensation authorizing that organi- 
zation of the lodge to the Grand Master, and on the above 
stated date the lodge was organized. The first officers were, 
James L. Bell, W. M. ; W. H. Mershon, S. W. ; S. D. Irish, 
J. W. ; J. H. Cook, Sec. ; Thomas Silver, Treasurer ; Joseph 
Chittwood, S. D. ; Thomas Adamson, J. D., William Roach, 
Tyler. This was not only the first lodge in the county, but 
among the first north of the old national road and the parent 
of nearly all the Masonic lodges in this portion of the 
State. Bernard Thomas was made a Mason on the 15th of May, 
1841, by this lodge, being the first person in the county initi- 
ated into the mysteries of the order. The early meetings of 
the lodge were held in the second story of a dwelling house 
owned by J. H. Cook. 

Madison Lodge has experienced many vicissitudes since 
its reorganization, but to-day is one of the strongest lodges 
in the county, financially and otherwise, owning one of the 
finest temples in the State. This building was completed 
and dedicated in Februarj', 1893. It is situated on west State 
street, is constructed of brick and stone, and is three stories 
high. It will stand for years as a monument to the enterprise 
of the membership of Madison Lodge. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 738 

I. O. O. F. 

Pendleton Lodge No. 88, I. O. O. F. , was instituted on 
the 11th of September, 1850. The first officers were : G. W. 
Bailey, N. G. ; James Beck, V. G. ; W. N. Lummis, Secretary ; 
George Brown, Treasurer. 

The lodge was organized in the hall of Madison Lodge 
F. & A. M., and continued to hold its meetings there until 
the Masonic Fraternity completed its lodge building on State 
street, when an arrangement was made by which both lodges 
occupied the same hall for a number of years. In 1880 the 
Trustees purchased lot 12 (original plat) as a site for a new 
hall. A two-story brick building was erected on this site in 1890 
and in January, 1891, the new home of the lodge was dedi- 
cated with appropriate ceremonies. The lodge is in a flour- 
ishing condition, having an active and constantly increasing 
membership. 

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. 

Sicilian Lodge, No. 234, was instituted December 19, 
1889. It has a large membership and is in an excellent con- 
dition financially. The meetings of the Lodge are held in 
the hall formerly occupied by the Masonic Fraternitv. 

I. o. R. M. 

Oconee Tribe, No. 159, Improved Order of Red Men, was 
instituted November 26, 1892. The Lodge is in a fairly pros- 
perous condition. The meetings of the Order are held at pres- 
ent in Cook's hall. 

U. A. O. D. 

Pendleton Grove U. A. O. D., No. 20, was instituted 
April 5, 1S95. This was the first lodge of Druids organized 
in the county. The membership is active and the Lodge is in 
a flourishing condition. 

J. O. L-. A. M. 

Pendleton Council. No. 18, Junior Order United Amer- 
ican Mechanics, was instituted October 8, 1892. The Lodge 
is growing. 

MAJOR HENRY POST, 

Major Henry Post, No. 230, G. A. R., was organized 
August 28, 1883. This Post was named in iionor of the 
gallant Major Henry, who was murdered by guerillas in Mis- 



734 irisTORv of madison county, Indiana. 

souri, an account of which is given elsewhere in this work. 
The Post has a membership at this time of about 25. W. H. 
H. Benefiel is the present Commander. 

MANUFACTURERS AND OTHER INTERESTS. 

For many years the milling interests created a great deal of 
business and attracted a large and profitable trade to Pendleton. 
The inills at the Falls, flour, saw and woolen, had an extensive 
patronage and it was not uncommon to see as high in number 
as 50 wagons waiting to discharge a load of grain or wool or to 
receive a grist or load of lumber, when they were in operation. 
As stated elsewhere, there is but one mill now at the Falls. 
The busy scenes that once gave to that locality an air of thrift 
and industry have vanished and the patronage that was con- 
centrated there so long has been diverted to other places. 

Pendleton at this time has three glass factories, one a 
bottle works and the others window glass establishments. 
The Pendleton Window Glass Co. was the first organized 
after the discovery of natural gas. B. F. Aiman is at the head 
of this company. The factory is situated across Fall Creek, 
north of town and when in operation employs a large number 
of hands. The Indiana Window Glass Factor^' and Bottle 
Factory are located south of town. Besides these industries 
there is located here one of the largest tile and brick factories 
in the count)', a wire fence factory, the Star flouring mills and 
elevator, a saw-mill, one planing-mill and three grain elevators. 

PENDLETON BANK. 

In 1872 A. B. Taylor & Son organized the Pendleton 
Banking Company and after doing a safe and profitable busi- 
ness for a number of years sold out to E. P. Rogers, who 
subsequently disposed of an interest to T. M. Hardy. In 1891 
Aaron Morris, of Milton, Ind., purchased an interest in the 
institution and has been identified with it ever since. On 
July 1st of the present j'ear Mr. Rogers retired. 

This institution buys and sells exchange and does a gen- 
eral banking business. Its cash capital is $25,000. It is 
conducted on safe, though conservative, business principles, 
and enjoys the entire confidence of the public. 

HOTELS OF PENDLETON. 

Jacob Mingle was the first man in Pendleton to entertain 
the traveling public. His house was situated on the south 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 785 

side of West State street. His patrons were principally im- 
migrants to the " new country." About the year 1885 Jesse 
Boston erected a two-story frame house on the south side of 
State street, west of Main street, where he furnished " accom- 
modations for man and beast." This hotel (or tavern) was 
known as the Madison House, and was the favorite resort in 
early times of the lawyers who " rode the circuit." Mr. 
Boston died in 1837, and his widow conducted the business 
until her decease several years later. After her death the 
property was closed, but in the course of time was leased and 
re-opened as a hostelry by D. R. Franks, who afterward dis- 
posed of it to D. S. Clark. 

THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL. 

This hostelry stood on the north-east corner of State and 
Main streets. It was built by James Gray and occupied by 
him as a residence and place of business until his death, after 
which it passed into the hands of James H. Smithers. Many 
different proprietors had charije of the property in its day, 
among whom were A. K. Rockenheld, J. Hixon, Amos 
Birchfield, J. H. Badley, F. E. Ireland and Mrs. Tallie 
O'Toole, the last named being the proprietor July 7th of the 
present year, when it was entirely consumed by fire. 

Back in the "50s and early "(50s Hezikiah, better known 
as " Daddy,"" Bates was proprietor of a hotel that stood on 
State street, where George Ireland's harness and saddlery 
shop is now situated. This hotel was known as the " Bates 
House," and under the management of Mr. Bates enjoyed a 
full share of the public patronage. 

"Daddy" Bates was a blacksmith bj- trade and at the 
time he engaged in the hotel business was reputed a good one. 
He was a man of unquestionable courage and in his younger 
days capable of holding his own in feats of strength with men 
even of much larger mold. He was naturally of equable dis- 
position, but when imposed upon, a dangerous man. Bates 
had a bar connected with his hotel and was probably the first 
man to sell intoxicating liquors in Fall Creek township under 
a license. Shortly after the breaking out of the Civil war 
three men, who had just enlisted in the service, made a 
" raid" upon his saloon. Bates ran for his shot-gun and the 
men ran out into the street and tried to escape the vengeance 
of the infuriated proprietor. Two of them succeeded in get- 
ting away, but the third, a man of the name of Hankins, was 



786 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

shot in the side and dangerously wounded. The man recov- 
ered, however. Bates was tried upon a charge of shooting 
with intent to kill, but was acquitted on the ground of self- 
defense. 

Some time after this, a temperance mob made an attack 
upon his place of business with the intent of destroying his 
stock of liquors. The mob was in front of the hotel, the 
doors of which were securely bolted, when Col. Hervey 
Craven happened along on the opposite side of the street. 
Curiosity led him to join the crowd and just as he stepped 
into the outer circle of the excited throng. Bates fired a rifle 
from an upper window, inflicting a painful, but not serious, 
wound in the Colonel's left arm. Bates was arrested but 
Colonel Craven refused to prosecute him, insisting that it was 
an unlawful assembly and that he had no business there. 

HUNTSVILLE. 

This town was laid out May 24, 1830, by Eleazer Hunt 
and Enos Adamson, both of whom were early settlers in this 
locality. It is situated about one mile north-east of Pendle- 
ton, on the south-west quarter of Section 15 and the south- 
east quarter of Section 16. Among other prominent early 
settlers here were the Swains. Thomas and J. T. ; Abel John- 
son, John Montgomery, B. F. Gregory, John Jones, William 
Wright and Dr. McCain. A spirit of rivalry existed between 
Huntsville and Pendleton until the completion of the Belle- 
fontaine Railroad to the latter town, when it gradually began 
to die out. 

For many years the township elections were held here, 
but in 1838 a petition was presented to the Board of Commis- 
sioners, asking that the place of voting be changed to Pendle- 
ton. This petition was strenuously opposed by the people of 
Huntsville, but after due consideration it was granted. The 
election laws were changed in 1890, the Australian system 
being adopted by the State Legislature, and there are now four 
polling places in the township, Huntsville being one of them. 

FIRST MANUFACTORIES. 

As remarked elsewhere in this work, every village at an 
early day had a tannery and Huntsville was not an exception, 
A. S. Underwood having established an industry of that char- 
acter in 1830, on what is now known as Main street. This 
tannery afterwards passed into the hands of many different 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 737 

pioprietors, and finally was abandoned in 1863. Eleazer 
Hunt also started a tannery during the year 1831 and operated 
it for six years, when he sold it to Isaac Wright. This tan- 
nery was abandoned during the ownership of John and Will- 
iam Hunt. 

In 1830 the first grist-mill was erected by Enos Adamson. 
The mill was located on the north bank of Fall creek, in the 
southwest part of the town. Mr. Adamson afterward in- 
creased the capacity of the mill by adding new macliinery. 
He also operated a woolen mill and an oil mill in connection 
with it. The property was destroyed by fire in 1848. 

Not long after the destruction of the property Nathan 
Wilson, Jonathan Wynn and Thomas Kocuin erected the 
present mill. This mill, together with a sawmill just east of 
it, was operated by Cook & Aimen for a number of years, and 
in 1872 Mr. Aimen became sole proprietor. Extensive im- 
provements were made to the property by Mr. Aimen, who 
subsequently sold out to the present owner, Mr. George 
Phipps. This gentleman is one of the most prominent busi- 
ness men in the township, progressive in his ideas and thor- 
oughly reliable. The first distillery in the township was 
erected on the mill race at Huntsville in 1831, by Robert 
Childers. This enterprise was short lived, as it was abandoned 
in 1833. The village had a hatter in the person of James 
Hackney, who opened a shop in 1831 and continued in busi- 
ness until 1838, when he removed farther west. 

The first shoemaker in the place was Joseph Hair, who 
opened a shop on Main street in 1831. 

John Conrad was the first tailor to locate in the village — 
1881. He was elected Justice of the Peace and took an active 
part in securing the location of the Bellefontaine railroad. 

Among the early carpenters, if not the first, to locate at 
Huntsville, were Thomas and J- T. Swain. The first black- 
smith was William Maul. 

The first store in the village was owned by Benjamin 
Snodgrass. Other merchants of early times who did business 
here were Simeon Lewis, Dr. McCain, John Tillson, Benjamin 
Lukens, Nathan Wilson, H. Lewis, and William Johnson. 
The late William Roach, of Anderson, so well and favorably 
known to the older residents of the county, was once a resi- 
dent of the village and clerked for Mr. Snodgrass. 

There was a post-office at Huntsville at one time, but the 
people now receive their mail at the Pendleton office. The 

47 



738 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

first postmaster was David P. Hazleton. He was succeeded 
by J. W. Roberts, who held the position for sixteen years. 
Horace Lewis was the hist postmaster. Among the prominent 
physicians who have practiced at Huntsville are John Hunt, 
Joseph Weeks, W. H. Lewis, E. C. Prigg and W. P. Brickley. 

MENDEN. 

Save the United Brethren church, one residence and a 
cemetery, there is nothing at this place to remind one of the 
Menden of long ago. It is situated at the intersection of two 
country roads, three miles south of Pendleton. A post -office 
was located here at one time, but was abolished in 1851. 
Thomas Joi'dan established a store at this point at an early 
day, but subsequently sold out to Morgan Drury. Mr. Drury 
was appointed postmaster and served for a number of years. 
He was succeeded by John Pyle, and J^Ir. Pyle by Jonathan 
Wiseman, who was the last postmaster at this place. 

The lands surrounding Menden are among the most fertile 
in the county. 

POPULATION AND TAXABLES. 

The population of Fall Creek township in 1850 was 2,128, 
in 1860 it was 2,117, in 1870 it was 2,483, in 1880 it was 
2,479, and in 1890 it was 2,544, including Pendleton and 
Huntsville. The population of Pendleton in 1880 was 614, 
and in 1890 it was 996. 

The total amount of taxables in the town of Pendleton 
this year (1896) is .$518,390: the total amount in the town- 
ship, $1,101,445. 

REMINISCENCES. 

Thomas M. Pendleton, who is still remembered by Mrs. 
Alanson Russell, of Anderson, and others, is described as a 
rather courtly gentleman, who did not take kindly to modern 
customs, particularly in dress. He wore the continental frock 
coat, knee breeches, low-cut shoes with silver buckles, and a 
queue. Thomas or " Major " McCartney also wore a queue 
and continental frock, but did not affect knee breeches. These 
gentlemen were the only persons in the county who adhered 
to the continental style of dressing. 

THE FIRST COOK STOVE. 

In 1832 Palmer Patrick purchased a cook stove at Cin- 
cinnati, brought it to Pendleton and presented it to his wife. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 739 

But few of the pioneer women of the locahty had ever seen 
a cook stove, and when they learned that Mrs. Patrick was 
the proud possessor of one a great many called to see it. Mrs. 
Russell, a daughter of Mrs. Patrick, to whom the authors of 
this work are indebted for much information contained 
herein, says that the stove was regarded as a wonderful ap- 
pliance, and that the women who called to inspect it expressed 
a great desire to have one like it. 

A PIONEER BULLY. 

Nearly every locality at an early day had its "best man," 
or " bully," who was always present at every meeting of the 
militia or other gathering to defend his title. These men 
were not always desperadoes, nor of ugly disposition. They 
simply prided themselves on their strength and ability to en- 
dure punishment and would fight simply for the " glory" of 
whipping their man. Fall Creek township had a character of 
this description. He had, however, a vicious disposition and 
became very offensive, both in language and conduct upon the 
slightest provocation. His principal business was running 
horses, racing in that daj-, as in this, being very popular. His 
associates were men of like character, not so notorious as 
Rick, perhaps, but equally bad and reckless. Rick had been 
so successful in his fights that he had become '' a terror." But 
his downfall came just as it always does to men of his class. 
He got into a controversy on a certain occasion with a Mr. 
Cottrell, a man much older than himself and wholly unable to 
cope with him in a fight. He used very abusive language to 
Mr. Cottrell and among other things applied to him a vile 
epithet. James Cottrell, a nephew of the insulted man, heard 
of the affair and one day met Rick whom he asked about the 
name he had called his uncle. Rick admitted that he had ap- 
plied the epithet and at once prepared to whip Cottrell on 
the spot, an undertaking that resulted in curing him of fight- 
ing forever afterwards. Young Cottrell got hold of Rick 
and before he let loose of him beat him almost into insensibil- 
ity. It is said that Rick never attacked a man after this 
affair ; his spirit was crushed and he was no longer a bully. 

Among Rick's intimates was a man of the name of Joseph 
Snodgrass, whose character in the community was equally as 
bad, if not worse, than that of his friend. Counterfeit money 
had been placed in circulation, and suspicion pointed to Snod- 
grass as the counterfeiter. He was closely watched, and 



740 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

when sufficient evidence of his guilt had been secured to war- 
rant his arrest, Sheriff William Roach and a deputy went to 
Fall Creek township and placed him under arrest. Snodgrass 
went along with the officers quietly until he came to Fall 
creek, which he crossed in advance of the Sheriff and his 
deputy. After getting across the stream he turned round, 
said " good-by " to the officers and dashed into the heavy 
underbrush and was gone. If he was ever heard of afterward 
by his friends it was kept very quiet. Certain it is that he 
was never again seen in the county. It was also noticed after 
his disappearance that counterfeit money did not circulate so 
freely in the township. 

AN OLD AND PROMINENT CITIZEN. 

William Cox, of Fall Creek township, ex-county commis- 
sioner, while not a pioneer of this county, is in every sense of 
the word an old-timer. He was one of those men who was 
built on the old-time style — came forth in a day when a man's 
word was considered as good as his note. Uncle Billy prides 
himself on always making his word good. He is as punctual 
as any man in the wide world in the performance of any 
agreement he makes. He came to this county fully forty 
years ago from what is called Blue Rock, Colerain township, 
on the Colerain pike, not far from Cincinnati. 

A large settlement of the " Blue Rockers" in an early 
day removed to this and Henry county to seek their homes 
and fortunes, prominent among whom were the Williams, 
Hughes, Runyans and Coxes. Mr. Cox has mingled some- 
what in politics, always being victorious in every race he has 
made for office. He is a Democrat from " away back " and 
loves the teachings and traditions of that grand old party. 

He is the founder and owner of Billy Cox's famous drum 
corps and martial band, which has done service in every cam- 
paign for the last thirty years ; all of his sons are musicians of 
more or less prominence. When campaign year comes around 
you can safely rely on Billy Cox's band being " in it." Billy 
has the distinction of doing an act that he may well be 
proud of as long as he lives. There are but very few men in 
the world who would have done what he did under the cir- 
cumstances. He is entitled to the honor of making Hon. 
Joseph E. McDonald a Senator from Indiana in 1871. 

In the spring of 1874 the Senatorial district, then com- 
posed of Madison and Delaware counties, met in joint con- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 741 

vention and nominated William Cox, of Madison county, as 
a candidate for State Senator, which honor he accepted and 
set about to fix up his political fences in order to win the 
fight. This, was the Granger year — when the Grangers and 
Independents came nearly sweeping the two old political par- 
ties from the face of the earth. Soon after the nomination of 
Mr. Cox, the Grangers met in convention and placed in nomi- 
nation Robert H. Cree, of Monroe township, a very popular 
farmer, formerly a prominent Republican. The Republicans 
nominated Rev. Cornelius Q.uick, of Frankton, as their can- 
didate. So it became a three-cornered fight. The Republic- 
ans, as a rule, were very hostile toward the Grangers, as the 
organization drew more largely from their ranks than from 
the Democracy. The situation became, plain to politicians 
that in case Mr. Cox could be induced to withdraw from the 
race there was a fighting chance to win the fight, with Cree 
in opposition to the regular Republican nominee. An agree- 
ment was secretly entered into between Cree and the Demo- 
cratic leaders in the district, that in case Cox would withdraw 
and Cree be given a clear field, if elected, he should vote for a 
Democrat for United .States Senator. A committee waited 
upon Mr. Cox and laid the case before him, and after consid- 
ering the matter, although he had a good fighting chance him- 
self of going to the Senate, like a hero gave up his place on the 
ticket and Mr. Cree was substituted in his stead. Mr. Cox 
and all his friends did valiant service in the campaign and 
were largely instrumental in bringing about Mr. Cree's elec- 
tion. 

When Mr. Cree was elected it was ascertained that he 
held the key to the situation; he was an "Independent." 
By his assistance the Democrats could control the organiza- 
tion of the State Senate and send a Democrat to the United 
States Senate. In order to make assurance doubly sure, Mr. 
dec was given the privilege of naming anj- officer of the 
Senate, for which he in return and by reason of former pledges 
made, cast his vote for Joseph E. McDonald, making him a 
Senator for the term of six years. Mr. Cree dictated the or- 
ganization of the Senate tliat year. 

James Buchanan, the editor of the " Independent" organ 
of the State, was made Principal Secretary; all the balance 
was made up of Cree's friends in Madison county — all Demo- 
crats. Edwin P. Schlater was Assistant Secretary ; Dr. E. H. 
Menefee, of Alexandria, was Sergeant-at-arms ; Major Edgar 



742 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Henderson was Assistant Door-keeper ; Charles L. Sherman 
was Postmaster, and several other offices of minor importance 
were filled by Madison county Democrats. It was called the 
Madison County Legislature. The Republicans never got 
done cursing Cree. while the Democrats praised him. George 
Harding, in the Indianapolis Herald, never missed an oppor- 
tunitv to scorch Cree on every hand. So you see Uncle Billy 
Cox's pure patriotism and self-denial gave the Democracy in 
that campaign a grand victory and sent a great man to the 
United States Senate. 

ISAAC BUSBY, AN EARLY SETTLER. 

Among the earlj- settlers of the southern part of Madison 
county, Isaac Busby.was a prominent character. He was the 
father of a large family of children, many of whom yet reside 
within the county, and are prominent as farmers and business 
men, and all thoroughly respected by the communities in 
which they live. 

" Isaac Busby was born in the State of Virginia on the 
10th of March, 1796. He came to Wayne county, Indiana, 
in 1818, and was married to 'Sallie' Willetts, October 14, 
1819. He made his residence in Wayne county until 1825, 
when he came to Fall Creek township, where he entered a fine 
tract of land, which was afterwards known as the Swain 
farm. One circumstance in connection with the entering of this 
land from the Government is spoken of by a writer on this sub- 
ject. Martin Fever, who had also come from Wayne county, 
had bought the land owned by S. A. Rogers and Charles 
Rogers. This was a tract that had been occupied by Brazel- 
ton Noland, who had ' squatted ' there without purchasing the 
same from the Government, trusting to luck for the means 
with which to pay for it in the future. 

" Mr. Fever on his return to Wayne county was full of 
admiration for the Noland land and particularly for a remark- 
able spring which burst from the ground before the house. 
Isaac Busby went to Indianapolis and entered this land at the 
Government land office. Mr. Noland was anxious to go to 
law about the matter, but he and Mr. Busby made an amicable 
settlement, and Noland took his household goods and ^vent to 
Union to^vnship, where he lived for many years. 

" Mr. Busby was deficient in education, but the goodness- 
of his heart made up for all shortcomings in that direction. A 
very promising family grew up around him, and his respected 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 743 

wife, 'Aunt Sallie ,' was beloved by everyone who knew 
her. He often expressed his feelings in regard to his lack of 
education, saying that it was his hope, if opportunity offered, 
to give his children a good education. He was true to that 
purpose. If Fall Creek township has deserved well of her 
faithfulness to education and to all that the term implies, the 
honor thereof belongs pre-eminently to three men, Isaac Busby, 
John J. Lewis and Neal Hardy. They gave a tone to public 
thought that caused an impetus to the proper training of the 
young in the community, of which they were the leading 
spirits, which is felt to this day and which will be manifest 
through an indefinite future. 

"Mr. Busby was a devoted follower of the political ban- 
ner of Henry Clay from early youth, and continued to be an 
ardent Whig until the organization of the Republican party. 
He naturally hated slavery and the Democratic party. It was 
therefore impossible for him to be anything else but a Repub- 
lican, and so he remained through all the long years of the 
momentous struggle which closed with the recognized equality 
of all men before the law. Several years before his death he 
sold his farm and retired from business and spent the evening 
of his days in well-earned repose. He died on the 12th day of 
April, 1874, and sleeps in the cemetery which overlooks the 
lovely country which was once the scene of his labors and 
joys." 

THE HIRST CLERK OF MADISON COUNTY. 

Moses Cox, the first clerk of Madison county, was certainly 
an oddity. The old citizens who knew him have related many 
incidents in relation to him that are laughable. 

He was a sturdy backwoodsman, possessed of a noble dis- 
position, and a kind heart. A man with limited education, 
but possessed with a store of good " horse sense." Cox was 
a man of convivial habits and a " knocker " of no small pre- 
tentions. In his day the man that passed the lie expected a 
fight, and one who would take it without resenting it \vas no 
man at all. 

During Co.x's term as Clerk in 1S2'2 and 1828 the record 
showed a number of cases against him for assault and battery 
where he had punished the hardy pioneers in royal style. 

It is said that he would read the minutes of the court in 
such cases with much pride and satisfaction. 

Mr. Cox was also a great lover of a game of" Old Sledge " 
or seven up. It was his delight to entertain his friends during 



744 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

court time in this way. One time wtien court was in session 
at Pendleton, the Judge convened the session and no one ap- 
pearing behind the clerk's desk, inquiry was made as to the 
absence of the clerk, and a search was made for him, when he 
was found behind a log heap in the woods in the rear of the 
<;ourt grounds sleeping off a night's debauch after an indulgence 
in his favorite game with some friends. He was aroused and 
Inade his appearance in court with his hair disheveled and one 
side of his coat tail burned off by getting too near the log-heap. 

After a slight reprimand from the Judge for his absence 
from duty, the court went on in its usual manner and Moses 
■Cox kept the minutes in his peculiar way. 

It is said that Mr. Cox was very popular with his fellow- 
men, a hale fellow well met, and a man hard to cope with in 
a political contest. 

While he had his faults, with all his shortcomings he was 
made of the stern stuff of which all pioneers were composed, 
and filled a position in the rank and file of men of his day, 
better perhaps than many others would have done with the 
means at hand and his surroundings, 

JOHN ROGERS AND MOSES WIIITECOTTON. 

The Kingmans,in writing their history of Madison coun- 
ty, merely made mention of such a man as John Rogers, with- 
out any further account of him or his early adventures. 
Harden, in his book, issued in 1875, simply refers to him. The 
subject of this sketch was beyond doubt the first white man 
who made his way into the wilderness of this county. A 
brief description of him is given by a correspondent to the 
Herald, of August 26, 1881, whom we take to be J. B. Lewis, 
a prominent and well-informed citizen of Fall Creek town- 
ship. In this statement he gives a long account of Mr. Rog- 
ers, together with some reminiscences relating to his life. 

"John Rogers was a tall, raw-boned man of Irish lineage, 
who came from North Carolina to Fall Creek township and 
settled there December 29, 1818, on an eighty-acre tract of 
land, now known as the Thomas Wilhoit farm, about one and 
a half miles from Pendleton, near the turn-pike road leading 
to New Castle. He cleared some lands, but when the United 
States survey was made, siiortly after his settlement, he found 
himself on land, a part of which he did not like or wish to en- 
ter from the government, so he removed a few hundred yards 
to the south-east and settled on the land afterwards known as 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 745 

the Edward B. Vernon farm. Here Mr. Rogers lived until 
1838, when he sold the land to Abraham Vernon, the father 
of E. B. Vernon, after which Mr. Rogers removed to Iowa, 
where he died at an advanced age some years since. The late 
Lewis W. Thomas stopped over night with him at his Iowa 
home a little more than a quarter of a century ago. In pass- 
ing, it is worthy of note to remark that the Vernon farm still 
remains in the hands of the family to which it was transferred 
by the first holder, something which is true of but very few 
lands in the township. 

"John Rogers had four sons and two daughters, like him- 
self, stalwart, James died in early manhood. Hugh and 
Henry worked together at the carpenter trade in Pendleton 
fifty years ago, Hugh remaining there until 184(5. Polly, one 
of the daughters, married Alfred Kilgore, brother of the late 
Judge David Kilgore. Alfred Kilgore was himself an at- 
torney. He was a man of brilliant parts and was well be- 
loved by his neighbors, but he had rather convivial habits and 
a love for strong drink. He died young and his widow mar- 
ried Enos Adamson, a man of ability and energy, and once 
owner of the Aimen Mill, at Huntsville, and who removed to 
Iowa about the time that his father-in-law, John Rogers, went 
there. Mr. Adamson was at one time County Commissioner 
in Madison county. 

" Mr. Rogers had the shrewd wit of the Irish race and 
many anecdotes of him were formerly current about Pendle- 
ton. It is said that a neighbor once spoke to Mr. and Mrs. 
Rogers about inducing Alfred Kilgore, their son-in-law, to 
subscribe for a paper, when Mrs. Rogers broke in, ' Och, 
don't do that, for papers are Polly's ciiafe pestherment,' allud- 
ing to Alfred's law books and papers. 

" Another old citizen of Fall Creek township related that 
he at one time met John Rogers on a very cold day on his 
way to Pendleton, and when he spoke to him, Rogers said: 
' I have just been to town, where I was owing a friend a little 
money, and I heard he was very sick and I knew that if he 
died he would want to take it with him, so I went down to 
pay him oft'.' 

"Even now the face of this tall personage, with his gray 
locks and his shrewd look, rises before me as I write and as 
he appeared to m}- childish eyes, and so having rescued him 
for a moment from the oblivion to which the historian has 



746 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

consigned him. I dismiss him again to that silence and peace 
which is the lot of almost all of the human race." 

Moses Whitecotton was also an early settler in Fall Creek 
township, and a neighbor of John Rogers. Moses was one of 
the first Justices of the Peace in that locality. He was a nat- 
ural poet and kept his docket in rhyme. The old record would 
be a curiosity if it could be unearthed. At one time he got 
out of provisions and was in limited circumstances on account 
of continued sickness in his family. He appealed to his neigh- 
bor, Mr. Rogers, in a way that would melt a heart of stone. 
His petition %vas as follows : 

" My family is sick, with nothing to eat, 
I pray you the loan of two bushels of wheat ; 
This favor, if granted, shall ne'er be forgotten, 
As long as my name is Moses Whitecotton." 

The good-hearted Mr. Rogers complied with the request 
and supplied the wants of the afflicted family, like a pioneer 
of those days naturally would, and in payment for the accom- 
modation Whitecotton executed his note therefor in the fol- 
lowing strain : 

" One day after date I promise to pay 
To old John Rogers, without delay. 

One hundred weight of hemp when I make it and break it, 
One dollar in cash I shall not deny ; 
Witness my name, this 4th of July, 

" MosES Whitecotton." 

He also at one time went to Kentucky and purchased a 
" jack " and brought him to the county, and in giving his 
pedigree he started out by giving his name " Daniel Boone :" 

" Old Daniel Boone was a man of strange facts. 
But this Daniel Boone is the jack of all jacks." 

Whitecotton is remembered by some of the old-timers 
and his queer ways will long linger in their memories. 

reminiscence OF JUDGE ADAM WINSELL. 

In other places in this volume we have spoken of Judge 
Adam Winsell in connection with the courts of Madison 
county. In Kingmans history the Judge was dismissed with 
a very brief comment. It seems from his prominence in this 
county in the early days that he should have had at least 
proper mention. In looking over the files of the Herald of 
September 22, 1881, we find from the pen of Joseph B. Lewis 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 747 

a very good account of this once distinguished gentleman, in 
which he says : " Adam Winsell came to Madison county in 
1819. He was, at the first term of the Circuit Court, held in 
1828, one of the associate judges. He entered the west half 
of the northwest quarter of Section 22, Township 18 north. 
Range 7 east, also an eighty-acre farm just east of this. He 
gave out to his neighbors that he had entered it himself, 
rather than run the risk of having it entered from ' under 
him,' for more than ten years before he procured the title 
from the United States. Judge Winsell was a blacksmith, 
and it was he who made the irons and placed them upon the 
men who had committed the Indian murders, in 1824. He 
said that he had put them on so tight that no 'corpus' could 
take them off without his consent. At one time he came to 
Anderson to live and remained one year, and then returned to 
his farm. On one occasion, when about to gather the corn 
from his field, he found that he had been anticipated by the 
squirrels, who had eaten it all up. The county, at the time 
referred to, swarmed with migratory squirrels, which were as 
voracious as lean kine, and who devoured everything in their 
way. They were as destructive as the Kansas locusts, which 
made such a memorable record in that State only a few 
years ago. 

Caleb Williams, one day during this squirrel visitation, 
made a lot of bullets and went out on the edge of his corn to 
shoot squirrels. He stood in one place and killed fifty-one of 
these little animals, but missed his fifty-second shot. 

Judge Winsell remained upon his farm until 1887. when 
he sold it to Joseph Weeks, and went ■' west." He was as 
well qualified for the absurd position of associate judge as was 
the average citizen. 

The Judge for many years had a lot of hogs that ran wild 
in the woods south of Lick creek, in Fall Creek township, 
and his neighbors jokingly charged him with claiming all the 
hogs in those parts. One day in front of the court house in 
Anderson, during term time, an old man by the name of 
Samuel Morley, one of the Madison county pioneers, re- 
marked : " There's a hog running wild in the woods by my 
place and he has the strangest marks on him that 1 ever saw. 
He is perfectly white except a large heart on his right shoul- 
der, which is as red as blood." Judge Winsell, who was pres- 
ent, listened with the greatest interest. " Why," said he, 
" that is my old white hog; he's been gone all summer." At 



748 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

this Morley burst into a loud laugh. "There's no such hog 
there ; I just wanted to see if you would claim it." The joke 
was on the Judge, and he was compelled to treat the crowd. 

The late J. J. Lewis once met Judge Winsell in the woods. 
Both were hunting squirrels. Mr. Lewis was about to shoot 
at a squirrel in the top of a tree. " Hold on," said the Judge, 
" you'll strain your gun if you shoot it so far." And no argu- 
ment could convince the Judge that he was not right. He 
always obtained religion at camp meeting, just after the har- 
vest times, and continued in good standing in the church until 
the shooting matches began in the fall, when he would get 
drunk, and, as a necessary consequence, be expelled from the 
church and remain outside until camp meeting time came 
around the next year. It is due to truth, if not to the dignity 
of history, to say that the Judge was a good shot and a boon 
companion of the boys at these shooting matches. 

Justice to this brave old pioneer also requires us to say 
that his good nature was boundless, and that he was never 
known to have been cross to his well-beloved wife, "Aunt 
Sallie," or the children. 

Of course, such a character as this would be very popular 
in those early days, and the good Judge was so to the fullest 
extent. After living in this county many years he departed 
for Iowa — a fact which was very much regretted by his neigh- 
bors. He was a much better n^an than many of those who 
make higher pretentions. His memory, although associated 
with some grotesque happenings, will be long cherished for 
his many kind deeds. 

DEATH OF AX OLD WAR-HORSE. 

Colonel G. W. Parker, of Pendleton, was for many years 
a resident of Indianapolis, during which time he was elected 
to the high ofHce of Sheriff of Marion county, and served in 
this capacity for two terms. Colonel Parker is a man of a 
very genial disposition and was popular with his fellow men, 
which aided him largely in his success as a politician. Dur- 
ing the war he served as a Colonel of an Indiana regiment. 
When he retired from the service he brought home with him 
his old war-horse, upon whose back he had ridden through the 
battle of Stone River and many other engagements. He kept 
him upon his farm near Pendleton until he died, the Colonel 
having removed to that locality from Marion county. He 
^vas very fond of his old comrade-in-arms and kept the horse 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 749 

as a remembrance of the many days of happiness and sorrow 
spent by him during the war marching through the South, 
where he had given his services in defense of the flag of our 
country. The horse died on Friday, the 28th of February, 
1885. His remains were kindly cared for and decently in- 
terred on the Colonel's farm near the beautiful Falls of Fall 
Creek. 

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS AN ODD SUICIDE. 

In the year 1838 a man of the name of Fox took his own 
life about one and a-half miles north of Huntsville by hang- 
ing himself. He was a single man in the employ of a man of 
the name of Gunn, who had died a few day.sJpreviously. Mr. 
Gunn was a man very highly respected and his death was the 
cause of much regret. The eulogies pronounced over him by 
his neighbors together with the assertions from the piously in- 
clined that all his troubles were over, and that he had gone to 
a brighter and better land above, where all was peace and 
happiness, and where the wicked came not and where there 
was everlasting joy, sounded in the ears of Fox until he had 
grown very much excited and finally determined, as it is sup- 
posed, to go to that beautiful land himself, the quickest route. 

The Sunday after Gunn's funeral the family all went to 
church leaving Fox at home. When alone he placed a halter 
strap around his neck and threw the other end over a joist in 
the room and then kicked the chair on which he stood from 
under him and swung himself into eternity. When the fam- 
ily returned from church and opened the door of the cabin the 
ghastly and horrible countenance of Fox stared them in the 
face, his body having swung around facing the door. The 
horror of the people was indescribable. As soon as possible 
the remains were removed and the family got out of the house 
and could never thereafter be induced to reside there. 

THE MOBBING OK HON. FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN 1843. 

Much has been said and written about the mob which 
assaulted Frederick Douglass, the great colored orator, in 
Pendleton, a brief account of whicli appears in Samuel Har- 
den's book, published in 1875. The people who lived in the 
neighborhood of the occurrence have differed as to the correct 
date when it transpired, but this we shall give beyond a rea- 
sonable doubt. Although a stain has been cast upon Madison 
county because of this outrage, it cannot be considered to have 



750 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

had its origin in politics, because at that earl}- period neither 
of the then existing parties had espoused the cause of the 
abolitionists, who desired to witness the down-fall of human 
slavery. To call a Whig in those days an abolitionist meant 
about the same thing as if the "epithet" was applied to a 
Democrat. This episode came about through hatred for the 
negro, regardless of political affiliations. Not until the great 
war of the Rebellion had spent its force, and had ended in 
victory for the Union cause, were many people found who 
would squarely confess that they were abolitionists. How- 
ever, there was one sect of people in this land of ours who 
gloried in this name. They were the '' Friends," or " Quakers," 
many of whom resided in Fall Creek township in the days 
when Douglass was mobbed, and many of whose descend- 
ants are yet to be found in that vicinity. These people, 
however, were not numerically strong enough to give much 
aid or comfort to either partv. 

The Hon. Frederick Douglass, just before the assault upon 
him, had been making a tour through the Western States, and 
it was his custom to stop at such places as Fall Creek town- 
ship, where there was a settlement of Friends or abolitionists, 
and deliver addresses in behalf of the freedom of his colored 
brethren. 

The meeting which he addressed on Fall Creek was held 
in the woods, and had been under way but a few moments 
when an interruption of its proceedings was made by a man 
named Rix. who deliberately walked up to the stand and set 
to one side a pitcher of water standing there, at the same time 
urging some others that \vere with him to make an effort and 
"they would clean him out." 

Among others prominently connected with Rix were Peter 
Runnels, Duke Scott and Thomas Collins. Mr. Douglass, 
seeing his perilous condition and recognizing the evident in- 
tent of the assailants to do him bodily harm, attempted to 
escape by getting over a fence in the rear of the platform. 
W^hile in the act he was struck with a stone and knocked to 
the ground, receiving a severe hurt. He was taken care of by 
kind friends, who rescued him from the angry mob, and kept 
by them until such time as he could make his way out of the 
neighborhood with safety to himself. 

Inasmuch as so man}- different stories have been put into 
circulation about this event, we have taken the liberty to use 
the following extract from a letter written by Joseph B. Lewis, 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 751 

of Pendleton to the Iiidiatiapolis youriial in the spring of 
1895, on this subject. Mr. Lewis was familiar with all the 
circumstances and we believe his statement to be nearer the 
truth than any account of which we have knowledge. Mr. 
Lewis was a resident of Fall Creek township at the time, and 
being a facile writer, a close observer of facts, and a man of 
undoubted veracity and integrity, his statement cannot be ques- 
tioned. 

In his letter to the yoi(r?ial, he says: "I observe that 
some citizen of Pendleton has recently given his recollections 
of an attack by a mob upon Frederick Douglass in tiie town 
of Pendleton in 1843, in which he gives the event as having 
occurred in 1847 or 1848." 

"The gentleman's recollection is wrong in some particu- 
lars as the event occurred in 1848. Mr. Douglass was at no 
time in or near the house of Dr. M. G. Walker, although that 
gentleman undoubtedly saved Douglass from death at the 
hands of a brutal rufHan who was swinging a heavy bar of iron 
over the head of the prostrate man when Dr. Walker, a very 
powerful man threw his whole weight against the murderous 
villain and hurled him away just as Neal Hardy, also a brave 
and powerful man, and Edwin Fussel gathered around the fall- 
ing orator and drove the mobocrats away. 

" These fello\vs lived in Adams township in this county, 
and in the north part of Hancock county, and not in Anderson, 
as stated bv your correspondent. They went away leaving 
Mr. Douglass lying on the ground in insensibility, being sure 
that they had killed him, and they long enjoyed that delusion. " 

Mr. Douglass was raised from the ground bv kind hands, 
and placed in charge of Mr. William Lukens, who took him 
to the home of Neal Hardy, where he was cared for and nursed 
with a tenderness which he never forgot and which led him 
years afterwards to say, " Since 1843 Xeal Hardy and family 
■have been a part of my life." 

Frederick Douglass in writing of his life has this to say 
on this subject: " At Pendleton the mobocratic spirit was 
even more pronounced than in many other localities visited 
by me. It was found impossible to obtain a building in which 
to hold our convention, and our friend Dr. Fussel and others 
erected a platform in the woods where ciuite a large audience 
assembled. Mr. Bradburn, Mr. White and myself were in at- 
tendance. As soon as we began to speak a mob of about sixty 
of the roughest characters I ever looked upon, ordered us 



752 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

through its leader, to be silent, threatening us, if we were not, 
with violence. We attempted to dissuade them, but they said 
they did not come to parley but to tight and were well armed. 
Thev tore down the platform on which we stood, assaulted 
Isli. White and knocked out several of his teeth, dealt a blow 
to Mr. Bradburn, striking him on the back part of the head, 
badly cutting his scalp and felling him to the ground. 

"I undertook to fight my way through the crowd with a 
stick which I had caught up in the melee. I attracted the fury 
of the mob, which laid me prostrate on the ground under a 
torrent of blows, leaving me thus with my right hand broken 
and in a state of unconsciousness. 

"The mobocrats hastily mounted their horses and rode 
away. I was soon raised up and revived by Neal Hardy, a kind- 
hearted member of the Society of Friends, and carried in his 
wagon about three miles in the country to his home, where I 
was tenderly nursed and bandaged by good Mrs. Hardy until 
I was again on my feet. But as the bones broken were not 
properly set, my hand never recovered its natural strength and 
dexterity." 

The Mr. White mentioned by Mr. Douglass was William 
A. White, brother of Maria Lowell, first wife of James Rus- 
sell Lowell. Mr. White was a very able and prominent man, 
who met a tragic fate at Milwaukee some years later. 

Mr. Lewis in his article further states that he has a very 
vivid remembrance of Mr. Douglass and his description of the 
mob in a speech which he made at Jonesboro, at some time 
subsequent to this attack. Douglass was then about twenty- 
five years old ; he was an athlete and in the prime of a splen- 
did young manhood. He was at that time a more eloquent 
orator than later in life. He was full of eloquent words, to 
which was added a bitter sarcasm, all of which made it very 
easy for anyone who then heard him to understand that he 
would become famous. The ring of his voice was quite differ- 
ent from that of his maturer years, when his husky voice and 
his soul's utterances seemed to belong to another. 

The mobbing of Mr. Douglass caused great excitement in 
the community, and was not only severely criticised by all 
good and law-abiding citizens, but quite a number of the par- 
ties implicated in the mobbing were arrested, taken to Ander- 
son and placed in the county jail. 

There were two sides to the question. A number of citi- 
zens in the neighborhood of New Columbus, where several of 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 753^ 

the assailants lived, took the part of the rowdies. The excite- 
ment ran very high ; a company of men was formed at the 
village of New Columbus under the leadership of the Hon. 
Thomas McCallister, who was then a power among the citizens 
of the county. These men started for the Court House for 
the purpose of demanding the release of Runnels and the 
other prisoners in jail. Before reaching Anderson they halted 
their wagons a mile or so distant outside of the place and pre- 
pared their accoutrements of war, and ammunition for battle. 

They sent a delegation ahead to demand of the Sheriff the 
surrender of the prisoners. For a time it looked as though 
there was going to be a real war. Colonel Nineveh Berry, a 
prominent citizen, accompanied by William B. Allen, ex-Sher- 
iff of the countj', were foremost among those who desired to 
maintain the laws. These men went out to meet the belliger- 
ents. They endeavored to treat with them and to allay their 
excitement. The release of Runnels was agreed to and Mc- 
Callister said that hostilities should cease and accordingly the 
mob disbanded. 

Since this outrage, public sentiment has not only been 
changed in Madison county, but everywhere throughout the 
land, where the flag of the United States floats to the breeze. 
There are now but few spots in our country where a negro or 
any other citizen cannot, from a public platform, indulge in 
free speech and proclaim his sentiments, upon any proper sub- 
ject without molestation. 

The Hon. Frederick Douglass in after years — on at least 
two occasions — visited Madison county. ,At one time not 
many years prior to his death he addressed a large meeting at 
the fair grounds at Anderson. In private conversation he 
spoke freely of the Pendleton affair and blamed no one for 
other than the natural dislike for the colored man at that 
time. 

ARRESTED FOR COUNTERFEITING. 

On the 28th of December, 1854, Adam Anderson, John 
Jones, a man of the name of Huston, and William Brown 
were arrested by Benham Nelson, then Sheriff of Madison 
county, for passing counterfeit bank bills. These parties lived 
on what was called the Prairie road, in Fall Creek township, 
near the Anderson township line, in the neighborhood of the 
farm now occupied by James Qjiiinlan. 

There had long been suspicions that counterfeiting was 

going on somewhere in the neighborhood of Pendleton, and it 
48 



754 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

was with some difficulty that the officers were able to locate 
it, from the fact that the counterfeiters were very shrewd in 
the management of their operations and the circulation of 
their bogus money. Finally suspicion became so strong from 
some acts of the younger members of the gang that the offi- 
cers felt justified in making arrests, and calling a posse, headed 
by the Sheriff, proceeded to the locality to place the parties 
under arrest. Their crime being a violation of the United 
States laws, they were at once taken before Judge Sample, 
of^'Muncie, who was then United States Commissioner, and 
a preliminary trial was held and they were bound over to the 
District Court at Indianapolis on a bond of !t!2,000 each. 

Anderson and Jones were each about sixty years of age 
and had lived a long time in the community, and each had 
raised to maturity respectable families. Huston and Brown 
were young men of good parentage and had enjoyed a good 
reputation in the community in which they lived. It was 
strongly hinted that some other prominent people who are yet 
living in and around Pendleton were also engaged in this 
nefarious business, but sufficient evidence was never obtained 
upon which to arrest them and convict them of the crime. 
At the trial in the court Jones and Brown were convicted and 
sentenced to the penitentiary for a number of years, the term 
of which is not known to the writer. 

The young men were let off without imprisonment. 

BURNING OF JOSEPH O. IIARDV's BARN. • 

Joseph O. Hardy, of Fall Creek township, was at one 
time one of the wealthiest and most influential farmers of 
that locality, being a public-spirited, high-minded gentleman, 
and full of push and enterprise. He was the leader of men 
in his neighborhood until one misfortune after another over- 
took him, causing him eventually to be reduced almost to 
poverty. ^Slan}' of the old-time citizens of the county can re- 
member him and the many business transactions in which he 
figured. 

He was once the owner of the large and elegant farm 
now in possession of Philip Matter, about four miles south of 
Anderson, on the Pendleton turnpike. 

On Friday night, the 6th of November, 1874, a large 
barn situated on that place was discovered to be on fire. The 
building was a structure of about 60 x 100 feet, which had been 
erected but a short time, and contained an immense amount of 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 755 

■grain, several tons of hay, farming implements, and six head 
■of horses, all of which were consumed. The whole interior of 
the barn was ablaze when first discovered, and nothing could 
be done to arrest the flames. The total loss on the property, 
•was estimated to be in the neighborhood of $(j,()00, and the 
insurance amounted to only !(>3,00(). 

The farm on which this fire occurred has a history con- 
nected with it not enjoyed bj' any other piece of property in 
the county. It was once owned by a man of the naine of 
James Carson, who, during the war of the Rebellion, went 
to the State of Arkansas, where he remained until the close 
of the war and for a long time thereafter. In the meantime 
he had sold and transferred the farm to one E. A. Russell, who 
formerly resided in Anderson. Mr. Russell gave notes and 
executed a mortgage for the same. The former owner of the 
property to whom Mr. Russell gave the notes not having 
made his appearance in Madison county before the termination 
of the Rebellion, action was brought through Judge W. R. 
Pierse and others for the purpose of having the notes and 
mortgage executed for the purchase of the property confisca- 
ted on the ground that Mr. Carson, who had gone to Arkansas, 
•was disloyal, and not a citizen of the United States. The 
case was tried in the Circuit Court, and after a patient and 
careful hearing, it was decided that the notes and mortgage 
were null and void, and they were therefore canceled by order 
of the court, and thus Mr. Russell and his co-plaintiffs be- 
came the owners of this beautiful and valuable property with- 
out the payment of any money whatever. 

The title subsequently passed into the hands of one Railey 
Davis, a wealthv farmer of Fall Creek township, and subse- 
quently became the property of Mr. Charles L. Henry, of An- 
derson, who received a warranty deed under Mr. Davis for 
the same. During all this time, and during these transfers no 
demand was ever made by any one to test the validity of the 
title. Nor was there any such demand made until after Mr. 
Henry had come into possession of the property. Sometime 
about the j'ear 1885 the owner of the property from whom it 
had been confiscated unexpectedly made his appearance in 
Anderson, and demanded compensation for the land, which 
being refused, he employed the law firm of Robinson &. Lov- 
ett, who brought proceedings in the United States court to 
have the judgment of the Madison Circuit Court confiscating 



756 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the property set aside, and repossessing the rightful owner of 
his land. 

The case was hotly contested. The court, however, held 
that the plaintiff having proven that during his residence in 
Arkansas he had never committed a disloyal act against the 
United States, and that he had been true to his government, 
the real-estate was, therefore, decreed to him as being the law- 
ful and rightful owner. 

This decision left Mr. Henry but one alternative, to fall 
back on 'Sir. Bailey Davis, the only responsible party from 
whom he held the warrant of title. In the further transaction 
of this matter, Mr. Bailey Davis proved that he was an excep- 
tionally honest and upright man, doing what but few people 
would have done under similar circumstances. Instead of em- 
ploying attorneys and going into court to defend himself, as 
he might have done, and thus added costs to Mr. Henry and 
others, he simply, after having determined the amount of the 
purchase money with every cent of interest on the notes reck- 
oned to the latest date, went down "into his jeans"' and 
planked down nearly six thousand dollars of his hard-earned 
money, and paid the same over to Robinson & Lovett, the at- 
torneys for the lawful owner. And thus ended one of the 
great legal battles of this county. 

But a few weeks previous to this writing this celebrated 
farm was again visited with a fire which destroyed the large 
barn recently built by C. L. Henry on the opposite side of the 
road from the former one. It was then owned by Mr. Philip 
Matter, of Marion, Ind. The structure and its contents were 
swept away. 

HIGHWAY ROBBERY. 

In the month of November, 1875, one of the most daring 
highway robberies ever committed in the county took place on 
the Fishersburg pike, between Pendleton and Fishersburg, in 
which a man of the name of Andrews was held up and robbed 
of the pitiful sum of $6. 

Andrews was a brother of Whitfield Andrews, who lived 
in the country, and had drawn .$700 out of a bank at Indian- 
apolis, which belonged to a lady friend, for whom he was an 
agent, and to whom he had paid the money shortly after 
receiv ng it. When he had done this lie took the evening 
train on the Bee Line road for the purpose of visiting friends 
in Madison county. He left the train at Pendleton, and after 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 757 

partaking of a lunch started to walk from there to Fishers- 
burg. About two miles from Pendleton, near the residence of 
a man of the name of Clark, he was met by two men whom 
he recognized as having seen at Indianapolis, and who had 
dogged his steps during the day. Before he scarcely had 
time to stop one of them struck him on the head with some 
kind of a weapon which felled him to the ground, after which 
he was beaten in a most terrible manner so he was rendered 
unconscious. In that condition he remained for some time, 
and when his senses returned found that both his boots were 
gone, his stockings taken off and his pockets rifled of their 
contents. The robbers received nothing for their pains except 
the small sum of )f6. 

Mr. Andrews was so injured that he could scarcely stand, 
and after almost superhuman eflbrts he succeeded in reaching 
the residence of Harvey Gwinn, in Stoney Creek township. 
Mr. Gwinn conveyed him to his residence and then took him 
to the home of Alfred Gates, just across the line in Hamilton 
county, Mr. Gates being a cousin of Andrews. The wounded 
man remained for several days at the residence of his relative 
in a critical condition, but finally recovered and returned to 
his home. He had no doubt but that his assailants had been 
present in the bank at Indianapolis when he drew the money, 
and that they had shadowed him to this point, where they 
intended to kill him and then rob him. No clue to the rob- 
bers was ever obtained or their whereabouts made known. 

FOUND DEAD IN BED. 

On the 28th of June, 1868, J. W. Pavey, of Fall Creek 
township, suddenly and without warning gave up the race of 
life, being found dead in his bed. He had been in his usual 
good health and early in the morning got up to do some 
chores as was his custom, and after doing his work he re- 
turned to his sleeping chamber and retired again. 

The members of the family, in due time, got up and break- 
fast was prepared at the usual hour. Mr. Pavey was called 
for his meal, but did not respond. In a short time he was 
called again, with no response, when the family became 
alarmed and on going to his room were horrified to find him 
cold in death. 

Mr. Pavey was one of the early settlers of that neighbor- 



758 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

hood then known as the " Beaver Dam "" locality and was 
highly respected. 

His funeral was largely attended and his memory is yet 
fresh in the minds of the older people of that locality. 

SUICIDE OF J. L. HENSLEY. 

J. L. Hensley was a prominent farmer, who lived about 
three miles north of Pendleton, and was a brother of the late 
Doctor Hensley, of this county. On Thursday, the 21st day 
of January, 1885, he took his own life by hanging. On the 
morning of his death, a neighbor, William Sisson, visited his 
home, and chatted with him upon various subjects. Mr. Sis- 
son did not notice anything peculiar in his manner or words 
and was very much surprised a few hours later to be informed 
of his death. The deceased was a man of a very kind dispo- 
sition, and lived at peace with his family and neighbors. He 
was a veteran of the Mexican war, and had also served in the 
69th Indiana Regiment in the War of the Rebellion. 
His body was found hanging in a corn-crib, to the end of a 
rope which he had used for the purpose. 

Mr. Hensley was born in Virginia in the year 1821, and 
was about (34 years of age at the time of his death. During 
the war he distinguished himself as a good soldier, and at the 
battle of Pittsburg Landing was, for meritorious service, pro- 
moted to be First Lieutenant in the company in which he en- 
listed. He was a charter member of Sam Henry Post, 
G. A. R., of Pendleton, and was buried by that organization 
with all the honors of war. He left a wife, six children and 
one brother to mourn their loss. 

SUICIDE OF DR. HENSLEY. 

Dr. William Hensley, of Fall Creek township, was a well- 
known personage in Madison county for a great number of 
years. He lived at Pendleton for a long time, and was an 
agent for a life insurance company. He had in his earlier 
days prepared himself for the practice of medicine atConners- 
ville, Indiana, but for some cause abandoned it. He never 
practiced after he located in Madison county. He was a 
farmer at the time of his death, and lived on a piece of land 
which he owned north-east of Pendleton. He was of a very 
jovial disposition, a fluent talker and a good story-teller, and 
was the last person any one would think ^vho harbored the 
idea of self-destruction. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 759 

On Saturday morning, the :?8th of February, 1888, he 
arose about (5 o'clock to start the fire as usual, and before any 
of the family was aware of his intentions he took a loaded 
shotgun and blew out his brains. His death was simultaneous 
with the discharge of the gun. The load entered below his 
right jaw and blew off the top of his head. It mutilated his 
face and head in a terrible manner. No special cause could 
be assigned for this rash act other than despondency, caused 
by the failure of his crops and financial troubles. He was a 
man about sixty-five years of age and lived with his third wife» 
He was a native of Virginia. He left a wife and six children, 
two of whom were married. He was a brother of J. T. Hens- 
ley, whose suicide is given above. 

DROWNING OF CHARLES HAINES. 

Charles Haines, a young man about twenty years of age,, 
a son of Abner Haines, who resided about four miles south of 
Pendleton, was drowned in White river on the 12th of August,, 
1887, six miles west of Anderson. He with several others 
were spreading their seines in the river for the purpose of 
catching fish, when young Haines attempted to swim across a 
small whirlpool where the water was quite deep. The cur- 
rent proved too strong for him, and he was carried down and 
drowned in the presence of twenty men, who stood around 
apparently dumb from fright. Gideon Knopp, a young man' 
of the neighborhood where the occurrence took place, made 
an effort to rescue Haines when he came to the surface for the 
first time, but he received a blow on the head from the drown- 
ing man that stunned him. 

The body was recovered almost immediately after it sank: 
to the bottom, but life was extinct, and all eflforts at resuscita- 
tion were without avail. The remains were taken to the- 
home of his parents, and his funeral occurred at the neighbor- 
ing cemetery a few days afterwards. 

BURNING OF A BARN. 

On Christmas morning, 1884, a large barn situated in the 
rear of Todd & Taylor's store in Pendleton, was discovered to 
be on fire, the flames bursting through the roof. In a few 
moments the entire building with its contents was destroyed. 
The building had been erected for a livery barn and belonged 
to Eliza Taylor and was occupied at the time by George Hol- 
lowell, a butcher. It contained five valuable horses belonging 



760 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

to him and one belonging to Clinton Mowery, three buggies, 
three sleighs, three meat wagons and a large quantity of hay 
and feed, all of ^vhich were destroyed. Great efforts were 
made to save the horses, but the fire drove back everyone who 
attempted to go near. Otto Lackey made heroic efforts to 
rescue the animals, but was so overcome by heat that he was 
taken away from the place in an unconscious condition. The 
building stood in the center of a square and was surrounded 
by other buildings, two of which nearly touched it, but a heavy 
sno^v on the roofs saved them from destruction. There %vas 
no insurance either on the building or its contents. 

Bl'RNING OF A HOUSE ON THE OLD "JUNCTION FARM." 

In the month of February, 1885, a large two-story house 
that stood upon what was known as the '-Junction Farm," 
two and one-half miles south-west of Pendleton, was destroyed 
hy fire. It had been built by Mr. John Hussey, of Indianap- 
olis, about a year or so previous and was occupied by William 
Tyler, a tenant. A portion of the household goods was saved, 
principally from the lower rooms in the building. The house 
and contents were insured, but not sufficiently to cover the 
loss. The fire started in the kitchen but its origin is unknown. 
Tyler and his family were left w^ithout shelter but were taken 
■care of by kind neighbors, who went to their relief. 

FATALLY SCALDED. 

On the 28th of August, 1891, Mrs. Peter Coverdale, living 
three miles north of Pendleton, while scalding a chicken left 
a pan of boiling water on the ground near where her two-year- 
old daughter was playing. The mother's attention was called 
away for a moment and the little one fell over and submerged 
one of its arms in the boiling water, from the effects of which 
she took lock jaw and died on the morning of August 31. 

BURNING OF THE CATARACT MILLS. 

What was once known as the Cataract ]MilIs at Pendle- 
ton, situated at the Falls of Fall Creek, was on the 13th of 
July, 1882. destroyed by fire. This mill was one of the land- 
marks in that localitj', having been built many years ago. 
For a long time it was run as a flouring mill in connection 
■with a large ^voolen mill. It was at one time considered one 
of the most valuable pieces of property in Madison county, 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 761 

before steam and other modern appliances were in use. In 
those days it was a money-making institution. 

For a long period it was the property of the Irish estate 
and was owned and operated by Samuel D. Irish, who was 
the father of Volney B. and James Irish, now residents of 
Anderson. The lire was discovered about 10 o'clock in the 
morning ; it was in the upper part of the mill and did not 
manifest itself until it had attained such proportions as to be 
beyond control. In a short time the building and its contents 
were in ashes. 

It was owned at the time of its destruction by Colonel 
Parker and a gentleman of the name of Potts, who had only 
a short time previous to the fire been engaged in overhauling 
it and making repairs, thus making one of the most complete 
mills in the county. The loss was estimated to be fully iflo,- 
€00, and was covered by insurance. Colonel Parker, one of 
the owners, was at one time a resident of Indianapolis, and 
had served two terms as Sheriff of Marion county. The mill 
was afterwards rebuilt and is at present standing on the old 
site near the Falls, but it has never been considered since the 
day of the fire a financial success. 

POISONED BY DRINKING LEMONADE. 

In the month of August, 1881, Mr. Thomas M. Carter 
and family, who resided in the south part of Fall Creek town- 
ship, while attending an old settlers' picnic near Greenfield, 
were poisoned by drinking lemonade. 

There was a large crowd in attendance, and the pumps 
on the grounds having given out, Mr. Carter resorted to a de- 
coction of lemonade to quench his thirst, and also had his wife 
partake of the same. When they left the grounds they went 
to Greenfield to take supper with some friends, intending to 
drive home in the evening. They were not long in the house 
when Mr. Carter complained of feeling very sick, and by the 
time supper was ready he was too ill to partake thereof. A 
phj'sician was immediately called, but Mr. Carter continued to 
grow worse until about midnight, when he died. Carter was 
well known in the community in which he lived, having been 
reared on a farm near where he had his home. At the time 
of his death he was a prominent member of the Methodist 
church and a superintendent of the Menden .Sunday school. 
He was also a member of the Odd Fellows. His remains 
■were buried on the Sunday following his death. His funeral 



762 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

was attended by a large concourse of people. He left a wife 
and one child to survive him. Mrs. Carter had taken a small 
portion of the lemonade, but it did not affect her as it did her 
husband. 

LOUIS eppard's barn burned. 

On Sunday morning, March 23, 1890, the barn of Louis 
Eppard, in Fall Creek township, was burned, with several 
horses and his grain, hay and farming implements, entailing a 
loss to the amount of .$2,000, with no insurance. 

The barn was supposed to have been fired by an incen- 
diary, but no evidence was obtained that would lead to the 
apprehension of the guilty party. 

KILLED BY A TRAIN. 

J. M. Kinnaman, a farmer residing near Pendleton, 
visited Anderson on the 13th of October, 1884, to attend a 
Republican 'rally, and had with him his son Claude, a boy 
about sixteen years of age. After the ceremonies of the day 
were over young Kinnaman, in company with some friends, 
went to the Bee Line Railroad station to board a train going 
out at 12 -.30 at night to his home, and at the crossing of 
Jackson street, in Anderson, in attempting to get on the 
train he was accidentally killed. All of his companions suc- 
ceeded in getting on board, and he in sorrie manner was 
thrown under the train with fatal results. His absence was 
not noticed by his friends, who went on their way home un- 
conscious of what had befallen him. His remains were dis- 
covered lying beside the railroad track a short distance from 
where the accident occurred. Dr. B. F. Spann, then Coroner 
of Madison county, was notified, and had the remains taken to 
Markts undertaking establishment, where they were prepared 
for burial. The relatives %vere at once notified. The boy's 
father arrived in the city early next morning and took charge 
of his body and removed it to Pendleton, after which it was 
interred in the Falls Cemetery. The body was frightfully 
mutilated. 

A HORRIBLE CASUALTY. 

On the 6th of September, 1890, the last day of the last 
county fair held on the old fair ground, on West Eighth street, 
one of the most distressing accidents occurred on the Bee 
Line Railroad, four miles south-west of Anderson, that has- 
ever taken place in this county, in which Emmet Locke and 



HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 763 

John Eastman were instantly killed while crossing the rail- 
road at what is known as the " Gowl Crossing," between 
Anderson and Pendleton. Locke was a colored man in the 
employ of the " When " clothing store of Indianapolis, and 
Eastman was his guest, enjoying a ride home from the fair. 
The " When" advertising wagon drawn by four horses had 
started to Pendleton in charge of Emmet Locke. It was the 
intention to drive from there to Springfield, Ohio, and adver- 
tise the " When " firm at the fair. 

Fred Bloomer, the advertising agent, concluded to go to 
Indianapolis by rail, so he left the wagon in charge of Locke 
and got on the train. 

Before the wagon started for Pendleton John Eastman, 
a plasterer, who lived at Huntsville. and who had been at 
Anderson attending the fair, obtained Locke's consent to ride 
with him to Pendleton. They left Anderson about 3 o'clock. 
There appears to have been no eye witness to the horrible 
affair. Locke had evidently driven the horses across the track 
at the crossing, not being aware of the near approach of the 
train. It suddenly came upon them, and the horses, becoming 
frightened, turned around instead of going forward. The 
wagon had, by this time, got half way across the track, and 
the engine, which was running along at a lightning speed, 
struck it before its unfortunate occupants were aware of their 
danger. 

The wagon was dashed into a thousand pieces and Locke 
and Eastman were instantly killed. 

The former was horribly mangled, and his head was com- 
pletely severed from his body. Eastman's body was picked 
up on the west side of the track, with a horrible hole in the 
fore part of his head. He was not mutilated to any extent. 
Poor Locke's body was in a dozen pieces. 

Bloomer was on the train, and after it was stopped it ran 
back to the scene of the accident, when he jumped off and was 
horrified at the sight and the thought of what a narrow escape 
he had made from an awful death. 

The remains of the unfortunates were placed on boards 
and taken to Pendleton and Coroner Armington notified. As 
there was no witness to the affair his investigation was neces- 
sarily brief. He collected the remains of Locke and sewed 
them together, and they were sent to his friends at Indi- 
anapolis. Those of Eastman were turned over to Trustee 
Cook and buried in the Falls Cemetery. 



764 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

A DISGRACEFUL AFFAIR. 

On the night of July 81, 1891, a building occupied by 
Dr. Frank L. Stone and John C. Manning, of Pendleton, was 
destroyed by being blown up by dynamite. Luckily no one 
^vas in the house at the time and no personal injury resulted. 
The outrage was supposed to have been perpetrated on ac- 
count of Mr. Manning, who was deputy Prosecuting Attor- 
ney, having made warfare upon the liquor traffic and evil 
doers to such an extent as to incur the displeasure of that ele- 
ment in the town. This version of the matter is. however, 
only conjecture, as no one will, perhaps, ever know the real 
cause of the deed, or who did the unlawful act. 

ANDREW B. TAYLOR. 

Andrew B. Taj'lor was one of the earl\- settlers of Fall 
Creek township and became one of its leading lights in busi- 
ness, political and church affairs. He was a man of high moral 
character, shrewd in business, full of energy and enterprise. 
For many years he was the leading spirit in his locality and the 
magnet around which all business affairs hung. He was born 
in Greenbriar county, West Virginia, in 1817, and came to 
Madison county and located a claim near Pendleton in 1834, 
having traveled the entire distance on foot, carrying his bag- 
gage on his back. In 1839 he returned to Virginia and brought 
back with him his father's family. In 1847 he was married 
to Melvina Boston, who yet survives him and resides in the 
old homestead at Pendleton. He engaged in milling and buy- 
ing grain, first having run what is known as the Falls Mills 
and afterwards the First National Mill. In 1859 he owned 
and operated a flouring mill at Huntsville and carried on buy- 
ing and selling grain in what was known as the City Mills. 
In 1867 he bought the Zubelin Warehouse, which he owned 
and occupied as a grain establishment until the time of his 
death in September, 1873. He organized the Farmers Bank 
of Pendleton in 1872, of which he was president and general 
manager, until his demise. In 1875 he built the Taylor Block 
and moved his bank into one room, which is now occupied as 
a banking house by the present owners of that institution. At 
the time of Mr. Taylor's death he was agitating the question 
of building a railroad from Noblesville to Newcastle by the 
way of Pendleton, and had succeeded in creating quite an in- 
terest in this undertaking, which, however, died away after 
his death. The decease of Mr. Taylor was long felt by the 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 765 

fanning community of Pendleton and vicinity, as he was very 
accommodatiofj to his friends and extended many favors to 
the farmers of that locality, by way of advancing money upon 
their growing crops and doing many other good acts which 
many others in like circumstances would not have done. 

His remains were deposited in the Falls Cemetery and 
were followed to their last resting place by one of the largest 
funeral processions that was ever seen in that section of the 
county. 

DE.\TH OF DOCTOR JOSEPH STEPHENSON. 

Dr. Joseph Stephenson was for many years a resident of 
Pendleton, being one of the oldest and most influential farm- 
ers in that part of the county, as well as a leading physician. 
He was born in Warren county, Ohio, in 1819, and died in 
Pendleton on the 16th of March, 1886. He came to Madison 
county about the year 1835, and worked on a farm for a time, 
studying medicine in his leisure moments, attending lectures, 
and then graduated from the Medical College at Cincinnati 
in 1850. He then settled in Pendleton in the practice of his 
profession, where he remained for the rest of his life. 

He was married to Josephine Boston, May 1, 1850, who 
yet survives him and is residing at Pendleton. Doctor Ste- 
phenson was very frugal in his habits, although one of the 
best livers in Madison county, and after giving his children a 
good education he had quite a large fortune left, which came 
into their possession after his death. He was a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Cnurch, in which he was very prom- 
inent. 

His remains were interred in the Falls Cemetery near the 
place of his home. 

DE.VTH OE ANDREW K. ROCKENFIELD. 

Andrew K. Rockenfield, the subject of this sketch was 
for many years a resident of Fall Creek township, and was 
prominent in social and business circles. In 1878 he was 
elected Coroner of Madison count}-, which position he heUl 
until the time of his death, which took place on the 17th of 
January, 1879. 

He was born in Miamisburg, Ohio, April 1, 18:25, and 
came to Huntsville, in 1849, with Aaron Mullendore, with 
whom he learned the trade of tanner and currier. He 
was marrit d to Miss Celia A. Campbell, the sister of D. 



766 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNT\ , INDIANA. 



W. Campbell, who died recently in Anderson. She, how- 
ever, lived but a short time. He was again married on the 
28d of December. 18CS, to Miss Deborah \V. Darragh, 
with whom he lived until the time of his death, and who sur- 
vives him. JMr. Rockentield was of a very generous disposi- 
tion and genial in his nature. He had but little disposition 
to acquire property so long as his wants were supplied. He 
■was always ready and willing to share with his friends what- 
ever he had. He was a member of the W'esleyan Church at 
Pendleton, where his funeral took place under the direction of 
Rev. J. A. Dobson, of Muncie. His remains were followed 
to the grave by a large concourse of friends, and were depos- 
ited in the Huntsville Cemetery. 

THE INDIAN MURDERS IN 1824. 

To write a history of Madison county without giving an 
account of the murder of the Indians, in the early days of our 




THE FALLS OF FALL CREEK NEAR PENDLETON. 

commonwealth, would be doing historv an injustice. This 
occurrence took place so long ago that it is impossible for one 
of the present day to tell the story, in anything like an 
intelligent manner without drawing almost wholly from what 
has already been said about it by others who were living here 
at the time. There are but few now living who, personally, 
know anything about the details of this bloody affair. Mr. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 767 

James Hollingsworth was a resident of the county at that 
time, but was quite young, and knows but little of the facts 
outside of what one so young would naturally get from hear- 
ing older folks in the neighborhood say about it. The kill- 
ing took place in Adams township, in the early springtime of 
1824. The Indians who were killed were not warlike sav- 
ages, but a small band of hunters who had pitched their tents, 
hunting and trapping. The tribe of Indians who had orig- 
inally lived in Madison county had all left here and gone to 
reservations set apart for them by the Government. It was, 
perhaps, not thought to be such an awful thing to kill an 
Indian, at that time, or, perhaps, this deed would never have 
been done. The county of Madison had but barely been 
organized, and law and order had scarcely been established at 
that time. 

Oliver H. Smith, one of Indiana's brightest legal lights, 
assisted in the trial and made notes of it. At this time, since 
the actors have all passed off the stage, no better account of 
this notable event could be given, than to reproduce his ac- 
count of it, given in his "Early Reminiscences of Indiana" 
as follows : 

At the time of the Indian murders on Fall creek, the 
country was new and the population scattered here and there 
in the woods. Gaine was plenty, and the Indian hunting 
grounds had not been forsaken by several of the tribes. The 
white settlers felt some alarm at the news of an Indian en- 
campment in the neighborhood, and although they were all 
friendly, a watchful eye was kept on all of their movements. 
The county of Madison had just been organized. Pendleton, 
with a few scattering houses at the Falls, was the seat of the 
new countv. Anderson, on White river, was a small village. 
Chesterfield and Huntsville were not then heard of. There 
were only a few houses between Indanapolis and the Falls, 
and still fewer in other directions from the capital. Early in 
the spring of 1824, a hunting party of Seneca Indians, con- 
sisting of two men, three squaws, and four children, encamped 
on the east side of Fall creek, about eight miles above the 
Falls. The country around their camping ground was a dense, 
unbroken forest. The principal Indian was Ludlow, and was 
said to be named for Stephen Ludlow, of Lawrenceburgh. 
The other man was called Mingo. The Indians commenced 
their season of hunting and trapping, the men with the guns, 
and the squaws setting the traps, preparing and cooking the 



768 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

game, and caring for the children — two boys some ten years 
old, and two girls of more tender years. A week had rolled 
around, and the success of the Indians had been very fair, with 
better prospects ahead, as the spring was opening, and rac- 
coons were beginning to leave their holes in the trees in search 
of frogs that had begun to leave their beds in the muddy bot- 
tom of the creeks. Ludlow and his band, wholly unsuspicious 
of harm, and unconscious of any approaching enemies, were 
seated around their camp fire, when there approached through 
the woods, five white men — Harper, Sawyer, Hudson, Bridge, 
Sr., and Bridge, Jr. Harper was the leader, and stepping up 
to Ludlow, took him by the hand and told him his party had 
lost their horses, and wanted Ludlow and Mingo to help find 
them. The Indians agreed to go in search of the horses. 
Ludlow took one path, and Mingo another. Harper followed 
Ludlow, Hudson trailed Mingo, keeping some fifty yards be- 
hind. They trailed a short distance from the camp, when 
Harper shot Ludlow through the body. He fell dead on his 
face. Hudson on hearing the cracking of the rifle of Harper, 
immediateh- shot Mingo, the ball entering just below the 
shoulders and passing clean through his body. Mingo fell 
dead. The party then met and proceeded to within gunshot 
of the camp. Sawyer shot one of the squaws through the 
head. She fell and died without a struggle. Bridge, Sr., 
shot another squaw, and Bridge, Jr., the other squaw. Both 
fell dead. Sawyer then fired at the oldest boy, but only 
wounded him. The other children were shot by some of the 
party. Harper then led on to the camp. 

The three squaws, one boy and two little girls lay dead, 
but the oldest boy was still living. Sawyer took him bv the 
legs and knocked his brains out against the end of a log. The 
camp was then robbed of everything worth carrying away. 
Harper, the ring leader, left immediately for Ohio and was 
never taken. Hudson, Sawyer, Bridge, Sr., and Bridge, Jr., 
were arrested, and when I first saw them thev were confined 
in a square log jail. 

I entered with the Sheriff. The prisoners were all heavily 
ironed and sitting on the straw on the floor. Hudson was a 
man of about middle size with a bad look, dark eye and bushy 
hair, about 85 years of age in appearance. Sawyer was about 
the same age, rather heavier than Hudson, but there was noth- 
ing in his appearance that could have marked him in a crowd, 
as any other tlian a common farmer. Bridge, Sr., was not 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 769 

much older than Sawyer ; his head was quite gray, lie was 
above the common height, slender and a little bent while stand- 
ing. Bridge, Jr., was some 18 years of age, a tall stripling. 
Bridge, Sr., was the father of Bridge, Jr., and the brother-in- 
law of Sawyer. 

The news of these Indian murders flew upon the wings of 
the wind. The settlers became greatly alarmed, fearing the 
retaliatory vengeance of the tribes and especially of the other 
tribes of the Senecas. The facts reached Mr. John Johnston 
at the Indian Agency at Piqua, Ohio. An account of the 
murders was sent from the Agency to the War Department at 
Washington City. Colonel Johnston and William Conner 
visited all the Indian tribes, and assured them that the Gov- 
ernment would punish the offenders, and obtained the prom- 
ises of the chiefs and warriors that they would wait and see 
what their " Great Father " would do before they took the 
matter into their own hands. This quieted the fears of the 
settlers, and preparation was commenced for the trials. A 
new log building was erected at the north part of Pendle- 
ton, with two rooms, one for the Court and the other for the 
Grand Jury.* The Court room was about twenty by thirty 
feet with a heavy " puncheon " floor, a platform at one end, 
three feet high, a bench for the Judges, a plain table for the 
clerk, in front, a long bench for the counsel, a little pen for 
the prisoners, a side bench for the witnesses, and a long pole 
in front, substantially supported, to separate the crowd from 
the court and bar. A guard by day and night was placed 
around the jail. The court was composed of Wm. W. Wick, 
Presiding Judge, Samuel Holliday and Adam Winsell, asso- 
ciates. Judge Wick was young on the bench but with much 
experience in criminal trials. Ji'dge Holliday was one of the 
best and most conscientious men I ever knew. Judge W^insell 
was a blacksmith, and had ironed the prisoners ; he was an 
honest, rough, frank, illiterate man, without any pretentions 
to legal knowledge. Moses Cox was the Clerk ; he could 
barely write his name, and when a candidate for Justice of 
the Peace at Connersville, he boasted of his superior qualifira- 
tions : " I have been sued on every section of the statute and 
know all about the law, while my competitor has never been 
sued and knows nothing about the statute." Samuel Cory, 
the Sheriff, was a fine specimen of a woods' Hoosier, tall and 
strong boned, with hearty laugh, without fear of man or beast, 

with a voice that made the woods ring as he called the jurors 
49 



770 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and witnesses. The county was thus prepared for the trials. 
In the meantime the Government was not sleeping. Colonel 
Johnston, the Indian Agent, was directed to attend the trials 
to see that the witnesses were present and to pay their fees. 
Gen. James Noble, then a United States Senator, was employed 
by the Secretary of War to prosecute, with power to fee an 
assistant. Philip Sweetser, a young son-in-law of the General, 
•of high promise in his profession, was selected by the General 
as his assistant ; Calvin Fletcher was the regular prosecuting 
attorney, then a young man of more than ordinary ability, 
and a good criminal lawyer. The onlj- inn at Pendleton was 
a new frame housenear the creek, still standing by the side of 
the railroad bridge. 

The term of court was about being held. The Sunday 
before the term commenced the lawyers began to arrive, and, 
as w^as the custom in those days, they were invited out to dine 
on the Sabbath by the most wealthy citizens, as a favor and 
compliment, not to the lawyers, but to their hosts. We had 
a statute in those days imposing a fine of one dollar on each 
person who should "profanely curse, swear, or damn," and 
making it the duty of all judges and magistrates to see that the 
law was enforced upon offenders in their presence. Judge 
Holliday invited Calvin Fletcher, the Circuit Prosecuting At- 
torney, and his Indianapolis friend, Daniel B. Wick — the 
brother of the Judge — to dine with him. The invitation was 
accepted, of course, there being no previous engagement in the 
waj-. Dinner was aimounced. Judge Holliday asked a 
" blessing " at the table — Mr. Fletcher declining. The Judge 
had killed a fat goose for the extraordinary occasion, which 
was nicely stuffed with well-seasoned bread and onions, and 
placed in the center of the table. Mr. Wick, who was not a 
church member, fixed his eye upon the goose and said, by way 
of compliment — 

"That is a damned fine goose. Judge." 

" Yes, it is a fine goose, and you are fined a dollar for 
swearing." 

Not a word more was spoken at the table. Dinner over, 
Judge Holliday said — 

" ' Squire Wick, pay me the dollar." 

" I have not a cent with me. Judge." 

■' Perhaps Mr. Fletcher will lend it to you," suggested 
the Judge. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 771 

" I really have only enough with me to pay my tavern 
bill," said the Prosecuting Attornej'. 

" What is to be done?" asked the Judge. 

" Lend him the money, Judge," responded Fletcher, " and 
take his note, or bind him over to the court." 

"I'll bind him over — you'll go his security?" replied 
Judge Holliday, with a querv. 

" The rules of the court forbid lawyers from going secur- 
ity for anyone," responded the Prosecutor, " but you can go 
it yourself; just draw the recognizance that ' Daniel B. Wick 
and Samuel Holliday, Associate Judge of the Madison Cir- 
cuit Court, acknowledge themselves to be indebted to the State 
in the penalty of twenty-five dollars each for the appearance 
of Daniel B. Wick at the next terin of court to answer.' " 

The reasonable proposition of Mr. Fletcher was at once 
accepted by all parties. The recognizance was taken in due 
form and forfeited at the next term, by the absence of Mr. 
Wick. Judgment was rendered against Judge Holliday for 
twenty-five dollars. A petition to the Governor was drawn 
up and signed by the whole bar; a remittance soon followed. 

The trial of Hudson commenced the next day after the 
Sabbath dinner at Judge Holliday's. A number of dis- 
tinguished lawyers were in attendance from this State, and 
several from the State of Ohio. Among the most prominent 
I name General James Xoble, Philip Sweetzer, Harvey Gregg, 
Lot Bloomfield, James Rariden, Charles H. Test, Calvin 
Fletcher, Daniel B. Wick and William R. Morris, of this 
State ; General Samson Mason and Moses Vance, of Ohio. 
Judge Wick being temporarily absent in the morning, Will- 
iam R. Morris arose and moved the Associate Judges : 

" I ask that these gentlemen be admitted as attorneys and 
counsellors at this bar ; they are regular practitioners, but have 
not brought their licenses with them." 

" Have they come here to defend the prisoners? " asked 
Judge Winsell. 

" The most of them have." 

" Let them be sworn ; nobody but a lawyer would defend 
a murderer." 

Mr. Morris — "I move the court for a writ of habeas 
corpus, to bring up the prisoners now illegally confined in the 
jail." Tiiclge Winsell — "For what?" "A writ of habeas 
corpus." •' What do you want to do with it?" "To bring 
up the prisoners and have them discharged." "Is there any 



772 HISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

law for that?" Morris read the statute regulating the writ of 
habeas corpus. " That act, Mr. Morris, has been repealed 
long ago." " Your honor is mistaken ; it is a constitutional 
writ, as old as the Magna Charta itself." " Well, Mr. Morris, 
to cut the matter short, it would do you no good to bring out 
the prisoneis. I ironed them myself, and you will never get 
them irons off until they have been tried, habeas corpus or no 
habeas corpus." Pecuria "motion overruled." Judge Wick 
entered and took his seat between the two side judges. 
"Call the grand jury." All answer to their names and are 
sworn. Court adjourned for dinner. Court met; the grand 
jury brought into court an indictment for murder drawn by 
Mr. Fletcher against Hudson. Counsel on both sides — 
" Bring the prisoners into court." The Court — " Sheriff, put 
in the box a jury." Sheriff — " May it please the Court, Dr. 
Highday just handed me a list of jurors to call on the jury." 
Judge Wick — "Bring Dr. Highday into Court." " Did your 
honor wish to see me?" "Dr. Highday, is this your hand- 
writing?" " I presume it is." "Dr. Highday, we have no 
jail to put you in, the one we have is full ; hear your sentence : 
It is the judgment of the Court that you be banished from 
these court grounds till the trials are over. Sheriff, see the 
judgment of the Court carried strictly into execution." 

I digress to give the scene in court, published by General 
Sampson Mason, in a Springfield, Ohio, paper. " As I 
entered the court-room the Judge was sitting on a block, par- 
ing his toe nails, when the Sheriff entered, out of breath, and 
informed the Court that he had six jurors tied, and his 
deputies were running down the others." General Mason, 
with all his candor, unquestionably drew upon his imagination 
in this instance. 

Hudson, the prisoner, was brought into court by the 
deputy sheriff and two of the guard. His appearance had 
greatly changed since I first saw him in the log pen with his 
comrades in crime. He was now pale, haggard and down- 
cast ; and with a faltering voice answered upon his arraign- 
ment, "Not guilty." The petit jury were hardy, honest 
pioneers, vk'earing moccasins and side knives. The evidence 
occupied but a single day and was positive, closing every door 
of hope to the prisoner. The Prosecuting Attorney read the 
statute creating and affixing the punishment to homicide, and 
plainly stating the substance of the evidence. He was fol- 
lowed for the prisoner in able, eloquent and powerful speeche.= , 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 773 

appealing to the prejudice of the jury against the Indians, 
relating in glowing colors the early massacres of white men, 
women and children by the Indians; reading the principal in- 
cidents in the history of Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton ; 
relating their cruelty at the battle of Blue Licks and Bryant's 
Station, and not forgetting the defeat of Braddock, St. Clair 
and Harmar. General James Noble closed the argument for 
the State in one of his forcible speeches, holding up to the 
jury the bloody clothes of the Indians, and appealing to the 
justice, patriotism and love of the laws, not forgetting that 
the safety of the settlers might depend upon the conviction of 
the prisoners, as the chiefs and warriors expected justice to be 
done. 

The speech of the (jeneral had a marked effect upon the 
crowd, as well as the jury. Judge Wick charged the jury at 
some length, laying down the law of homicide in its different 
degrees and distinctly impressing upon the jury that the law 
knew no distinction as to nation or color; that the murder of 
an Indian was equally as criminal in law as the murder of a 
white man. The jury retired, and the next morning brought 
into court a verdict of "guilty of murder in the first degree." 
Motion for a new trial was overruled. The prisoner was 
brought into court and sentence of death pronounced in the 
most solemn manner by Judge Wick. The time for the execu- 
tion was fixed, as is usual, for a distant day. In the mean- 
time Hudson made his escape from the guard one dark night, 
and hid himself in a hollow log in the woods, where he was 
found and arrested. 

Time rolled on, the fatal day for the execution arrived. 
Multitudes of people were there. Among them were seen 
several Senecas, relatives of the murdered Indians. The gal- 
lows was erected just above the Falls, on the north side. The 
people covered the surrounding hills, and at the appointed 
hour Hudson, by the forfeitureof his life, made the last earthly 
atonement for his crimes. 

Such was the result of the first case on record in America 
where a white man was hung for killing an Indian. The other 
cases were continued until the next term of the court, and will 
be the subject of a distinct sketch. 

TRIAL OF SAWYER. 

Monday morning came. Court met. Judge Eggleston, 
in fine health, on the bench in the center ; Adam Winsell on 



774 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

his left, and Samuel Holliday on his right : Moses Cox at the 
Clerk's desk, Samuel Cory on the Sheriff's platform, and 
Colonel John Berry, captain of the guard, leaning against the 
logs. The grand jury was called, sworn and charged, and 
court adjourned for dinner. In the afternoon the evidence of 
the main witness was heard. I had prepared the indictments 
in my office and had them with me. The foreman signed the 
bills on his knee, and they were all returned into court before 
adjournment. That night Colonel John Johnston, the Indian 
Agent, called at my room and offered me $100 on behalf of 
the United States. I informed him that I was a State officer 
and could not accept the money, however tempting it might 
be under the circumstances. 

The court met in the morning. We agreed to try Sawyer 
first for shooting one of the squaws. The prisoner was brought 
into court by the Sheriff. He appeared so haggard and 
changed by his long confinement that I scarcely knew him. 
The court room was crowded. General James Noble, Philip 
S\veetserand myself for the State ; James Rairden, Lot Bloom- 
field and William R. Morris for the prisoner. Judge Eggles- 
ton — " Sheriff, call the petit jury." Judge Winsell — "Sher- 
iff, call 'Squire Makepeace on the jury, he will be a good 
juror ; he will not let one of these murderers get away." Judge 
Eggleston, turning to Judge Winsell — "This will never do. 
What! the Court pack a jury to try a special case?" The 
jury was soon impanelled. The evidence was conclusive that 
the prisoner had shot one of the squaws at the camp with his 
rifle after the killing of Ludlow and Mingo by Harper and 
Hudson. The jury were a hardy, heavy-bearded set of men, 
with side knives in their belts and not a pair of shoes among 
the whole of them ; all wore moccasins. 

Mr. Sweetser opened for the State with a strong matter- 
of-fact speech ; that was his forte. He was followed in able 
speeches by Mr. Morris and Mr. Rairden for the prisoner. 
General Noble followed for the prosecution with a powerful 
speech. The General was one of the strongest and most effect- 
ive speakers before a jury, or a promiscuous assembly, I have 
ever heard. The case went to the jury under an able charge 
from Judge Eggleston, and Court adjourned for dinner. 

At the meeting of the Court in the afternoon the jury re- 
turned a verdict of "guilty of manslaughter," two years' hard 
labor in the penitentiary. Mr. Rairden sprang to his feet. 
" If the Court please, we let judgment go on the verdict and 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 775 

are ready for the case of Sawyer for killing the Indian boy at 
the camp." "Ready for the State." The same jury was ac- 
cepted by both sides — being in the box. They were immedi- 
ately sworn. General Noble opened for the prosecution and 
was followed by Charles H. Test, William R. Morris and 
James Rairden, with powerful speeches. The jury were re- 
ferred to their verdict in the previous case and their judgment 
warmly eulogized. This was, by arrangement, my case to 
close. I saw my position, and that the only point I had to 
meet was to draw the distinction between the two cases, so as 
to justify the jury in finding a verdict for manslaughter in the 
one case and of murder in the case before them. In law there 
was no difference whatever. They were both cold-blooded 
murders. The calico shirt of the murdered boy, stained with 
blood, lay upon the table. I was closing a speech of an hour. 
Stepping forward I took up the bloody shirt, and holding it 
up to the jury: "Yes, gentlemen of the jury, the cases are 
very different. You might find the prisoner guilty of only 
manslaughter in using his rifle on a grown squaw ; that was 
the act of a man, but this was the act of a demon. Look at 
this shirt, gentlemen, with the bloody stains upon it; this was. 
a poor, helpless boy, who was taken by the heels by this fiend 
in human shape, and his brains knocked out against a log! If 
the other case was manslaughter is not this murder?" The 
ej'es of the jury were filled with tears. Judge Eggleston gave 
a clear and able charge upon the law. The jury, after an ab- 
sence of only a few minutes, returned a verdict of " murder in 
the first degree." The prisoner was remanded and Court ad- 
journed. 

TRIAL OF BRIDGE SCENES AT THE EXECUTION. 

The next morning the case of Bridge, Sr., for shooting a 
little Indian girl at the camp, was called. The prisoner en- 
tered with the Sheriff. He was more firm in his step and 
looked better than Sawyer, though a much older man. A 
jury was impanelled. The proof was positive. The case was 
argued by Mr. Morris and Mr. Rairden for the prisoner, and 
Sweetser and myself for the State. The charge was given by 
Judge Eggleston, and after a few minutes' absence, the jury 
returned a verdict of "murder in the first degree." The only 
remaining case — of the stripling. Bridge, Jr., for the murder 
of the other Indian boy — came on ne.xt. The trial was more 
brief, but the result the same — verdict of murder in the first 



776 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

degree, with a recommendation, however, to the Governor 
for a pardon, in consequence of his youth, in which the Court 
and bar joined. The trials closed, pro forma motions for new 
trials were overruled, the prisoners remanded, to be brought 
up for sentence the next morning, and the Court adjourned. 

Morning came and with it a crowded Court House. As 
I walked from the tavern I saw the guards approaching with 
Sawyer, Bridge, Sr., and Bridge, Jr., with downcast eyes and 
tottering steps, in their midst. The prisoners entered the 
court room and were seated. The Sheriff commanded silence. 
The prisoners rose, the tears streaming down their faces, and 
their groans and sighs filling the court room. I fixed my eyes 
upon Judge Eggleston. I had heard him pronounce sentence 
of death on Fuller, for the murder of Warren, and upon 
Fields, for the murder of Murphy. But here was a still more 
solemn scene. An aged father, his favorite son and his wife's 
brother — all standing before him to receive sentence of death. 
The face of the Judge was pale, his lips quivered, his tongue 
faltered, as he addressed the prisoners. The sentence of death 
by hanging was pronounced, but the usual utterance, " And 
may God have mercy on your souls," was left struggling for 
utterance. 

The time for the execution was fixed at a distant day ; 
but it soon rolled round. The gallows was erected on the 
north bank of Fall Creek, just above the Falls, at the foot of 
the rising grounds you may see from the cars. The hour for 
the execution had come. Thousands surrounded the gallows. 
A Seneca chief, with his warriors, was posted near the brow 
of the hill. Sawyer and Bridge, Sr., ascended the scaffold to- 
gether, were executed in quick succession, and died without a 
struggle. The vast audience was in tears. The exclamation 
of the Senecas was interpreted — " We are satisfied." An 
hour expired. The bodies were taken down and laid in their 
coffins, when there was seen ascending the scaff'old, Bridge, 
Jr., the last of the convicts. His step was feeble, requiring 
the aid of the .Sheriff. The rope was adjusted. He threw his 
eyes around upon the audience and then down upon the cof- 
fins, where lay exposed the bodies of his father and uncle. 
From that moment his wild gaze too clearly showed that the 
scene had been too much for his youthful mind. Reason had 
partially left her throne, and he stood wildly looking at the 
crowd, apparently unconscious of his position. The last min- 
ute had come, when James Brown Ray, the Governor of the 



HISTORY OF ^tADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. ( I I 

State, announced to the immense assemblage that the convict 
was pardoned. Never before did an audience more heartily 
respond, while there was a universal regret that the executive 
mercy had been deferred to the last moment. Thus ended the 
only trials where convictions of murder were ever had, fol- 
lowed by the execution of white men, for killing Indians, in 
the United States." 

The Hon. Charles H. Test, in a conversation with one of 
the authors of this book in 1872, while he was attending court 
in Anderson, related a little anecdote concerning himself in 
connection with these trials. He said: "I was a young 
man at that time and had just been married to the one of my 
choice, without any visible means of supporting a wife. I 
had a fair knowledge of the law and trusted to good luck to 
bring me and mine a just reward for our future support. It 
so happened that I was acquainted with General Noble, who 
had charge of the legal side of these cases for the Govern- 
ment, and he was a very good friend of mine. Knowing my 
need of a start in life, he very generously invited me into the 
cases, an offer I readily accepted. I took an active part in 
the trials and won for myself a rather enviable reputation for 
a young man. After the trials were over and the time came 
for my pay for services rendered, I was astonished beyond all 
expression when I was handed a cool $300 in gold and asked 
for a voucher for it. This was more money than I had e\er 
had my hands on at one time ; I was almost dumbfounded. I 
rallied in due time and put it in my old saddle-bags and started 
for Connersville to see my wife and spring the surprise on 
her. When I arrived home it was in the night, and my wife 
had retired. I did not care to disturb her, so I just slipped 
the money into the bureau drawer, the only piece of furniture 
we had of any value. In the morning when my wife awoke 
she did not disturb me. Knowing that I was tired, she let me 
slumber until she had the morning meal about ready. About 
the time she intended to call me she had occasion to go to the 
bureau for something, as we used it also for a cupboard. 
Upon pulling out the drawer she almost fainted. There she 
beheld what she had never seen before, |300, all in gold. 
Her impression must have been that I had committed the 
crime of robbery, for she immediately flew to my bed-side and 
demanded an explanation of how I came by so much yellow 
lucre. I told her of my good fortune, and how I had acquitted 
myself on the trial of the murderers ; that my services were 



778 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

SO much appreciated that this pile of yellow metal was my re- 
ward. The explanation was more than satisfactory to her 
and another link was formed in our already happy married 
life. This was the beginning of my long and successful career 
as an Indiana lawyer with all its joys and sorrows." 

Judge Test grew to prominence at the bar of Indiana. 
He was one of the ablest advocates that Indiana ever pro- 
duced. He was judge of the Circuit Court in his district for 
many years; was also judge of the Superior Court at Indian- 
apolis for one term. He died there a few years ago, leaving 
behind him an honorable record and a lasting memory. 

Bridge, Jr., who was reprieved on the scaffold, was after- 
wards a resident for many years of Carroll county, living at 
Camden, where he reared a respectable family. He died at 
Delphi in June, 1876. One of his sons was for several years 
a member of the Board of Commissioners of Carroll county. 

Fifty years ago Dr. Henry Cook, of Pendleton, exhumed 
the remains of one of the executed men and articulated the 
bones. Whether they were the bones of Bridge or Sawyer 
was not known. 

In 1872 John Bridge, who was pardoned on the scaft'old, 
returned to Pendleton and visited the scene of the execution 
of his father, and also the spot where he was buried. Bridge 
at one time lived in Montgomery county, Ohio. 



CHAPTER LXX. 



Greene Township. 



This township occupies the southwest corner of the coun- 
ty and has an area of twenty-four square miles. It is bounded 
on the north by Stony Creek township, on the east by Fall 
Creek township, on the south by Hancock county and on the 
west by Hamilton county. It was organized in 1820 and was 
among the first townships settled in the county. It is gener- 
ally supposed to have derived its name from the abundant 
verdure of its forests, although there are many who are in- 
clined to the opinion that it was named in honor of Nathaniel 
Greene of Revolutionary fame. There is no record or other re- 
liable information e.xtant concerning the matter. 

In 1821, or about one year after the first colony of pio- 
neers settled along the banks of Fall creek in the township of 
that name, Jacob Hiday and family, consisting of his wife, 
four children and a grandson, emigrated from Ohio and settled 
within the limits of what is now Greene township. Mr. Hiday 
located on the south side of Lick creek where he erected a 
log cabin and began the work of clearing up a farm. This 
cabin was situated on what is known as the Thomas Hiday 
farm and was the first erected in the township. 

Samuel Holliday was perhaps the next settler in the 
township. He came from Kentucky and located in the woods 
about a half-mile north of the present site of Alfont. .Shortly 
after coming to the county he was elected Associate Judge and 
was on the bench at the trial of Hudson, Sawyer and the 
Bridges for the murder of the Indians in Adams township, 
the particulars of which are given elsewhere in these pages. 
Judge Holliday was a gentleman of superior scholastic attain- 
ments and enjoyed the entire confidence and respect of his fel- 
low-citizens. He had two sons, William A. and Joseph, both 
of whom were prominent in their day, the former as a Presby- 
terian minister and the latter as a soldier in the Me.xican war 
and later as a representative in the State legislature from 
Blackford county, Indiana. Judge Holliday subsequently re- 
moved to Hamilton county, where he died in 1835. 



780 HISTORV OF MADISON COUXTV, INDIANA. 

Among the prominent early pioneers of the township were 
Richard Kinnaman, George Keffer, Josiah Shaul, William 
and John Huston, Thomas Scott, Abraham Cottrell, Andrew 
Shanklin, John and Charles Doty, Peter Colerick, John Cot- 
trell and Captain William Nicholson. The last-named gentle- 
man raised a company of volunteers during the Mexican war, 
but the war closed before thej' could report for duty and the 
men were disbanded. Captain Nicholson also commanded a 
company of home guards during the war of the Rebellion and 
was among the first to tender his services to the State on the 
occasion of its invasion by the Rebel General, Morgan. 
Captain Nicholson erected a tannery in 1844, on what is known 
as the G. W. Davis farm, and was the first and only tanner in 
the township. William Alfont, Robert Fausset, Samuel Gib- 
son, James Jones and Washington W. Pettigrew also settled 
in the township at an early day and took an active part in 
clearing away the wilderness. Many of the descendants of 
these first settlers reside in the township and are among its 
first and most respected citizens. 

THE FIRST ORCHARD. 

The first orchard in the township was planted by Richard 
Kinnaman, in 1826, two years after John Rogers, John T. 
Gunn and others had set out orchards in Fall Creek township. 
The trees were purchased by Mr. Kinnaman, of William 
Williams, of Fall Creek township. This orchard was planted 
on the farm afterwards known as the Saul Shoul farm. Soon 
after, George KeflFer, Samuel Ilolliday, James Scott and Abram 
Cottrell set out orchards on their respective farms. 

Richard Kinnaman also erected and operated the first dis- 
tillery in the township. It was located in Section 21, near 
the mouth of Foster's Branch. Mr. Kinnaman did a lucrative 
business for several years when he disposed of the property 
and engaged in farming. This was the only distillery ever 
erected in the township, and was abandoned not long after 
Mr. Kinnaman retired from its management. 

CHURCH SOCIETIES. 

Immigration to the township was slow, but four years . 
after the first house was built within it borders, the religiously 
inclined deemed it advisable and proper to organize a church 
society. The Methodists being in a majoritj- took charge of 
the matter, and, accordingly, a society was organized in the fall 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 781 

of 1825. Meetings were held from time to time at the houses of 
the membership until 1848, when a place of worship was 
erected on the farm of Henry Manifold, which was given the 
name of "Mount Carmel Church." Among the first and 
most active members of the society were James D. Hardy, 
William McCarty, John Marsh and wife, and Samuel Gibson 
and wife. 

In 11S41 another society was organized at the residence of 
Samuel Dobson by Rev. Donaldson. This society was com- 
posed of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Dobson, Mr. and Mrs. An- 
drew Shanklin, Mr. and Mrs. Moses E. Kern, Mr. and Mrs. 
Thomas Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Silver, Mr. and Mrs. 
Henry Goul, Mr. and Mrs. John Shaul, and Mr. and Mrs. 
Elijah Bolinger. The society continued to hold meetings at 
the house of Mr. Dobson up to 1852, when he and his family 
emigrated to Iowa, after \vhich the meetings were held at the 
house of Andrew Shanklin until 18(35. when a place of worship 
was built on the George A. Williamson farm. This church is 
known as the Pleasant Valley Methodist Episcopal church. 

The German Baptists, or Dunkards, also have a church 
organization in the township and in 1872 erected a house of 
worship on the farm of David Richards generally known as 
the Beach Grove Church, although it is equally as well known 
as the Frey Church from the fact that Enoch Frey officiated 
for many years after the church was erected as assistant 
preacher. The church had a membership of seventy-five per- 
sons in 1880, but on account of deaths and removals the con- 
gregation at this time is not so large. 

BURIAL GROUNDS. 

In 1857 William A. Williamson donated the land on 
which is situated Pleasant Valley Cemeter}'. The first inter- 
ment in this burial ground was a young daughter of Mr. and 
Mrs. J. W. Ford, who died on the 80th of March, 1858. 

Beach Grove Cemetery is situated on the two acres of 
ground purchased by the German Baptists of David Richards 
for a church site and burial ground. The first interment here 
was that of Washington Pettigrew in 1872. In 1862 James 
Jones donated for burial parposes the small tract of land 
known as Mount Carmel Cemetery. The first burial in this 
cemetery was that of George Clayton, a private soldier in the 
Second Indiana Cavalry, who died while at home on fur- 
lough. He was buried in July, 18(52, with military honors. 



782 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

The first school house in Greene township was erected by 
subscription in 1829 on the farm or tract of land belonging to 
James Jones. The house was constructed of round logs or 
poles and was supplied with slab benches for seats. John 
Wilson was the first pedagogue to teach in this building — a 
three-months term in the winter of 182U. This school house 
was used until 1837 when the second building was erected on 
section twenty-five. This building was somewhat more pre- 
tentious than the first school house, being constructed of 
hewed logs. John Lewark taught the first school in this 
building in the winter of 1837, and was the second school 
teacher in the township. A neat frame building now occupies 
the site where the log structure stood. 

At this time there are seven schoolhouses in the township, 
but one more than was required a quarter of a century ago. 
In 1874 six teachers were necessary to conduct the schools and 
at this time eight are required. In 1874 there were 328 chil- 
dren of legal school age in the township. This year ( 1896) the 
report of the County School Superintendent to the Superin- 
tendent of Public Instruction of the State shows that the total 
number of children of school age is 454, of which number 256 
are males and 198 females, and all white. 

POPULATION. 

The population of the township in 1850 was 754 ; in 1860 it 
was 709 ; in 1870 it was 954 ; in 1880 it was 976 and in 1890 it 
was 1008. It will be observed from these figures that the 
growth of population in the to^vnship has not been so rapid 
as in other townsiiips in tiie county. 

OTHER STATISTICS. 

The total amount of taxables in the township, including 
the corporation of Ingalls, for 1896, is li!619,730. The total 
acreage is 15,360, of which 14,915 acres are taxable. The 
total value of lands, according to the assessment of 1896, is 
$381,319; value of improvements, $62,670; value of personal 
property, $104,386. 

ALFONT. 

Previous to 1851, the town of Alfont was a mere hamlet, 
there being but three or four log houses in the vicinity of its 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 783 

present location. It derives its name from William Alfont, 
one of the early settlers of Greene township and for several 
years after the completion of the Bellefountaine Railroad con- 
siderable business in the way of buying and shipping grain, 
produce and other commodities was transacted here. Shortly 
after the completion of the railroad, however, the town of 
Fortville, two miles west of Alfont, sprang into prominence as 
a trading point and the latter place entered upon a decline 
from which it has never recovered. Lick creek runs near the 
town on the east and north and at an early day (1835) a saw 
mill was erected here by William Alfont, the water of the 
stream being utilized in running the mill. It was burned in 
1847, but was soon after replaced by a steam mill which was 
successfully operated for many years. 

Among the early inhabitants of the town were Nathaniel 
Blackburn, William Snodgrass, William Molden, C. P. Miller. 
Mr. Molden was the first merchant, railroad agent and post- 
master. William Cottrell and John Ross were the first black- 
smiths and a Mr. Lyman, the first shoemaker. 

INGALLS. ■ 

On the 5th of June, ISdH, the land upon which Ingalls is 
situated was platted by the Ingalls Land Company, of which 
J. H. Clark was President. The town is situated a half mile 
east of Alfont on the Big Four road, and was named in honor 
of the President of that road, M. E. Ingalls. Immediately 
after the town site had been platted Potter Bros, erected a 
large factory known as the Zinc Works. This factory em- 
ploys a large number of hands. In 1895 Mr. Henry Wagner 
and others built a glass factory for the manufacture of bottles 
and glass jars, which also gives employment to a number of 
operatives. The Big Four Railway Company built a hand- 
some depot soon after the town was laid out and several busi- 
ness houses were erected, giving the place a prosperous ap- 
pearance. At the March term of the Commissioners' Court, 
1896, a petition was presented to the Board asking that the town 
be incorporated. The petition was granted, and on the 7th 
of April, 1896, an election was held for the purpose of deter- 
mining whether or not the place should become a corporation. 
Henry Swain, John Manifold and Silas Baker acted as in- 
spectors at this election. The total number of votes cast was 
sixty-five, of which sixty-one were in favor of incorporation 
and four against the proposition. On the 1st of May tovi'n 



784 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

officers were elected as follows: Marshal, Chance Stewart; 
Clerk, J. H. Lail ; Treasurer, J. M. Manifold. Town Coun- 
cil — J. C. Manifold, George Laws and William Potter. 
School Board — J. S. Cummins, William Russell and John 
Hubbart. 

PROMINENT CITIZENS. 

Among the prominent citizens of the township who have 
been honored by their fellow-citizens in the county with of- 
ficial positions are Samuel Holliday, Associate Judge from 1823 
to 1831 ; Andrew Shanklin, Representative from 1851 to 
1858; Samuel Shaul, County Commissioner from 1832 to 1834; 
Isaac W. Jones, County Commissioner, from 18f57 to 1869. 

KILLING OF MICHAEL LAVIN. 

Near the village of Alfont an accident occurred on the 
Bee Line Railroad in July, 1872, among the laborers on the 
section between that place and Fortville. They were return- 
ing from their day's work on three hand-cars, and when near 
the station the rear car ran against the one in front of it, pro- 
ducing a concussion sufficient to throw three of the men off 
the car. They fell upon the track and were run over by the 
rear car. A j'oung man of the name of Clayter had his foot 
badly crushed. The section boss was bruised in a bad man- 
ner, but nothing serious resulted. The third of the party, 
Mr. Lavin, suffered a compound fracture of the left thigh, 
with a laceration of the muscular parts, and also a small frac- 
ture of the right limb. The injured man was taken to Fort- 
ville and an engine immediately sent to Perfdleton for med- 
ical aid. Dr. Ward Cook hastened to the scene, and after an 
examination of Lavin it was decided that, in order to save his 
life, amputation of his left leg was necessary. After consid- 
erable time for meditation, Lavin agreed to undergo the oper- 
ation, with the understanding that his brother should be 
present. 

On the following Saturday his brother came, but refused 
to allow the operation to be performed. The Doctor then 
dressed the limb and he was taken to his home at Winchester, 
where he lingered for a few days and died from the effects of 
the wounds. There is but little doubt had Lavin undergone 
the operation of having his leg amputated that he would 
have ultimatelv recovered. 



HISTOKY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. (85 

A DISTRESSING SUICIDE. 

James Carson Davis, a young man about twenty years of 
age, a brother of Columbus Davis, witliwhom he Hved^ 
about seven and a half miles west of Pendleton, committed 
suicide on the 13th of Februar\^ 1873, the facts of which 
are about as follows : On the day previous to the occurrence 
Columbus Davis and his wife went away in the evening to 
stay all night with relatives, leaving in his house three chil- 
dren and Phillip Stanford, a school teacher, who was board- 
ing there, and a Miss Main, a servant girl, who had care of 
the house in their absence. Young Davis also stayed with 
them. During the evening it was noticed that young Davis 
was in an irritable state of mind, but nothing was thought 
of it at the time. About 9 o'clock they retired for the night. 
Miss Main taking the children into an adjoining room, and 
Stanford going upstairs to his sleeping apartments, while 
Davis remained down stairs to fasten the doors. In a short 
time Davis went up stairs, got his revolver, and said to 
Stanford that he was going to shoot a dog. He returned 
to the sitting-room, and one of the children looking in saw 
him seated in the rocking chair, with his feet upon a stool 
and the pistol lying on his lap. The child told Miss Main 
what she had seen, who immediately started into the room 
and asked him to put away the weapon, as she was afraid of 
it. Before she scarcely had time to reach the door the report 
was heard, and she ran back. 

Stanford came down stairs and found young Davis lying 
upon the floor in the agonies of death. The neighbors were 
called in and Columbus Davis was sent for. The Coroner of 
the county was notified and held an inquest, as provided by 
law. There was no cause known to any of the family 
w'hy he should have committed the rash act, other than some 
little financial troubles he had while in Kansas a short time 
previously. He stated on several occasions that he had bor- 
rowed $80 from his father, but had never been able to return 
it. His father had written him several letters about it, asking 
him to pay the money back. It seems that in brooding over 
the affair his mind became temporarily unbalanced, and in a 
fit of insanity he resorted to the desperate means of self-de- 
struction to extricate him from his troubles. 

50 



786 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

BARN BURNED. 

At 2 o'clock on the morning of March 12, 1895, Willard 
Smethers, a farmer residing five miles west of Pendleton on 
the Pendleton and Noblesville pike, was awakened by the 
noise of crackling flames. Looking out of his window he 
beheld his barn on fire. In the barn four horses were stabled 
and they all perished. The poor brutes had been suffocated 
even before Mr. Smethers knew of the fire, or before he could 
dress and get out to the building. A large quantity of hay 
and corn, a new buggy and all agricultural implements of 
value stored in the building were consumed. They were a 
complete loss; not a vestige of anything was left. The loss 
was in the neighborhood of $2,500, and no insurance. It fell 
particularly heavy on Mr. Smethers, who was a young farmer 
and just getting a start in business. There is little or no doubt 
but the fire was of incendiary origin. There was no possible 
chance of the blaze being kindled in any other manner than 
by an incendiary. No clue was ever obtained as to the iden- 
tity of the perpetrator of this villainy. 

AN UNKNOWN KILLED. 

On the 6th day of July, 1896, an unknown man was run 
over and killed at Ingalls on the Big Four railroad. He was 
a man about twenty-five years old, and apparently of German 
birth. No clue was obtainable as to his identity, and after 
Coronor Sells 'held an inquest he was buried at the expense of 
the public, as an unknown. 



CHAPTER LXXI. 



Reminiscences. 



THE GREENE TOWNSHIP RANGERS. 

In these piping days of peace when the world is under- 
going a most beautiful and pleasing tranquility, the allusion 
to any warlike instrument of ancient or modern times sets our 
people shaking, their knees to quaking and their teeth chat- 
tering. The tire of the late rebellion has burned out, yet in 
the ashes rest embers, when uncovered and brought into con- 
tact with the buoyant air bring back to life the memory of the 
unhappy days of '61. 

To speak of them seems to bring back the flash of youth 
and valor to the old veteran's eye. There is now mouldering 
in the archives of Madison county an old, musty paper, that 
to read it brings back those scenes of strife and bloodshed. It 
tells the story of the ones who were willing to uniform, arm 
and equip themselves and guard the interests of those left at 
home, while the boys in blue were tearing down the ramparts 
of rebellion in the front. It tells how the brave men gathered 
themselves together and swore to defend themselves and tiieir 
homes against their warlike enemies who threatened the coun- 
try at that time with war and bloodshed. 

The document referred to is the muster roll of the " Greene 
Township Rangers." A glance over the list will be sufficient 
evidence to the reader of the warlike and ferocious disposition 
of many of its members. Whilst many of those whose names 
are attached to the paper afterwards attached themselves to 
military organizations and became real live soldiers, and dis- 
played their valor on many of the battle fields of the South, 
there are many who never became other than the " Greene 
Township Rangers." 

The organization of this company was at the first of the 
war and many went into it as much through a desire to belong 
to a military company for the name of the thing as any other. 
But afterwards war became a serious matter. The country 
needed soldiers for service rather than dress parade. Many 



788 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of them went to the front, leaving the "Greene Township 
Rangers" behind. Some of them returned and are yet living 
in Madison county ; some sleep in graves unmarked in un- 
known spots, and while their bodies are mouldering to mother 
earth their souls are marching on. Their memory is perpetu- 
ated by the muster rolls of the Nation's military archives. 
While the roster at the national capitol will serve to keep 
green the memory of those brave boys as soldiers for the de- 
fense of the Union, this old, musty paper in the court house 
of Madison county will still be a silent witness to their deeds 
as " Greene Township Rangers." Here it is verbatim : 

" We, whose names are hereto subscribed, being citizens 
and residents of the State of Indiana, hereby agree to form 
ourselves into a volunteer militia company in the Indiana 
Legion, under the provisions of an 'Act for the Organization 
and Regulation of the Indiana Militia,' &c. Approved May 
11th, 1861, to be called Greene Township Rangers. 

"And we heieby severally agree to uniform ourselves in 
accordance with the requirements of said law, and organize 
the said company at Bock's mills in ]Madison county without 
delay : 

" William Nicholson, Samuel Brattain, William F. Nichol- 
son, Joseph Bock, John Brattain, Andrew Smethers, O. B. 
Shaul, Francis Warin Stage, Christian Goul, Frederick 
Schwickhardt, Richard Lackey, Abraham Schwickhardt, 
Walter Kinnaman, Anderson Bolinger, R. L. Snyder, Elijah 
Bolinger, Jacob E. Hessong, H. C. Bolinger, George A. Main, 
N. S. Anderson, Aaron Summers, John W. Ford, Wesley 
Duld, John H. Hedrick, William H. Main, John C. Hedrick, 
John H. Valentine, Charles M. Norris, Alford Valentine, 
Peter Urick, James Valentine, Daniel Valentine, Claudius 
Bock, James L. Burdette, Godfrey Haas, Henry Mikel, George 
Whitecotton, Henry Hiday, C. Nicholson, Mabury Welchel, 
Jackson Brattain, Ely Thomas, William Pavy, Ely Smethers, 
Abram Nicholson, William Cannon, Lemuel Givens, George 
N. Shawl. 

" We, the nndersigned, undertake and bind ourselves as 
security for the ' Greene Township Rangers," a volunteer mi- 
litia company in the Indiana Legion, organized under the 
provision of the ' Act for the Organization and Regulation of 
the Indiana Militia,' &c. Approved May 11, 18G1, that each 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 789 

of the said members of the said company will uniform them-, 
selves in accordance with the provisions of said law. 

" Wesley White, 
" Samuel Nicholson, 
" Richard H. Kinnaman. 
"August, 1862. 

" This taken and approved by me this September 4th, 
1862. "Jos. Siglek, A. M. C." 

DEATH ON " KLU KLUX." 

Some time after the civil war ended there moved into 
Madison county from the mountains of Virginia a family by 
the name of Summers. They settled in Greene township, in the 
George Shaul neighborhood, where some of them yet reside. 
Prominent amopg the family was one calling himself Doctor 
Summers. Whether he was ever a doctor and read medicine 
or not, he rode astride of a pair of pill-bags and made the 
people believe he was a doctor from "away back." He was 
a "holy terror" to the family as well as to some of the rest 
of the human family who lived down in that neck of the 
woods. 

He had a temper like a hand-saw and when enraged was 
a regular hyena. No one dared to cross his path — mother, 
sister or brother. He was liable to "do them up" if they 
came in his way. He always carried a "gun," well loaded, 
and was fond of blowing and bluffing about what he would do. 
While he never started a graveyard down there, there were 
several people, among whom were some of his relatives, who 
would have been glad if his "gun" had gone off and killed 
him. He was on several occasions brought into court for 
assault and battery and other depredations done among his 
own folks. They were nearly always at law with him. 

One time he was indicted for some offense against the 
peace and dignity of the State of Indiana. The warrant was 
placed in the hands of A. C. Davis, who was the deputy 
sheriff of Madi.son county, to bring the offender into court. 
By some means the old doctor had an inkling that the officers 
were on his trail. He fortified himself ready for their arrival, 
and prepared to give them a warm reception. Davis and an 
assistant arrived at the scene of the conflict about 10 o'clock 
A. M., where they found the Doctor in the saddle, a large pair 
of saddlebags under him. a carbine strapped on either side of 
his saddle ; his horse prancing up and down the road champing 



790 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the bits, the doctor foaming and "cavorting." Davis, on 
meeting the Doctor, accosted him and told him that he had a 
warrant for his arrest. 

"Arrest me ! No d — d 'KUi Klux' can arrest me. I never 
was arrested nor do I intend to be." 

"You had better get down off that horse and behave 
yourself, or you may have serious trouble, my old friend," 
remarked Davis, keeping very cool. He replied: "I am 
from the mountains of Virginia, and I don't intend for you or 
any other d — d 'Klu Klux' to arrest me. I am a bad man and 
dangerous to fool with," riding ofl'up the road away from the 
deputy sheriff, raising his hat and flourishing his revolvers 
over his head. He thought he had bluffed Davis out, as he 
had often done his neighbors. Davis took after him and gave 
him a chase. Finally coming up with him, Davis leveled a 
" Smith & Wesson" on him and demanded his surrender. As 
soon as he saw that Davis meant business, he wilted and acted 
the baby, begging not to be taken to town, offering to do any- 
thing required of him if left out of jail. No one around would 
go his bail, so Davis started to Anderson with him when he 
met O. B. Shaul, who took pity on the old doctor and bailed 
him out. When time for trial came around the Doctor v^'as on 
hand and took a tantrum in court and tried to bulldoze every- 
body around, but Judge Craven soon silenced him by ordering 
him to desist or go to jail. 

He met his match when Deputy Sheriff Davis tackled him. 
His Klu Klux combination would not work on Davis, and he 
was glad to get off on any terms. He left here and went back 
to Virginia several years ago. 



CHAPTER LXXII. 



Jackson Township. 



This township was named in honor of the sixth President 
of the United States. It contains an area of twenty-eight 
square miles, and is shaped like the letter \_. It is bounded 
on the north by Pipe Creek township (a small portion by La- 
fayette township), on the east by Lafayette and Anderson 
townships, on the south by Stony Creek township, and on the 
west by Hamilton county. White river runs through the 
township from east to west, and Pipe creek through the north- 
west corner. Stony creek has its source in the south-east cor- 
ner of the township. As stated in a previous chapter, this 
township was one of the first settled portions of the county, 
the first settlers being two families of the name of Kinser and 
Dewey, who located here in 1821. The Deweys settled just 
opposite the present site of Perkinsville and the Kinsers on a 
tract of land that was subsequently entered by Daniel Wise. 
Just how long these two families remained in the township is 
not known, but probably not very long, as neither Kinser nor 
Dewey ever entered or bought land in the county. Benoni 
Freel was, perhaps, the first actual settler in the township, and 
there is still a tradition extant among the older residents of that 
part of the county that he built the first house and cleared the 
first land in the township. The house and the land upon 
which it was located were situated south of White river and 
near where Perkinsville now stands. The next settler in the 
township was Daniel Wise, who came from Ross county, 
Ohio, in the spring of 1822, and in the October following en- 
tered 400 acres of land south of the river, between Perkins- 
ville and Hamilton. This land is still owned by his descend- 
ants. Tiie pioneers who settled in the township between 1822 
and 1825 were William, David and John Montgomery, George 
Cunningham and Robert Blair, all from Ohio ; George, James 
and Alexander ISIcClintock, Joseph Lee, James White, Lem- 
uel Auter, John Connor, Sr., John Connor, Jr., and Thomas 
Forkner. In the fall of 1825, as stated in the general history 



792 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of the county, William Parkins, together with his wife and 
seven children, came to the township seeking a home, and 
■went into camp on the spot where Perkinsville is now situated, 
•where he remained until he leased a tract of land of Daniel 
Wise, erected a log cabin thereon and moved his family into 
it. It was about this time that the IndiJinapolis & Fort Wayne 
Toad was surveyed through the township, and in the fall and 
winter following, cut out by the settlers. This was the first 
mail route through the county. 

In 1826 John Ashby came from Ross county and settled 
near the present site of Hamilton where he remained until his 
death which occurred two years later. A number of his de- 
scendants still reside in the vicinity of Hamilton. Among 
others who settled at an early day in the vicinity of Hamilton 
were Joel White, Joseph Lee, Joseph Miller, Joel Epperly, 
Robert Gather and the Ashbys, Robinnettes, Benefiels and 
Harlesses. 

For several years after the township began to be settled 
the pioneers were compelled to take their corn to Pendleton 
to have it ground, the " corn-cracker " at that place being the 
nearest mill to the Jackson township settlement. It is four- 
teen miles from Perkinsville to Pendleton, and William Par- 
kins, becoming tired of the inconvenience, not to say hardship, 
of going that distance to have his corn ground, concluded to 
construct a mill of his own, which he accordingly did and 
from that time on the settlers were not compelled to go so far 
for their corn meal. This mill was operated by hand, the 
stones or buhrs being made of native limestone and the 
rest of the machinery out of round poles. This mill could 
grind about one bushel of meal an hour and was patronized by 
the early settlers for miles around. In the course of a few 
years that part of the country increased in population and it 
became necessary to have increased milling facilities. Mr. 
Parkins with the assistance of the settlers constructed a dam 
across White river, opposite where Perkinsville now stands. 
The dam was made of logs, tree tops and brush and immedi- 
atel)' after it was completed Mr. Parkins built a water mill on 
the north bank of the river. This mill was a rude structure 
in which he placed one run of stones fashioned by himself and 
son, James, out of native " nigger heads." Another run of 
stones for grinding wheat was subsequentlj' added, also a bolt- 
ing machine that was run by hand. A saw mill was built in 
1854 and operated in connection with the grist mill. This 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 793 

property subsequently passed into the hands of Andrew Jack- 
son, of Anderson, who in 1846 erected a large frame building 
on its site and placed in it the best milling machinery obtain- 
able at that early day. The Indianapolis & Bellefontaine 
(Big Four) came into possession of the property in the early 
'50s for stock subscribed by Mr. Jackson for the construction of 
that road. It was afterwards purchased of the railway com- 
pany by James M. and David B. Jackson, sons of Andrew 
Jackson, who operated it for a number of years, when tliey 
sold out to Jacob Zeller, who improved the property and built 
up a large trade. During the time he owned the property it 
was considered one of the best flouring mills in the state. He 
disposed of it to Alfred Clark and on the night of the 19th of 
August, 1884, it was consumed by fire together with a large 
amount of grain. This property has never been rebuilt. 

CHURCHES. 

A Methodist society was organized in the township about 
the j'ear 1824. Benoni Freel took an active part in the or- 
ganization, and was the first class-leader in the township. 
The first regular services were held in a log schoolhouse, 
erected on the Daniel Wise farm by Mr. Dewey. This build- 
ing is still standing about midway between Hamilton and 
Perkinsville, and is probably the oldest building in the town- 
ship, having been erected in 1825. The first minister to preach 
here was' a Rev. Mr. Reeder. Revs. Nathan Fairchild, C. 
Bonner and Thomas Ellsberry were among the first ministers 
to preach in the township. 

With the comingof immigrants to the township the society 
increased in numbers, and late in the '40s a brick church was 
erected in Perkinsville. This building stood until 1888, when 
it was torn down to give place to a more commodious and at 
the same time more pretentious place of worship. 

UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH. 

It was some time during the '40s that a small number of 
this denomination met at the house of Samuel Gentry, just 
•east of Perkinsville, and organized a society. William Par- 
kins took upon himself the leadership of the little flock, and, 
being a local preacher, conducted the services of the society. 
He was frequently invited to other neighborhoods to preacli, 
and on one occasion walked eighteen miles to preach a funeral 
discourse. Mr. Parkins and wife, Samuel Gentry and wife 



794 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and Jacob Foland and wife formed the nucleus of the society, 
and held religious services at schoolhouses and private dwell- 
ings up to 1852, when the membership, which had gradually 
increased in numbers, built a frame church at Perkinsville at 
a cost of about .t 1,000. This church is still standing. 

METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH. 

In April, 1866, a society of this denomination was organ- 
ized by Rev. Elias Wilson at Hamilton. The meetings were 
held at the homes of the members and in school houses until 
1879, when the society erected a place of worship in Hamil- 
ton. The building cost about one thousand dollars and was 
dedicated October 19, 1879, free of debt by Rev. J. H. Luse, 
President of the Indiana Conference. Silas Busby, one of the 
most prominent members of the churcii, organized a Sunday 
school in May, 1879. that at one time had a large membership. 

PERKINSVILLE. 

This town is one of the oldest in the county. It was laid 
out August 1, 1837, by T. L. Beckwith, James Beckwith and 
Bicknell Cole, on the west half of the north-west quarter of 
Section 33. This land was entered on the 30th of June, 1823, 
by John Montgomery. 

The founders of Perkinsville wished to name the town in 
honor of William Parkins, but having confounded that name 
with " Perkins,'' the plat was placed on record as " Perkins- 
ville. " It is worthy of note that but fe\v of the remaining 
old-timers of the county or township are aware of this discrep- 
ancy in these names, notwithstanding Mr. Parkins' prominence 
at one time in the township. The town is eligibly situated on 
the north bank of the river and at one time was one of the 
best business points in the countv. The absence of railroad 
communication, or connection, has retarded its growth and it 
has never had a population in e.xcess of four hundred and fifty- 
people. The Indiana Central Canal was projected through 
the township and Perkinsville was at the heighth of its pros- 
perity, perhaps, just before the collapse of that enterprise. 
Two years before the town was platted, Thomas L. Beckwith 
opened a general store and entered upon a career of business 
that made him prominent, not only in the township but in the 
county. He not only did a large mercantile business but dealt 
extensively in stock and during his career of more than forty 
years as a merchant and trader, handled as much, if not more. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 795 

money than any man in the county. He was appointed post- 
master in 1838 and held the office for thirty-nine years, or un- 
til 1877, when he was succeeded by Moses Jenner, and he by 
E. C. Stephenson. The present postmaster is Joseph Lennis. 
Other early merchants were Hedrick & Bristol and Becknell 
Cole. During the '70s, A. J- Applegate, Luther Lee and 
E. C. Stephenson were the principal merchants. At the 
present time there are two general stores, one of which is 
owned by Reuben Neese, the other by Joseph Lennis. There 
are also two drug stores, two barbershops, and two black- 
smithshops. There are two hotels, one of which is owned 
and managed by Thomas A. Dean, the present Trustee of the 
township. 

Among the more prominent physicians who have prac- 
ticed their profession here are Drs. Douglass, Clark, T. L. 
Carr, Thomas Cook, C. N. Branch, Sr., J. M. Garretson, C. 
E. Diven, J. S. Hougham, William Garretson and Noah 
Adair, the last three named being the only practitioners in the 
town at the present time. 

THE SCHOOLS. 

Perkinsville has a graded school, the building in which it 
is conducted being a two-story brick and admirably adapted 
to the purpose for which it is used. Three teachers are re- 
quired to conduct this school. 

Jackson township has eight school buildings and employs 
eleven teachers. The school enumeration for 189(5 shows that 
there are 385 persons of legal school age in the township. 

The first school in the township was taught by a Mr. 
Williams about the year 1835, in a log cabin situated on the 
Daniel Wise farm. There were not to exceed ten pupils, 
among whom there were three or four of the McClintock 
children, an equal number of the Wise family and Joseph 
Lee. 

HAMILTON. 

This town was founded by Henry Devlin, father of the 
late Hon. Lafe Devlin, of Cambridge City, in 1836. He was 
the agent of Messrs. William Conner and John D. Stephen- 
son, of Noblesville. These gentlemen were very active in lo- 
cating towns and establishing store# along the line of the In- 
diana Central Canal at the time it was being constructed. 

The town is situated six miles west of Anderson and four 



TQ© HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

miles east of Perkinsville, near the south bank of White river. 
Considerable business was done here during the '40s, there be- 
ing several business houses and a post-office ib. the lown. 
These have long since disappeared:and the probability is that 
Hamilton has seen its best days. 

POPULATION, TAXABLES, ETC. 

The population of the township in 1850 was 950; in 1860 
it was 1007; in 1870 it was 1200; in 1880 it was 1423, and in 
1890 it was 1299, showing a decrease of 124 in a decade. 

The value of lands as returned for taxation is $524,260 ; 
improvements, $46,885; personal property, $101,413; total 
amount of taxables, $687,273. 

MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. 

The first blacksmith in the township was William Park- 
ins, who established a shop soon after locating in the town- 
ship. He made hackles and did a general blacksniithing bus- 
iness. 

Among the early "tavern keepers" in the township was 
John Ashbey. He kept the first tavern at Hamilton in 1842. 

Robert Blair erected the first brick house in the town- 
ship, on what is known as the Zeller farm, opposite Perkins- 
ville, in 1827. The house is still standing. 

An I. O. O. F. Lodge was instituted at Perkinsville in 
1859, but surrendered its charter ten years ago. The first offi- 
cers were: Culpepper Lee, N. G. ; T. L. Beckwith, V. G. ; 
W. W. Boyden, Secretary, and Jacob Zeller, Treasurer. The 
Red Men also had a Lodge at Perkinsville during the '80s, 
which has since passed out of existence. 

The first marriage solemnized in the township was that 
of Isaac Shelton and Delilah Crist, in December, 1825. 

The first birth was Sarah, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lem- 
uel Auter, and the first death that of William Montgomery. 

Mr. Daniel Goldsberry is the oldest living native of the 
township. He is seventy-one years of age. His home is on 
the south side of White river, opposite Perkinsville. 

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE. 

A Story is still told by the old-timers of the mysterious 
disappearance of a stranger at an early day in the township, 
and it is intimated that certain persons now dead were guilty 
of his murder. The man was traveling on horseback, as was m 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 797 

the Gustom in that day, and announced that he was visiting 
this part of the country for the purpose of buying land. The 
next day after his appearance in the township his horse was 
found grazing along the road between Hamilton and Perkins- 
ville. The bridle and saddle were on the horse but a pair of 
saddle-bags, wliich had been seen in the man's possession by 
a number of persons, was missing. All the circumstances of 
the stranger's disappearance pointed to foul play, and it was 
generally believed that he had been murdered for his money. 
In 1847 Mrs. Samuel Shultz found a pair of saddle-bags in a 
hollow log near where the stranger's horse was found grazing 
along the roadside, and a few years ago some laborers, while 
opening a gravel pit near the same spot, exhumed the remains 
of a man. These circumstances created no little talk and re- 
vived anew the story of the stranger's disappearance. The 
old-timers, and others familiar with the facts and circum- 
stances, have no hesitancy in saying that the stranger was 
murdered. 

A FATED HOUSE. 

Back in the early fifties a man of the name of Daniel 
Wise lived on a farm in Jackson township. He had built 
what was then considered one of the finest farm residences in 
Madison county,' being a large two-story brick structure, situ- 
ated near White river, fronting on the Anderson and Perkins- 
ville stage road. He and his family had just got comfortably 
fixed when, on the 2d of June, 1853, a terrible cyclone swept 
through that part of the country, tearing his house to pieces, 
sweeping away his barn and other out-buildings and seriously 
wounding Lavina Regan, a married daughter stopping at 
the house. 

It was one of the most disastrous storms in the history of 
the county up to that period. It leveled the timber for quite 
a wide strip through the adjoining neighborhood, tore down 
fences, and upturned houses and barns in its path of de- 
struction. 

About two miles north of the scene of this disaster an- 
other house was blown down, in which James Cusack, Clark- 
son Snyder and a small boy were badly hurt. 

Mr. Wise immediately rebuilt his house and moved into 
it, where he dwelt until his death, which took place a few 
years thereafter. 

It seems that fate has been against this place, as, on the 
" 14th of June, 1880, another storm passed over almost directly 



798 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the same route, and again leveled this structure to the ground. 
Although the storm was a dreadful one, no lives were lost. 
Mrs. Wise and her family miraculously escaped being killed 
or receiving any personal injuries. The house at this time is 
occupied by Susan Wise, a widow, and her family. 

Being a woman of fine business attainments and a good 
manager, she had saved the means left her at the decease of 
her husband and was able to rebuild immediately after the dis- 
aster. As rebuilt, it may be seen by the passer-by, who can 
yet distinguish the cracks in the brick walls that were made 
at the time of the first storm. Part of the walls were left 
standing and were of sufficient strength to permit of an addi- 
tion thereto. 

This is known in the neighborhood as the " fated house." 
Just why fate should be against this particular locality is hard 
to tell. It is situated in one of the most beautiful spots in Mad- 
ison county, on the south bank of White river, overlooking a 
beautiful valley of fertile fields and meadows on either side. 

This storm is alluded to elsewhere in this volume. 

STABBING AFFRAY AT PERKINSVILLE. 

On the 15th of September, 1873, a serious stabbing affray 
occurred in the village of Perkinsville, in Jackson township, 
the facts of which are about as follows : Thomas J. Thurman 
had a lawsuit in which Columbus Wall was a witness against 
him. After the termination of the suit, Thurman sought a 
quarrel with Wall about his testimony in the case, which 
-ended in blows. Wall struck at Thurman, but the blow was 
warded off. Thurman then caught Wall, whom he tried to 
stab with a large pocket knife. Fortunately, the point of the 
blade struck a rib, along which it passed, making a gash about 
six inches in length. 

A bystander by the name of Isham Benefiel, at this junc- 
ture, in order to save the life of Wall, caught Thurman and 
held him until other parties wrested the knife from his hands. 
Wall, being freed from his antagonist, picked up a stone, 
which he threw at Thurman, missing him, and striking Bene- 
fiel in the face, cutting an ugly gash in his cheek and over his 
eye. 

Both of the combatants were arrested by the Constable 
of the township and taken before 'Squire James M. Garret- 
son, where Wall plead guilty as to his part in the transaction. 
Thurman's crime being of a more serious nature — that of as- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 799 

sault and battery with intent to kill — was bound over to the 
Circuit Court, in the sum of two hundred dollars, which he 
gave and was released from custody, to answer the charge in 
the Circuit Court. 

DEATH OF A BAND TEACHER. 

In the year 1874 a tidal wave swept over the country 
whereby the temperance people of the United States, in one 
solid phalanx, made warfare against the liquor traffic. Indi- 
ana was no exception to the rule, and in Madison county the 
excitement was carried to almost a fighting point. Women 
camped on the streets of Anderson, and prayed and sang in 
front of the saloons for months at a time. They sat in little 
booths in front of the places where liquor was retailed and 
registered the names of each individual who went within and 
partook of drinks there offered for sale. The movement be- 
came so widespread that it entered largelj- into the politics of 
the city, and was the cause of the defeat of the nominees of 
the Democratic party in the city election of that year, the 
Democracy having taken open issue against the crusade. 
Other towns and villages in the county had a similar experi- 
ence, but not on so large a scale. In the town of Perkins- 
ville considerable excitement prevailed and had about quieted 
down when a man of the name of John J. Sims dropped into 
that usually quiet precinct with the intention of opening up a 
saloon for the retailing of ardent spirits. This was the first 
licensed saloon ever opened in that place. Prior to this event 
liquors in that vicinity had been sold by the druggists. 

On one coiner stood the store of John S. Hougham, 
where drugs, notions and liquors, for medicinal purposes, were 
sold, and it is said that in his back room beer could be ob- 
tained. He was succeeded by a man of the name of Lee, and 
a Mr. Ward, now deceased, who kept the store for a consid- 
erable length of time. On the opposite corner Mr. A. J. Ap- 
plegate conducted a general assortment store, where groceries, 
•drugs, dry goods and liquors were sold. These gentlemen 
were the dealers in ardent spirits when the temperance wave 
struck the town. About this time the Perkinsville band, 
memorable in the annals of the village history, was at the 
zenith of its glory. A young man of the name of Frank 
Brewer, talented as a musician, a large, good-looking fellow, 
came to town and took charge of the band as its teacher. 
However, like a large portion of common humanity, he had a 



800 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

weakness for liquor. He boarded with William H. Wise, 
who was a member of the band, and who lived south of the 
river and east of the cemetery. On Sunday night, the 24th 
of Januarv. 1875, it was very cold and the river had been 
frozen for weeks. Mr. Brewer had been in town that night 
and had been drinking with some of the band boys, and left 
them apparently not worse for the liquor he had taken. He 
crossed on the ice in the river and started for his boarding 
house which, ho\vever, he did not reach, and in the morning 
was found dead in the grave yard. Above the river evidences 
of a desperate attempt to go across and up the hill in the cem- 
etery were displayed by the footprints in the broken snow. It 
was a solemn and tragic scene on that quiet cold morning to 
behold the upturned face looking towards the sky, and his 
head resting beside a gravestone. Mr. Brewer was last seen 
alive by his friend, Mr. Elliott Lee, on the evening before his 
departure for his boarding house. Great excitement prevailed 
throughout the neighborhood over the finding of his remains. 
The band boys took possession of his body, buried it in the 
village cemetery, and afterward erected over his grave a hand- 
some tombstone, the inscription thereon being as follows : 
"Frank Brewer, died January 25, 1875, aged 35 years. A 
member of the Perkinsville band." 

No sooner was the news circulated in town that Brewer's 
bodv had been found in the cemetery than the church bells 
commenced to ring. It was whispered around that a man had 
died in the graveyard and that he had been drunk. The peo- 
ple became wild ; they soon congregated at the churches and 
a quasi organization was effected by the appointment of a 
committee whose duty it should be to call upon the liquor 
dealers and notify them to cease their ungodly trafhc. Fanat- 
icism ran high and men who usually displayed ordinary com- 
mon sense in business matters were entirely beside themselves. 
James \Vebb was appointed Marshal, and ordered the people 
to keep away from the saloons and off the streets. The com- 
mittee first notified Sims, who was smart enough to see the 
drift of things, and without in any way crossing them in their 
desires proposed to sell his liquors to the committee and go out 
of the business. 

Then the committee went to the store of A. J. Apple- 
gate, who did not readily consent to give up a profitable trade, 
but finally succumbed to the inevitable. After this the liquor 
trade was for a time centered in the hands of one J. M. Gar- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 801 

retson, a leading temperance worker who sold liquors only for 
medical purposes. During the excitement some one entered 
his cellar and bored holes in the barrels and let his liquors out 
during the night. 

A great deal of bitter feeling prevailed about the village 
during these times. The matter was referred to the Ander- 
son newspapers and many articles pro and co7i were written 
upon the subject. Enemies of Mr. A. J. Applegate charged 
that he had sold the liquor to Brewer. Mr. Applegate had 
some very warm friends, who wrote to the papers in his behalf^ 
severely criticising the temperance people. It was even' 
denied that Brewer came to his death from any cause con- 
nected with the purchase of drink or alcoholic stimulants. 
Medical authorities were cited on the manner of Brewer's 
death, and at the Coroner's inquest, held by David B. Simms, 
Coroner of Madison county, it was revealed that a powder 
had been found in the pocket of the deceased. One physician 
testified, on being questioned by Attorney Ryan, of Anderson, 
that the powder was morphine, and that he could tell it at 
sight. Another swore that he could not tell whether it was 
quinine or morphine, but there was no evidence at all adduced 
that Brewer had taken any of the powder. And thus the 
mystery surrounding his death failed to be unraveled by even 
expert medical witnesses. 

The temperance meetings were continued for some time, 
and man}- hundreds signed the pledge. Inflammatory speeches 
were made, and the horrors of intemperance were depicted. 
The meetings to a great extent furnished a kind of recreation 
during the long winter evenings, and oflfered the people a 
place to go. As spring came on the people resumed their 
usual avocations, and the spasm was over, but as already 
stated the temperance agitation in Perkinsville had its political 
efTect, as well as in the larger cities. In fact, it caused men 
who had never wavered in their political principles, not only 
to vote against the party with which they had always acted, 
but to fight it to the bitter end. 

The Democrats in this section of the county were large 
gainers, because those who had been engaged in the liquor 
traffic were of the Republican persuasion. 

This fight had the effect of making A. J. Applegate, who- 

had been an unfiinching Republican, a stanchDemocrat. This 

gentleman has not only acted with that party ever since,. 

but he has been one of the trusted men in the councils ot ll!;!t 
51 



802 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

organization. And thus ended one of the biggest sensations 
that ever occurred in the quiet little town of Perkinsville. 

BURNING OF A BARN. 

Mrs. Laura Moore, a widow living in Jackson township 
near Perkinsville, had her barn and all of its contents de- 
stroyed by fire on the night of April 29, 1876. 

The building contained six hundred bushels of corn, three 
horses and a number of farming implements, all of which 
-ivere destroyed. The fire was supposed to be of incendi- 
ary origin, but why anybody should apply the torch to the 
property of a helpless widow was more than anyone could 
imagine. 

The guilty parties were never appiehended. 

-WILLIAM IIOUGH.\:\l KILLED BY JAMES DALLAS COOK. 

On the 9th of July, 1881, an unprovoked murder was 
committed in Jackson township on the person of William 
Hougham, a respectable and well-to-do young man about 
twenty-five years of age. The perpetrator of the crime was 
James Dallas Cook, one of the leaders of the notorious gang 
of young desperadoes that had disgraced that township, known 
as the " Peanutters." The particulars of this revolting crime 
were about as follows : It seems that at a party given on the 
evening of the day mentioned at the residence of John Roller 
in Perkinsville, several of the " Peanutters " had put in their 
appearance, as was their custom on such occasions, without 
being invited. They were kindly treated by the host .and all 
the guests present, who stood in fear of them. They were in- 
vited into the house and were treated to ice-cream. Not con- 
tented with what had been given them they repeatedly de- 
manded more, but were told that there was none left, and 
that it was impossible to comply with their request. Young 
Hougham, who was present as a guest, being apprehensive of 
trouble went so far as to invite them out on the back porch to 
convince them that the refreshments had been consumed. 
Shortly after Hougham came back into the house a stone was 
thrown through the window, which struck him on the head 
near the temple, producing a fracture of the skull, from the 
effects of which he died the following Sunday morning. 

On the death of Hougham a warrant was sworn out and 
placed in the hands of Constable Young, for the arrest of 
Cook. The Constable knowing his character and fearing to 



HISTORY OF MADISONf COUNTY, INDIANA. 803 

make the arrest alone, summoned a posse of twelve to help 
him catch the offender. Cook resisted the officer and his men, 
who fired several siiots, none of which took effect. He was 
finally arrested and taken to Anderson, and lodged in jail, and 
was held to await the action of the Coroner. On the Monday 
morning following, the Coroner proceeded to Perkinsville to 
hold an inquest on the body of young Hougham. He took 
with him Dr. Geo. F. Chittenden to make a post mortem ex- 
amination. This was done and revealed the fact that Hough- 
am's skull had been fractured in front and that a pus cavitv 
had formed just under the fracture, from the effects of which 
he died. Witnesses wlio were examined by the Coroner sub- 
stantiated the fact that Cook was the one who threw the stone 
and a verdict was rendered against him in accordance with 
these facts. 

James Dallas Cook was a young man about nineteen 
years of age, ratiier slender in build and of sandy complexion. 
He stoutly denied the terrible charge laid at his door and pro- 
tested with great vehemence his innocence. He ^vas an 
orphan, alone in the world and had not even a sister, but had 
a half-sister, who resided with his step-father at Yorktown, 
in Delaware county. Public sentiment in Jackson township 
was strongly against Cook. He had been in other scrapes of 
a serious nature; among other things it was charged that he 
had struck John Albright, of that township, with a stone 
about a year previous to this occurrence, from the effects of 
which he never fully recovered. Cook waived examination 
before Mayor Dunham, preferring not to go into an investi- 
gation of the affair, and was remanded to jail to await the ac- 
tion of the Grand Jurj-. 

Sheriff" Randle Biddle guarded the jail very closely for 
some time during Cook's confinement, from the fact that ru- 
mors had reached his ears that the incensed citizens of Jack- 
son township contemplated a hanging without judge or jurj-, 
but the sober judgment of the people prevailed and this was 
averted. 

Cook was indicted and placed upon trial at the following 
October term, being defended by Hon. W. R. Myers and D. 
W. Wood. The prosecution was conducted by Thomas B. 
Orr, who was then Prosecuting Attorney for the counties of 
Hamilton and Madison, assisted by the late Colonel Milton .S. 
Robinson. Both sides were ably represented, it being a bat- 
tle of giants at the bar, which has seldom been repeated in 



804 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 

the courts of this county. Cook was convicted of murder and 
sentenced to the State prison for seven years. 

KILLING OF LEWIS HAYES. 

The village of Perkinsville was greatly excited on the 
21st day of July, 1882, by a tragedy which occurred at that 
place, which resulted in the killing of Lewis Hayes by a man 
of the name of Clint Wilson. Hayes was a member of what 
was known in tjiat neighborhood as the " Peanut Gang," a 
crowd of boys and young men in Jackson township who had 
organized themselves as a body of embryo desperadoes. While 
they were not so desperate in their character, or did very many 
bad deeds, they were, nevertheless, a menace to the locality. 
They were in the habit of visiting schoolhouses at singing 
and spelling bees and church meetings, and generally kicked 
up a row of some kind. The neighborhood was afraid of 
them. 

On the day above spoken of these young men had been 
drinking in Perkinsville and Wilson, while in the act of pass- 
ing Hayes, who was accompanied by a young lady, gave him 
a push, which exasperated Hayes, who immediately drew a 
weapon and was about to assail Wilson, when the latter drew 
his revolver and shot Hayes in the heart. He fell dead in his 
tracks, and never showed any signs of life after the ball en- 
tered his body. The alarm was at once given in the neigh- 
borhood and the Coroner of the county sent for. An incjuest 
was held over the remains and Wilson was placed under arrest 
for murder. The occurrence took place in Hamilton county, 
just on the line of Madison county. 

Wilson was indicted for manslaughter and was placed 
on trial and acquitted on the grounds of self-defence. The 
late Colonel M. S. Robinson defended him. 

BURNING OF WILLIAM PERRV'S HOUSE. 

William Perrj-, farmer, of Jackson township, met with a 
very serious loss on Monday night, the 28th of September, 
1885, when his residence and household goods were destroyed 
by tire. Tliere was no one at home at the time, except Mrs. 
Perry, ^vho was quite aged and infirm. She was badlv burned 
in attempting to save a portion of the household goods. 

There was a granary in the adjoining building, which 
contained 500 bushels of wheat, and this was also destroyed. 
The loss to Mr. Perry was in the neighborhood of !t!2,000,with 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 805 

no insurance. It fell very heavily upon him, as all he had was 
but a small farm, upon which he lived, and -some personal 
property. Besides, he was well advanced in years. 

The fire is supposed to have originated from a defective 
flue. 

FIRE AT PERKINSVILLE. 

The residence of M. A. Willetts, at Perkinsville, was 
consumed by fire on Sunday night, the 16th day of May, 1886, 
together with all its contents, with the exception of a few 
minor articles which were taken out by the neighbors. Even 
the family wearing apparel was destroyed, with the e.xception 
of what the members had on their backs. The occupants of 
the home were all absent at church at the time the fire occur- 
red. It was thought to have originated from a stove pipe 
that ran through a closet. The building was insured to the 
amount of $400, which did not cover the loss. Mr. Willetts 
was also loser ot forty or fifty dollars in money which he had 
in the house at the time. 

SUICIDE OF MISS EDITH FOLAND. 

Miss Edith Poland, a young lady living with her parents, 
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Poland, in Jackson township, committed 
suicide on the 15th of October, 1888. Por some time she had 
been keeping company with the son of a neighboring farmer, 
a Mr. John Neese, to whom it is said she had been engaged 
to be married. Unfortunately the young man was attacked 
with sickness which undermined his health, and caused him 
to break off the engagement, which fell so heavily on the 
young lady that in a fit of despondency she sought relief in 
death. She took a powerful dose of poison and in a few mo- 
ments thereafter she was a corpse. Her parents were very 
much distressed over the matter, and she was very much missed 
in the community in which she had lived. Her funeral oc- 
curred at Perkinsville on Tuesday following her death, a large 
concourse of people being in attendance. Young Neese was 
present on the occasion of her funeral and was very much af- 
fected by the sad scene. 

KILLED BY A HORSE. 

On the 29th of June, 1889, the family of Henry Kemp were 
horrified to find that he had been kicked to death in his barn, 
by one of his farm horses. No one was present to tell how it 
was done. His lifeless body was found by some of the family 



806 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



and after the excitement of the moment was over the neigh- 
bors were called in, and the Coroner, Dr. C. L. Armington. 
was sent for, who held an inquest, returning a verdict in ac- 
cordance with the facts. 

Mr. Kemp was one of Madison county's oldest and most 
highly respected citizens. He was a large farmer, and had 
accumulated quite a large fortune. He was the father of 
Daniel W. Kemp, the farmer and stock raiser of Jackson 
township, who yet survives him. The death of Mr. Kemp 
was severely felt in the community, as he was a leader among 
the farmers in his neighborhood. He was a Christian gentle- 
man, ;;nd a staunch member of the Republican party, and al- 
ways took an active part in politics, especially in local aflfairs. 
He was respected by his political opponents for his open 
avowal of his principals, and his manly way of warfare. He 
was seventy-five years of age when the occurrence took place. 
Mrs. Kemp, his wife, died at the old homestead in December, 
1896. 

A TRIPLE DROWNING. 

On the 19th day of July, 1889, while a number of young 
men and boys were in the river bathing near the village of 
Hamilton, about four miles west of Anderson, at a spot known 
as the McClintock ford, Philip Hosier, aged twelve years, and 
a boy named Todd, the son of Samuel Todd, about nine years 
of age, were drowned. As the river was somewhat swollen 
from recent rains, the older boj-s refused to let the small ones 
go in with them for fear of an accident. The lads, however, 
went farther down the river, and taking off their clothing 
waded in. They struck a swift current, which carried them 
beyond their depth, and before the larger boys could help 
them they were drowned. Everything that could be done to 
rescue the drowning lads was done, and one of the older boys 
came near losing his life in the effort to save them. The 
drowning boys were soon swept out of sight. The neighbor- 
hood was immediately aroused, and everybody turned out and 
patroled the shores in the hope of finding the bodies, but with- 
out success. The search was continued the next day and night, 
and on Sunday morning hundreds of people flocked to the 
river to render what assistance they could. The bodies were 
finally recovered at a considerable distance below where they 
had entered the stream, on the opposite side, and taken to the 
respective homes of their sorrowing relatives. 

Stephen Bilby, a farmer, who was one of the most tire- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 807 

less workers in the attempt to rescue the bodies of the boys, 
also lost his life. He had been in the water almost constantly 
from early in the morning, and about noon, when some twenty 
or thirty feet from the shore, lost his hold of a rope that had 
been stretched across the river and was swept away in the 
swift current. He made frantic efforts to regain his hold of 
the rope, but the persons holding it seemed to be paraljzed by 
the scene, and, instead of dropping the rope down to him, 
pulled it away. He was considered a good swimmer and 
struggled hard to reach the shore, but the current was too- 
much for him and he was dragged under and drowned. His 
body was found two miles below, where it had lodged against 
the bank. He left a wife and four children. His funeral 
took place from the family residence on the Tuesday follow- 
ing his death, and was conducted by tiie Red Men, of which. 
order he was an active member. 

SWAP CANDIDATES. 

The old adage that " politics makes strange bedfellows," 
was verified in the campaign of 1882 in Madison county. In 
Jackson township the Democracy placed on their ticket for the 
office of assessor, Frank Shively. The Republicans met in 
convention in a few davs thereafter, and placed in nomination, 
for the same office Andrew J. Poland, and so the political 
tight set in. It was but a short time until, from some cause, 
the Republicans became lukewarm toward their candidate and 
doubted his sincerity, and strange to say, the Democrats 
thought their man was not just the "clear grit," and things 
got into a bad muddle. Finally, the party managers of both 
sides got together and concluded to trade c.indidates. The 
terms were agreed on, and the candidates both assented, the 
naines were changed on the tickets and the " band played on.'' 
The fight was a bitter one and never let up till the last vote 
was in, and the polls closed. At the counting of tlie ballots, 
it was discovered that the Democrats had won the victory. 
Mr. Foland, the successful candidate, took the office and 
made a good assessor, and has remained a Democrat good and 
true ever since. Mr. Shively has likewise been true to his 
Republican associates, and has been a good citizen of his town- 
ship. 

MRS. M.\RIA H. WOODWORTH. 

Mrs. Maria B. Woodworth, the great evangelist, who has 
visited nearly every city in the union and caused great ex- 



808 HISTORV OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

citement in religious circles, made her advent in Madison coun- 
ty in the month of June, 1886, when she pitched her tents in 
the beautiful grove along the river banks, near the village of 
Perkinsville, where she carried on her camp meeting for sev- 
eral weeks with great success. At that time she and her hus- 
band were living together, he doing the business for the firm, 
and she did the preaching. He had nothing to do with her 
large tent in which she held these religious services. He took 
charge of the eating stands and establishments for the sale of 
merchandise and luxuries that was dispensed to the hungry 
multitude. The first Sunday of the meeting a " grand open- 
ing" took place, after which services were conducted in her 
unique and singular style. She seemed to have a wonderful 
influence over people who were not very strong mentally and 
who were naturally inclined to be verv zealous in their relig- 
ious beliefs. She did not preach but a short time until severa' 
of her congregation were laid out in trances, as stiff as boards. 
This kind of procedure was carried on to such an extent that 
the whole western part of Madison county was worked up into 
a state of religious excitement. Many converts were added 
to her already large congregation. 

Mrs. Woodworth, in the following year, came to Ander- 
son and established herself in Ruddles' grove, east of the city, 
on the banks of the old hydraulic canal, where she, for several 
weeks, held similar meetings. Here she made many con- 
verts, among whom may be named. Judge William R. West 
and Casper Hartman, an influential farmer of Lafayette 
township. In the following year an organization was ef- 
fected, known as the Church of God, situated on South 
Brown street. Great excitement prevailed in Anderson dur- 
ing her stay, and for several years after her departure it was 
the subject of discussion in the beautiful temple situated at the 
place named. Mrs. Woodworth while here incurred the dis- 
pleasure of some of the newspapers, which gave her a "sound 
roasting," and she figured quite extensively in a suit for libel, 
which resulted, as nearly all suits of that description do — to 
the disadvantage of the party bringing the action, and little 
gain for the fees paid to the attorneys and officers. Mrs. 
Woodworth is mentioned elsewiiere. 

JACOB ZELLER, AN OLD CITIZEN. 

All old-timers remember Jacob Zeller, who lived at Per- 
kinsville for many years and died there a few years since. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 809 

He was owner and operator of the Perkinsville mills. His 
mill was the life of the town. Hundreds of teams came daily 
to his place to get their "grist" ground. Perkinsville was at 
that time one of the best trading points in Madison county. 
It had no other particular inducement to bring people than the 
fact that Jacob Zeller had his flouring mills there and that he 
was noted far and near as an honest, jolly old miller, who 
made the best of flour, gave good returns and took light tolls. 
But the old water mills, like all of the old inventions, gave 
way to the modernized idea of machinery. So Jacob's mill 
at last became a thing of the past, began to decay and was 
finally destroyed bj' fire. But its history and the history of its 
owner will long remain green in the meinory of those who 
have been its patrons. 

Uncle Jake, as he was familiarly called, besides being a 
good miller, ^vas a great politician, strong in Democratic 
faith. He was the pillar of the Democratic temple in this lo- 
cality. For years the party looked only to him to bring up 
the proper majority in his township, and he generally did it. 

The campaign of 1868 was a lively one in Madison 
county. Mr. Zeller took more interest in the election of 
Hon. Horatio Sej'mour than he ever displayed in any previ- 
ous election in his life. He seemed to think the entire "pres- 
sure" rested on him, and went to work with willing hands to 
do his duty. 

About this time he purchased silver instruments and or- 
ganized the first cornet band that Perkinsville ever had. It 
was fitted out with uniforms, a wagon and other necessary 
•equipments. Uncle Jake went far and near to the big rallies 
with his band, always riding alongside of the band wagon, 
giving directions and orders. 

During the campaign a county rally was held at Ander- 
son. Thomas A. Hendricks addressed the multitude at Jack- 
son's grove. The people were numbered by acres. It was 
the largest political meeting in the history of the county. 
Jacob Zeller attended the meeting with his band. Before 
leaving Perkinsville he had his men get into their wagon, 
which was drawn by four elegant iron-gray horses. Mount- 
ing his charger, he ordered them to give three cheers for Sey- 
mour. "Yes, sir." "Now, poys, I tell you vat you do. 
You goes to Anderson to-day "to elect Seymour. Yes, sir. 
Ven you gets to Anderson, as you go up Ryan's hill, I vants 
you to play 'Killpatrick's Day in the Morning.' Dat elects 



810 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA, 

Seymour. Yes, sir ; and if you don't play dat piece, I takes 
dem horns from you. Yes, sir; I py dem horns myself. 
Dem's my horns. Yes, sir." 

The trip was successfully made. When the head of the 
procession reached Ryan's hill (the old post-office corner) the 
band played "St. Patrick's Day in the Morning," after which 
they were halted and again ordered to give three cheers for 
Seymour. "Dat elects Seymour; yes, sir." Seymour was, 
however, badl^' defeated. His defeat could not possibly have 
hurt him worse than it did Jacob Zeller. He never got over 
it. He was so thoroughly wrought up to the belief that he 
would be elected that he could not see why he was not. This 
was his last active work in politics. 



CHAPTER LXXIII. 



Lafayette Township. 



This township is the only Congressional township in the 
county, being six miles square. It is bounded on the north by 
Pipe Creek and Monroe township ; on the east by Richland 
township; on the south by Anderson township, and on the 
west by Jackson and Pipe Creek townships. The lands are 
high and level, and originally very wet, but through a system 
of drainage established in 1S75, are now both dry and fertile, 
and as desirable for farming purposes, perhaps, as any in the 
county. 

The township was organized by order of the Board of 
County Commissioners on the 9th of November, 1836, as 
appears from the following entry made on that day : 

" Ordered by the Board that a new township be strickeni 
oft' from the townships of Richland, Jackson and Pipe Creek, 
said new township shall include all of Congressional town- 
ship twenty, north of range seven, east and no more, and 
that all elections in said township shall be held at the house of 
John Haggart therein, and the said new township shall be 
known and designated by the name and style of Lafayette 
Township.'" 

The first settler in the township was Henry Ry, who 
came with his family from North Carolina in 1881, and loca- 
ted in the extreme south-east corner of the township on a 
spot of ground now included in "North Anderson." He 
was soon followed by Reuben Junk and James Baily, of Ross 
county, Oiiio, who located near him. In the spring of 1882, 
John Croan moved his family from Anderson township, where 
they had previousH- settled, and located in Section 85. In the 
fall of the same year, George Murstard and J. B. Pennisten, 
of Ross county, Ohio, settled in the township, and in the 
spring of 1884, Reed Wilson, of Wayne county, Indiana, and 
Jordan Ooten, of Ohio, moved in and settled, the former 
on what is known as the " Pierce farm," and the latter on the 
" Stanley farm." These pioneers were followed, in 1885, by 



812 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

William Lower, James Finney, John Maggart, Isaac Jones, 
Samuel Fetty and David Gooding. The last named was 
from Kentucky, and boasted that he had been one of Colonel 
Johnson's Aids-de-Camp at the battle of the Thames, where 
that gallant officer was wounded by the Shawnee chief, Te- 
cumseh. In 1836, James Hollingsworth settled in the town- 
ship, and between that date and 1840, was followed by the 
following pioneers : Matthew Taylor, James Weir, Samuel 
Moore, Daniel Sigler, Lewis and George Baily, Nathaniel 
G. Lewis. Henry Purgett, John Clock, Samuel Dehority, 
Zail and George Rains, Thomas G. Clark, Joseph Van Matre, 
Washington Trotter, Joseph Stover, John Burke, Robert and 
Samuel Gooding, John Ridgeway, George Hilligoss, Sr., 
Francis Colburn and James Closser. These and others who 
emigrated to the township before and sliortly after its organi- 
zation, with the exception of James Hollingsworth, have 
gone the way of the earth. Many of their descendants, how- 
ever, are living in this and other townships in the county. 

THE TOWNSHIP ORGANIZED. 

The organization of this township occurred in the fall of 
1836. James Hollingsworth, who is frequently mentioned in 
these pages, took an active interest in the preliminary work 
of organizing the township. He suggested its name and cir- 
culated a petition asking that the territory which it now com- 
prises might be set apart from Richland township, to which 
it was then attached, as a Congressional township. The 
names signed to the petition were: James Hollingsworth, 
John B. Pennisten, John Croan, Isaac Jones, Reuben Junk, 
Henry Ry, George Moore, Jordan Ooten, George Mustard, 
William Lower, John Maggart, George Rains, Enos Mustard, 
Reed Wilson, James Finney, David Gooding and Samuel 
Fetty — constituting the entire voting population of the terri- 
tory which it was proposed to organize as a new township. 
This petition was presented to the Board of Commissioners in 
December, 1836, and granted, and on the 17th of January fol- 
lowing, an election was held for the purpose of selecting 
township officers. This election was held at the house of John 
Maggart, situated near the center of the township, and resulted 
in the selection of John Maggart as Justice of the Peace, and 
Enos Mustard as Clerk. James Hollingsworth was Inspector 
at the election and his hat was utilized as a ballot-box. 



I 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 813 

EARLY EVENTS. 

The first white child born in the township was Annis, 
daughter of John and Sarah Croan. This event occurred in 
1834. 

The first death in the township was that of Reuben Junk, 
who died in 1885. 

The first marriage solemnized was that of James Hollings- 
worth and Miss Elizabeth Shinkle. This event took place on 
the lUth of March, 1886. The second marriage was that of 
Mills Elliott and Miss Nancy Mustard during the summer of 
the same year. Miss Mustard was a sister of William Mus- 
tard, one of the oldest residents of Anderson. 

The first orchard was planted by George Mustard, who 
purchased the trees of Dempsy Wilson, of Anderson township. 

The first schoolhouse was built on what is now known as 
the Patrick Ryan farm and the first school teacher was John 
Pennisten. " Uncle "' Joshua Shinkle, now living at Ander- 
son at the advanced age of eighty-one years, is doubtless the 
only living person who attended this school. 

The first road surveyed through the township was the 
Logansport and New Castle State road, which was subse- 
quently donated by the State Legislature to the P. C. & St. L. 
Railroad as a right of way, with the stipulation that the com- 
pany should construct a good wagon-road parallel with the 
State road and in proximity thereto, which stipulation was 
afterward ignored. 

The first mill erected in the township was built by George 
Millspaugh and James Stevenson, on the Patrick Ryan farm 
in 1851. It was a steam saw-mill and after being operated a 
few vears was moved to another locality. 

CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS. 

The first religious society organized in the township was 
composed of five members, as follows ; James Hollingsworth 
and wife, William Lower and wife and Mrs. George Mustard. 
In the fall of 1836 these good people met at the house of Will- 
iam Lower and organized themselves into a class which grew 
in numbers until 1855, when the membership erected a church 
where Florida is now situated. This building still stands and 
is known as the Methodist Episcopal Church. The trustees 
have always permitted other religious denominations to hold 
religious services here whenever it is not occupied. Among 



814 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the ministers who have preached here may be mentioned D. 

F. Strite, John Leach, J. W. Bradshuw, Barton Bradbury and 
John R. Tansey — pioneers in the Methodist ministry in this 
county. 

In 1869 a number of members of the Christian Church 
organized a society under the leadership of Elder Jonathan 
Dipboye. Meetings were held at various places in the town- 
ship, but principally in Elm Grove schoolhouse, until 1872, 
when the society erected a place of worship on the farm of 

G. D. Thompson. 

Besides these churches the Newlights have a place of 
■worship north of Linwood, known as the " Olivet " church. 
On the west side of the township is located Beach Grove 
•church. This church was built by the United Brethren. 

SCHOOLS. 

The schools of the township are fully up to the standard 
maintained in other townships. The school enumeration for 
the present year shows the number of children of legal school 
age to be 694, of which 373 are males and 321 females. There 
are twelve schoolhouses and twelve teachers. 

STATISTIC.\L. 

The population of the township in 1850 was 694; in 1860 
it was 1,000; in 1870 it was 1,452; in 1880 it was 1,626, and 
in 1890 it was 1,614. Since the last census was taken, how- 
ever, the population has increased to a considerable extent, 
owing to the location of a number of factories and other enter- 
prises in the township. 

The value of the lands of the township, as shown by the 
tax duplicate, is .$6.51,716; value of lands and improvements, 
$734,380 : total value of taxables, 1974,465. 

TOWNS . 

Soon after the completion of the P. C. & St. L. Railway 
through the township in 1856, a grain warehouse was built at 
a point one mile and a half northwest of the present site of 
Florida, that was known for many years as " Keller's Station," 
John Keller being the owner of all the land in that immediate 
vicinity. A general store was also established here but there 
was not sufficient trade to maintain it and the proprietor dis- 
posed of his stock of goods and quit the business. The ware- 
house was also a failure and trains in the course of time ceased 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 815 

to Stop there. Nothing at this time remains to indicate that 
there ever was a place called "Keller's Station." 

FLORIDA. 

This village is situated six miles north-west of Anderson 
on the P. C. C. & St. L. Railway and within a few rods of the 
center of the county. It was originally called ''Clark's Sta- 
tion," in honor of Hon. Thomas G. Clark, on whose land it 
was located in 1856. The first merchant in the village was 
Henry Hendrick. He was succeeded by Enos Mustard who 
was also the second postmaster of the place. George Craighead 
being the first person to hold that ofiice. The first physician 
was Thomas B. Forkner. Other physicians who have prac- 
ticed here are Dr. J. S. Guisinger and Dr. I. N. Van- 
Matre, the latter being the only physician in that vicinity at 
the present time. Drs. John W. and William A. Hunt were 
residents of the township for many years and had an extensive 
practice, not only in Lafayette, but adjoining townships. 
The only Methodist church in the township is located here. 
A large amount of tiling was manufactured here during the '70s 
and '80s, by Rains & Guisinger, but the demand for the product 
of the factory declined with the thorough ditching and draining 
of the wet lands of the township during that period and the 
property was converted into a factory for the manufacture of 
brick. It is no\v owned by the Thomas brothers. 

I.INWOOD. 

This village was originally known as " Funk's Station," 
but the name was subsequently changed to Linwood. In 1887 
John C. May platted an addition to the village which was fol- 
lowed by others, but no regular plat of the place has ever 
been filed for record. Linwood is situated on the Michigan 
division of the C. C. C. & St. L. (Big Four) and is si.\ miles 
north of Anderson. The business interests of the place at the 
present time are represented by Given & Bruce, general mer- 
chandise, and Charles Hartman, drugs. 

The first postmaster of the place was Samuel A. Towell. 
The present incumbent of that office is E. M. Riggs, who also 
owns and operates a sawmill and lumber yard. 

PROMINENT CITIZENS. 

The following are the names of those who Inne served 
the county in an official capacity from this townsliip : John 



816 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Hunt, State Senator from Madison and Hancock counties 
from 1850 to 1853, also Treasurer of Madison county from 
1860 to 1862; Thomas G. Clark, Representative from 1857 to 
1858; William A. Thompson, Representative from 1858 to 
1861 ; George W. Harris, Representative from 1875 to 1877 ; 
W. A. Thompson, Commissioner from 1868 to 1865; John L. 
Jones from 1884 to 1887; Wallace W. Vandyke, Sheriff from 
1892 to 1894. 

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS A SUICIDE. 

On the 17th of October, 1867, a young man of the name 
of Combs committed suicide in Lafayette township by blow- 
ing his brains out with a pistol. It seems that he had been 
mixed up in a love affair, and in a fit of despondency borrowed 
a pistol from a friend, and started to the village of Florida, 
and when near that place fired a ball into his head, killing 
himself almost instantly. 

Combs was well known to many of the inhabitants of the 
community in which the occurrence took place who will recall 
to memory the sad event. After the holding of an inquest 
by the Coroner, the remains were interred in a neighboring 
cemetery. 

KILLED BY A BUZZ SAW. 

On the 26th of September, 1882, Henry Dangerfield, of 
Linwood, while running a buzz saw, was accidentally thrown 
upon one of the saws in the mill and literally cut to pieces. 
The saw cut into his right side, severing the body from 
shoulder to shoulder, leaving him hanging together, as it were, 
by only a small piece of flesh near the back bone. 

He was in the act of handling a heavy slab of timber 
when the accident occurred. By some means he lost his bal- 
ance and was thrown upon the saw. The poor man contin- 
ued to live on in great agony until about 10 o'clock that night, 
when death came to his relief. He was a married man and 
left a wife and several children in very moderate circumstances. 
His funeral was largely attended by the people in the vicinity. 

BURNING OF ISAAC OSBURX's BARN. 

Isaac Osburn was an old and highly-respected citizen of 
Lafayette township, who resided there for many years, and 
who died only a short time prior to this writing. He had on 
his place a large frame barn that was destroyed by fire on the 
22nd of April, 1886, about 10 o'clock at night. It was filled 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 817 

with grain, wheat, and farming implements, all of which were 
burned. It also contained a fine stallion, which was so badly 
burned that he fell dead while they were leading him from 
the stable. The loss of the barn and contents was estimated 
to have been about Jii^jSlX), with an insurance of $1,600. 
The fire was of incendiary origin and was supposed to have 
been the work of a lot of tramps who had been camping along 
the line of the Pan Handle Railway in the vicinity of the 
conflagration. 

A NOTED CRIMINAL. 

In the month of December, 1884, James F. Melson was 
arrested on the charge of counterfeiting and manufacturing 
bogus money. He was born and reared in Lafayette township, 
and from his boyhood was said to be bad. Prior to this time he 
had served five terms in the State prison, but for this offense 
he was promoted to a place in a United States prison. At 
one time he had been out of the penitentiary but thirty days, 
and during that period he succeeded in carrying off the entire 
contents of a dry-goods store in a country town. His fifth 
term of imprisonment \vas completed on the 16th of August, 
1884, and his last sentence began on the 28th of November, 
having been out only three months. Mr. jSIelson was a notori- 
ous character and was known to be such. He had no blood- 
thirsty instincts. He was of a very kind disposition and 
while he was committing a theft he would not be guilty of 
injuring anyone in carrying out his designs. Melson is 
still living, and was in Anderson but a few days prior to this 
writing. 

BURNING OF A BARN. 

Mrs. Robert Cripe, a widow living a mile and a half 
north-west of Linwood, had her barn and its contents entirely 
destroyed by fire on the ]4th of April, 1887. The barn con- 
tained 400 bushels of corn, a large quantity of hay, farming 
implements, two buggies, a spring wagon and other valuable 
property. After the fire was discovered the roof of the building 
had been burned away and was falling in, so that nothing 
could be done to arrest the progress of the flames. The loss 
of Mrs. Cripe was estimated to be $2,000. There were four 
horses that were burned, one of which belonged to John Davis 
and the other three were the property of Mrs. Cripe. There 
was but little doubt that the building was set on fire by some 
unknown person. Xo clue was ever obtained as to t'le giiiliy 
party. 

52 



818 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

J. w. riley's barn burned. 

On Monday, the 18th of July, 1887, the barn on the farm 
of J. W. Riley, of Lafayette township, was destroyed, to- 
gether with its contents, consisting of a large quantity of hay, 
five hundred bushels of corn, a buggy, set of harness, and all 
iiis agricultural implements, consisting of plows, harrows, 
reapers, mowers and self-binders. The loss was estimated to 
be about $2,000, with .$1,500 insurance. 

The fire was supposed to have been caused by spontane- 
ous combustion, produced by placing new mown h.ay in the 
mow which was already well filled with the previous year's 
crop. 

CHILD scalded TO DE.\TH. 

On the 22nd of March, 1879, a little child of John P. 
TDavis, who then resided three and one-half miles north-east 
■of Anderson, in Lafayette township, was scalded to death. 
The children were boiling eggs in a tea-kettle, and the mother, 
being feeble, was sitting near by watching them. In remov- 
ing the kettle from the stove she upset it upon the voungest 
child with the horrible result of scalding it in such a manner 
sthat it died within a few hours. 

Mr. Davis, the father of the unfortunate child, was for 
:many years a prominent citizen and politician of Lafayette 
township, but for six years prior to this writing he has been a 
resident of Anderson, where he is engaged in the business of 
■butchering and conducting a meat market. 

KILLED BY .A. FIELD ROLLER. 

A twelve-year-old son of Alonzo Thomas, living near 
Linwood, met with a sudden and violent death on the morn- 
ing of September 18, 1886. He was rolling the ground with 
a heavy field roller and had two horses hitched to it, one of 
which was a colt, which had become entangled in the harness, 
and while he was trj'ing to extricate it the animal became 
frightened and started to run, catching the boy and throwing 
him under the roller. The implement passed over his body, 
crushing it into the ground, and killed him almost instantly. 
His little brother was with him in the field at the time and 
ran for help, but before any assistance came to his aid he was 
dead. 

A FRIGHTFUL RUNAW.\Y. 

At the Madison County Fair, held upon the old grounds 
on West Eighth street, a terrible runaway occurred on the 7th 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 819 

of September, 1887. Joseph Parker, of Linwood, entered 
in the races a three-year-old racing mare under the name of 
"Maud M," and in the contest for the prize during the first 
heat she was badly started, but in the second she was off like 
the wind, and after she had passed the grand stand it was 
observed that she was making for the gate where she was in 
the habit of leaving the track. Just east of the opening she 
made a fearful leap, clearing the fence at a terrific rate of 
speed, so that no human power could have turned her in her 
mad career; she had gone perfectly wild. Mr. Parker had 
mounted the fence with a whip in his hand to assist the rider 
in checking her, but his efforts were futile. As she jumped 
the fence the saddle-girth broke and her rider, Charlie Knoll, 
was thrown to the ground, bruising his head and severely in- 
juring one of his knees. In turning, the mare struck Parker 
in the breast, knocking him insensible to the ground. A few 
feet further on she ran against a tree, crushing her skull and 
breaking her spine, from the effects of which she died almost 
instantly. 

Mr. Parker and the rider were removed to a neighboring 
shed, where Drs. Horace E. Jones and B. F. Spann attended 
to their injuries. They both recovered. The mare was valued 
at $500. It is a great marvel that many people were not 
killed, as the wildest excitement prevailed and thousands were 
upon the grounds enjoying the sports when the noise of the 
crashing fence was heard. The people became wild and 
scattered in every direction, but fortunately no one was injured 
in the general scramble. 

A STRANGE OCCURRENCE. 

While plowing in a field near the village of Linwood, on 
the 20th of September, 1887, a young man of the name of 
Ollie Purcell was seized by some unknown parties, who came 
up behind him, throwing their hands over his eyes and mouth, 
then knocking him to the ground, they riiled his pockets of all 
the money he had on his person. They then made threats of 
killing him if he made any noise or resistance, and taking his 
clothes, left him alone in the field. Young Purcell was 
nearly frightened out of his mind and he wandered around in 
the field until night before he returned to his senses. He 
then returned to the house of Mr. J. C. May, for whom he 
was working, and related his experience. He could give no 
account of who the parties were, and no clue to them was ever 



820 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

obtained. This very strange affair created a great deal of 
talk in that neighborhood. 

A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. 

Every citizen in Madison county who resided here from 
the year 1877 to 1884 will remember W. R. Brownlee, \vho 
during that period was editor and proprietor of the Anderson 
Democrat. In the fall of 1884 Mr. Brownlee diposed of his 
interests in the newspaper and also other property in which 
he was interested, and removed to Kingman, Kansas. After 
having his household goods, horses and buggy placed in a 
freight car, ready for shipment, he put them in charge of 
Henry Clock, a young man who had been for some time in 
his employ, and who had been a resident of Lafayette town- 
ship. Clock had his apartments in the car with the goods, 
and intended to ride in it through to his destination in order 
that he might look after the property. 

On Tuesdav morning, the 2nd of September, an accident 
occurred to the freight train on which he had taken passage 
on the Indianapolis & St. Louis railroad, near the city of 
Greencastle, by which the train took fire, and young Clock, 
with the contents of the car, was burned. The fire was caused 
by the explosion of an oil tank which contained about one 
hundred barrels of kerosene. The burning oil was scattered 
over six adjacent cars, which were destroyed. 

Mr. Brownlee's loss amounted to $2,500, which he after- 
wards recovered from the railroad company by a compromise. 

Young Clock is supposed to have been killed by the con- 
cussion caused by the explosion, as it seemed that he made no 
effort to extricate himself. His charred remains were recov- 
ered from the wreck and taken to Greencastle, then shipped 
to Anderson, where they were taken charge of by relatives, 
who took them to Independence, in Boone township, for 
burial, where soine of his relatives were also buried. He was 
a young man who was well liked in the community, about 
twenty-one years of age, and unmarried. 

WILLIAM SIGLER KILLED BY A PAN HANDLE TRAIN. 

William Sigler was a man well known in Madison county 
for many years. His familiar face was seen upon the streets 
of Anderson on every Saturday for nearly the third of a cen- 
tury. He was a well-to-do farmer, resided in Lafayette town- 
ship, and was well liked by his neighbors. He was a kind 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 821 

friend and an indulgent father and iiusband. Like man)' other 
people, however, he had a besetting sin, and was very fond 
of intoxicating drink. He scarcely ever visited Anderson or 
any other place where liquors were sold that he did not imbibe 
to excess. He was never boisterous, nor did he do harm to 
anyone while in a drunken condition. 

On Sunday morning, the 21st of July, 1889, about two 
o'clock, his body was found on the tracks of the Pan Handle 
railroad about a mile and a half north of Anderson. It was 
horribly mutilated. William Whistler, who lived in the vicin- 
ity of the railroad, in North Anderson, had been to the city 
and was returning home, when he was suddenly confronted 
by a ghastly sight. He called the neighbors and they gath- 
ered up the remains, portions of whicli had been dragged along 
the track for a distance of twenty-five yards. Both his legs 
were cut off, and the body was otherwise mangled. He was 
identified soon after as William Sigler, and iiis remains, after 
an inquest had been held bv Coroner Dr. B. F. Spann, were 
forwarded to his friends and relatives in Lafayette township, 
and buried in that neighborhood. Mr. Sigler was a cousin of 
the late Joseph .Sigler, ex-Auditor of Madison county. He 
left a famiK' of five children, his wife having died several 
years prior to this occurrence. ISIr. Sigler was an honest man 
and never owed a neighbor or a friend anything which he did 
not promptly pay when it became due. It is true that he had 
his faults, but there were many worse men living in the com- 
munity than was William Sigler. 

INCENDIARISM. 

E. C. Hilligoss, of Lafayette township, seems to be fated, 
as he has had two valuable barns burned within three years 
past. On the night of March 3, 1895, his large and commo- 
dious barn was discovered to be on fire and before any- 
thing could be done to quench the flames it was totally de- 
stroyed. That the fire was the work of an incendiary there 
can be no doubt, as no one had been near the barn, or the 
straw stack where the fire originated, with a fire or light of 
any kind. 

About dark Mr. and Mrs. Hilligoss and their son, James, 
did the milking and feeding and returned to the iiouse. They 
saw no nre or smoke about the straw stack. The straw stack 
was probably thirty feet from the barn and when Mr. Redd, 
a neighbor, ran to their house and called to them that their 



822 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

barn was in danger of being burned, the stack was entirely- 
enveloped in flames. 

The dinner bell, which stands in the yard, was rung and 
it was but a short time until forty or fifty of the neighbors had 
gathered at the scene of the fire. They could do nothing, how- 
ever, as the flames had communicated with the barn, which 
was constructed of pine material, and was burning fiercely. 
There were several horses in the barn and attention was turned 
to getting them out and into a place of safety, which proved 
no easy task, as they did not want to leave the burning struct- 
ure. 

The barn contained between five and six hundred bushels 
of corn and some timothy hay, all of which was consumed. 

WILLIAM A. VANMETRE TAKES HIS OWN LIFE. 

William A. VanMetre was a quiet, unassuming gentle- 
man, who, for many years, lived in Madison county; in fact, 
all his life, except five years, when he resided in Sullivan, In- 
diana. He was a carpenter by trade and a good, industrious, 
sober man. He married a very respectable lady, the daughter 
of the late Rev. William A. Thompson, a prominent Baptist 
minister of this county. 

On the 6th of July, 1878, news came to Anderson that 
VanMetre had taken his life by an overdose of morphine. 
Friends of the family hastened to his residence, where they 
found the following to be the facts, stated bv his wife : That 
on the day of the suicide he had finished his day's work and 
appeared to be very cheerful, apparently with nothing resting 
on his mind. He informed his wife that he had business in 
Anderson. He left home about 5 o'clock in the evening and 
walked to the city, a distance of five miles. He was seen on 
the streets and conversed with bv several of his acquaintances, 
of whom he had many. Before returning home, he purchased 
five grains of morphine at a drug store, and when he reached 
his residence, about half-past 10 o'clock, in a jesting manner 
informed his wife that he had taken morphine, and showed 
her the empty bottle. She was somewhat alarmed and was 
in the act of informing others, when he assured her that he 
was only playing a joke on her. In about thirty minutes he 
became drowsy and a stupor supervened, which confirmed her 
worst fears. She immediately gave the alarm and the neigh- 
bors and friends gathered in, and, with some difficulty, he was 
aroused from the lethargy produced by the poison, but when, by 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 823 

violent agitation, he was restored partly to consciousness, he 
still persisted in his request not to have any alarm given. A 
messenger was sent for Dr. I. N. VanMetre, a brother, at 
Florida. The Doctor soon arrived, but in the meantime, Mrs. 
VanMetre, who had some idea of antidotes for poison, had 
given her husband two cups of strong coffee, and he had been 
walked around the house and through the yard to keep up his 
circulation. For awhile, he seemed to rally, but at b o'clock 
heavy breathing set in and continued until the cord of life wa& 
broken, and William A. VanMetre was dead. Before his 
death. Dr. VanMetre asked his brother why he had taken the 
fatal drug, but he gave no reason for the act. 

He was a man of about 50 years of age and left a devoted 
wife to mourn his loss, and a daughter of 15 years, in feeble 
health, for her to care for. 

To every one Mr. VanMetre was genial and kind ; as a 
husband and father he was indulgent. He was a member of 
the Masonic fraternity, which took charge of his remains and 
buried them with the forms and ritual of that time-honored 
organization. 

JOSEPH KINDLE KILLED BY A TRAIN. 

Joseph Kindle, a young man about 21 years of age, while 
returning to his home from Anderson, on the night of July 2, 
1894, was run over and killed by the north-bound passenger 
train on the Pan Handle railroad about midnight. The acci- 
dent happened at the crossing of the railroad at what is known 
as the old fair ground road, running north from Anderson 
through Lafayette township. Kindle was in a buggy by iiim- 
self and from all appearances had fallen asleep, and did not 
know of the coming of the train or of the awful fate that 
awaited him. The train was ^unning at a high rate of speed 
and the iiorse and buggy were knocked to a great distance 
from the track, the horse killed, and the vehicle torn into- 
atoms. 

Young Kindle was instantly killed, not knowing what 
had happened him. The engineer testified that he did not see 
the horse and buggy until he was right upon them, too late to 
stop, or even make an effort to stop. 

Kindle was a sober, genteel young man and was not 
known to drink or have any bad habits. This fatal ride was 
the result of going to sleep in his buggy and perhaps while 
dreaming of his sweetheart, whom it is said he had called 



824 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

upon that evening, he was ushered into the presence of his 
Creator. 

ROBBERY AT LINWOOD IN 1880. S. A. TDWELL, " THE MER- 
CHANT PRINCE," HAS HIS STORE LOOTED. 

When the C. W. & M. railroad was built to Anderson in 
1876, many little villages sprang up along the line of the 
new thoroughfare, among which \vas Linwood, which was 
then called " Funk's Station," named in honor of Joseph 
Funk, a prominent farmer of that locality. Samuel A. Towell, 
fire chief of Anderson, was its first merchant. 

A blacksmith shop and a saw-mill, together with Mr. 
TowelTs store made up the business establishments of the 
town. 

Mr. Towel! was postmaster and Charles M. Harriman, 
now of the firm of May & Harriman, of Anderson, was deputy 
postmaster and general clerk in the store. 

In the month of July, 1880, this quiet hamlet was visited 
by burglars and the store was robbed of considerable of its 
contents, the post-office looted and a general cleaning out of 
the place occurred. No clue was ever obtained of the mis- 
creants, and who committed the first burglary in Linwood 
will in all probability always remain a mystery. 

Mr. Towell, the first merchant, and Mr. Harriman, his 
clerk, have since both been prominent in the business affairs 
of Anderson and are yet living in the city. 

THE KILLING OF WALTER STEVENS. 

Walter Stevens, a son of Samuel Stevens, of Lafayette 
township, was killed at the Wright Shovel Works in North 
Anderson on the 24th of June., 1S96, by the bursting of an 
emery wheel. The flying pieces struck him in the forehead, 
crushing the front part of the skull, and causing other injuries 
from which he died after being removed to St. Mary's hqspital. 
Dr. S. Canby Willson and other medical attendants ad- 
ministered to the wounded man's needs, but in vain, as his 
injuries were of a fatal nature. 

The young man was about twenty-one years of age and 
highlj' respected. He had been engaged in the factory but a 
short time when the awful accident took place. The father 
and mother of the victim were heartbroken, and, being well 
known, received the undivided sympathy of the communit)-. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 825 

A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION. 

In May of the year 1868, one of the most terrific explo- 
sions took place at Florida, five miles north of Anderson, that 
has been recorded in Madison county history. The boilers in 
the saw mill of Roadcap & Co. let go about 10 o'clock in the 
forenoon, causing death and destruction on every side. No 
one connected with the mill was killed, but two by-standers, 
customers of the mill, one by the name of Wolfe, the other 
Perry Moore, a nephew of Isaac Moore, of Anderson, were 
instantly killed. They were either in the mill or very close to 
it at the time it blew up. A man by the name of Hoover was 
also badly hurt. Solomon ]Muck, who is yet a prominent 
figure on the streets of Anderson, was one of the victims. He 
was thought to be fatally wounded, but pulled through and is 
yet alive. He will carry his scars to the grave, however. 
The owners of the mill are all yet alive. Henry Roadcap, the 
senior member of the firm, is living a retired life in North 
Anderson. \\'allace Van Winkle is running a mill at Sum- 
mitville, and John Qiiincy Van Winkle, the junior member, 
who was but a youth at that time, is now Superintendent of 
the Big Four railroad system and living at Indianapolis. 

The explosion was heard and felt in Anderson very plainly. 
Many supposed that a powder keg in some of the stores had 
exploded. It was not long, however, until messengers ar- 
rived for medical assistance. When the facts were made 
known throughout the town, hundreds of persons hastened to 
the scene of the accident. All sorts of stories were circulated. 
Reports came that the entire village ^vas destroyed ; that 
Henry Roadcap and all his inen were instantly killed, and 
great excitement prevailed. Mr. Roadcap was an old resident 
with a large acquaintance throughout the count)-. The mill 
was a complete wreck. Nothing was left to tell the tale. It 
was a wonder that any human being in reach of the flying 
missiles escaped being killed or badly injured. The old saw- 
dust pile where the mill once stood can be seen from the pass- 
ing trains on the Pan Handle road, and is all that is left to 
tell of that horrible occurrence. It was the theme of theorists 
and wiseacres for years as to the cause of the explosion, but, 
like all other boiler explosions, the mystery is still unsolved. 

DEATH OF CHARLES DAVIS. 

Charles Davis, one of the oldest residents of Madison 
county, died in Anderson on the 29th of January, 1890. He 



826 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

was an old soldier and was well respected in the community 
in which he lived. At the time of his death he was eighty- 
four years of age. He was the father of Firman Davis, of 
Lafayette township ; John P. Davis, of Anderson, and An- 
drew Davis, of Elwood. iMr. Davis came to ]SIadison county 
when it was but a wilderness. He came from North Caro- 
lina and was born in Pasquotank county, in that State. He 
settled among the Indians, bears and wolves of those days. 
He made a little home for himself in the woods and reared a 
large family, all of whom survive him. He was a member of 
the Thirty-fourth Indiana Regiment during the late war and 
was rewarded for his services by having a pension allowed 
him a few days prior to his death, but did not live long 
enough to enjoy it. The familiar face of " Uncle Charlie,'" as 
he was called by all who knew him, was often seen in Ander- 
son, he having been prominent at one time as a local poli- 
tician. He had always taken an active part in politics in 
Madison county for the nomination of candidates for diflferent 
offices. He was a stanch Democrat. 

LEVI BREWER, A VETERAN OF TWO WARS. 

We present to our readers, in tiie person of Levi Brewer, 
a representative of the early-born residents of Madison county. 
There are but few now living in the community of his age 
who can boast of having been born in the wilderness of the 
frontier, among the wild animals and savages, which at an 
early da\' were plentiful in Madison county. He was born 
January 6th, 1825, two years after this was made a county, 
and has continually lived here ever since, except while in the 
ranks fighting for his country. He volunteered in the Mexi- 
can war in 1846, and was a member of the Ninty-ninth Indi- 
ana Regiment in the War of the Rebellion. 

Mr. Brewer enjoys the proud distinction of being the only 
survivor of the jNIexican war living in Madison county. He 
needs no introduction as an " old-timer." Levi has been here 
so long that the memory of man runneth not to the contrary. 
He is an old soldier, not with a wooden leg, however, as his 
pedal extremities are in a first-class condition. He can walk 
a distance of ten miles about as quickly as a Midland passen- 
ger train would make it. Levi helped to storm the ramparts 
of Chipultepec, batter down the walls of Montezuma, and take 
the City of Mexico as his crowning victory. 

He went with Colonel X. Berry and many other brave 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



827 



men, to a foreign land to make another country respect our 
laws and bow to the American Hag. Levi has never c:ired to 
obtain riches, but rather to have a good time. He drowns all 
his sorrows, if he ever has any, in the flowing bowl. In all 




I.KVI HKKWKK. 



this wide world, there is not a man who can stand up and sav 
that Levi Brewer ever did him a wrong. If he has ever done 
any wrong, it is to himself and no one else. Xot long ago. 



828 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the government of the United States became generous enough 
to acknowledge the services of the old veterans of the Mexican 
war, and granted the few survivors who yet remain, a pension 
of eight dollars a month each. This amount is payable quar- 
terly in sums of $24. At the end of every three months Levi 
gets his allowance and there is where the fun sets in. Hilarity 
doesn't spell it. He stays in Anderson from the time he gets 
his pension until it is well-nigh gone, telling Mexican war 
stories and seeing the sights with the boys. (Jn one pension 
day Levi came to town; as usual he got jolly. There was a 
company at the Doxey Theatre playing " LTncle Hiram." 
" Uncle Hiram" was the personification of an old farmer just 
come to town. Levi came bustling into the theatre unan- 
nounced, walking down the aisle with his hat on, which was 
of an old, broad-brimmed fashion, crawled up into a box 
seat and squared himself for a good laugh. 

Something on the stage took his fancy and he let go in 
one of his immense bass laughs. He brought clown the house 
and nearly broke up the show. " Uncle Hiram" caught on 
to him from the stage and became so tickled at Levi's manners 
and make-up that he nearly forgot his lines. Levi had to be 
squelched before the show could proceed. 

Several years ago, Levi attended a camp-meeting at the 
Holston camp-meeting grounds. Brother McKeg was there 
doing the preaching; he was getting in his best licks in one 
of his '• powerful " sermons. He took his text in the way-back 
part of the Bible, where the hell part is the hottest, and sailed 
in. The Rev. McKeg is an orator of no mean ability, gener- 
ally commanding attention ; this time was no exception. He 
had pictured out before him an imaginar}' man, a sinner, pre 
posing to convict him of the high crime of sin in all its phases 
and consign him to everlasting doom. He stood his man up 
in the midst of the vast crowd and poured hot shot into him 
with all his zeal and might ; the perspiration poured off of him 
in great drops, his hearers were breathless and speechless — 
perfectly carried away. Levi Brewer was one of his audience; 
the seals were all taken. Levi was standing up in their midst 
over six feet tall. He had listened to every word with the 
closest attention from beginning to end. When the preacher 
sat down, wiping his face, Levi took a long breath and ex- 
claimed : 

" \\'ell, I-God, I guess thev'll hang him." 

The old brethren around him, after their first recovery 



illSTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 829 

from the shock, could not help laughing at Levi's expression. 
They all felt as Levi did — that the imaginary man had been 
convicted and that hanging and hell were none too good for 
him. With all of Levi's raking around and having a good 
time, never working hard or worrying his brain about how to- 
morrow will be provided for, he has always kept a roof over 
his head and a comfortable place to stay in. What else could 
he have if he were worth a million? 

When Levi heard that President Johnson had appointed 
Tom Stilwell as United States minister to Venezuela, he re- 
marked that " South America must be devilish hard up for 
preachin'." 

THE HON. GEORGE W. HARRIS. 

The Hon. George W'. Harris was one of the men who 
settled in this countv when the woods were unbroken and 
people who lived within two or three miles of each other were 
considered near neighbors. 

He was a large, raw-boned man and " as stout as an o.\." 
At a log-rolling or a barn-raising he was the center of attrac- 
tion. His wonderful strength was the pride of his neighbors 
as well as himself. The man who could hold up the opposite 
end of a hand-spike when George had hold of it was a man in 
all the word implied. George lived in a day when fighting 
was more common among the people than now. To call a 
man a liar meant the first blow, and the man who gave the lie 
expected the next moment to be hit in the mouth. George 
was very peaceful, and never picked a quarrel with anyone, 
but to insult him meant war, and he was never whipped. His 
genial disposition and general store of good sense made him a 
leader among the men of his day. 

Although with little or no education he had a wonderful 
flow of language, and was ready in debate. In the old-fash- 
ioned schoolhouse debating societies he was right at home ; he 
could cope with the best of them and always came out on the 
winning side. 

His prominence among the common people won for him 
many places of honor. When George started after an office 
he appealed to the farmer and mechanic, the brawn and mus- 
cle of the country, and his appeals were not in vain. 

In Ls7i5 the Granger excitement ran (luite high in Madi- 
son county, as well .is in other localities in Indiana, and cut 
quite a figure in politics. In the early part of that year it 
looked like the Grangers were going to >w.;ep the land. Xo 



"830 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

one but a farmer was thought of by either party as a candi- 
date, especially for a legislative office. In April of that year 
the Democrats held their county convention, and, casting 
about for a man to lead the party to victory, Mr. Harris was 
thought to be the man. He was accordingly nominated for 
Representative. Mr. Harris accepted, and promised the con- 
vention that no effort of his should be left undone to land the 
party in the majority. 

His speech in accepting the honor will long be remem- 
bered by those who heard it. It was repeated by the opposi- 
tion press nearly every week until the polls closed, but George 
got there just the same. It was during the time of the " Bax- 
ter Liquor Law," against which Mr. Harris took issue, and 
also a law that required the appraisement of real estate every 
two years, which entailed much expense on the people. Mr. 
Harris, in addressing the convention, pledged himself to wipe 
these laws from our code, and although his language was 
crude, it took with his constituency. 

The people had confidence in Mr. Harris' simple honesty 
and he was elected by a handsome majority. It must be said 
to his credit, too, that he labored in the halls of the Legisla- 
ture for the passage of every measure advocated by him on the 
"" stump"' and accomplished much in that direction. Through 
Mr. Harris' efforts a law was passed that is still in force, com- 
pelling attorneys to purchase their own stationery for use in 
the courts. Whether or not the lawyers pav any attention to 
this law the writer does not know, but nevertheless it is a law. 

Mr. Harris was Deputy Marshal of Anderson in LS70. 
which position he filled in a satisfactory manner. 

In making his canvass for the Legislature, in 1874, he 
drove a large stallion hitched to an open buggy, a " black- 
^nake " wagon whip thrown over his shoulder, presenting a 
very picturesque appearance as he traveled over the "cordu- 
roy" roads. He told his friends when he started out that he 
was •' going north to stt the woods a-fire," that he did not 
intend to sleep until victory was achieved, and he kept his 
word. 

In the House of Representatives Mr. Harris was well re- 
spected. The Hon. David Turpie, now United States Senator 
from Indiana, formed a warm attachment for him and assisted 
him in many ways. Mr. Turpie was at that time Speaker of 
the House. He admired Mr. Harris for his simplicity and 
sterling honest}'. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 831 

A truer man never lived than George Harris ; he loved a 
friend and went to extremes to show his loyaltj' to those he 
liked. To an enemy he was charitable but always managed 
to get even some place along the road. 

The memory of Mr. Harris will linger in this community 
as long as the old-timer lives. The ranks of those who made 
up the citizenship of his day are fast fading away. 

One of the great pleasures of this work is to speak of the 
old-time people and to perpetuate their memories. The men 
of theiGeorge Harris type are in the great minority now; 
there are a few here and there, but year by year they are giv- 
ing away to new comers and new ideas of life. 



CHAPTER LXXIV. 



Monroe Township. 



This township was named in honor of the fifth President 
of the United States, and is the largest in the county, its area 
being fifty-one square miles. It was organized January, 1836, 
by the following order ot the Board of Commissioners : 

" On petition filed, it is ordered that the following de- 
scribed territory be stricken from Richland township, to-wit. : 
Commencing on the county line where the township line di- 
viding township 20 and 21, north, crosses the same, running 
thence north with the county line to the north-east corner of 
Madison county, thence west with the north line of said county 
to the north-east corner of Pipe Creek township, thence south 
with the east line to the place of beginning, and that said ter- 
ritory so stricken off be organized into a separate township 
to be known and designated by the name of Monroe town- 
ship. All elections are ordered to be held at the residence of 
Micajah Chamness until otherwise ordered." 

The land is gradually level except along Pipe Creek, 
where it is undulating. This is the largest stream in the 
township, and flows from the north-east to the south-west, 
having Mud and Lily creeks on the north, and Little Pipe 
creek on the south as tributaries. 

Previous to the year 1831, there was not a white man 
within the territory which comprises the township. Some- 
time during that year, however, Micajah Chamness and George 
Marsh, from North Carolina, settled near the present site of 
Alexandria, on Section 19, the west half of which, together 
with the east half of the north-east quarter of Section 24, the 
former entered for a home. This was the first entry of land 
in the township. A year later James M. Annon and Morgan 
James settled in the township, the first named on Section 23, 
near the mouth of Mud creek, and the latter on Little 
Pipe creek, south of where Alexandria is now situated. From 
1833 to 1835, James Tomlinson, from Ohio; Stephen Norris, 
Thornberry Moffitt, Jesse Vermillion, from Lawrence county, 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 888 

Ohio ; David L. Pickard, from Maine ; Stephen and John 
Marsh, Peter Edwards and Stephen Fenimore, settled in the 
township. Among Others who settled in the township about 
this time, or soon after, were John Brunt, Peter Cassell, Evan, 
Ellis, Lorenzo Carver, Baxter Davis, Elijah Williamson, John' 
Cree, Joseph Hall, Jacob Price, John Chitwood and Hildria 
Lee. These hardy pioneers went to work with a will, clear- 
ing up farms for themselves and families, meeting with trials,, 
surmounting difficulties and performing labors that their de- 
scendants, many of whom are honored citizens and men of 
affairs in the township, would, if similarly situated, regard 
as impossible of accomplishment. 

The first saw-mill and "corn cracker" in the township 
■was built by James M. Jame-s, in 1834, on Pipe creek, one 
mile south-west of the present site of Alexandria. The mat- 
ter is somewhat obscure, but it is claimed that a " corn 
cracker " was built even earlier than this, about a mile north- 
east of Alexandria, on Pipe creek. This stream at that time 
abounded in fish, and the early pioneers often fished at this 
mill of nights, with the wolves howling around them. 

The first roads laid out in the township were the Indi- 
anapolis & Fort Wayne and the Shelbyville & Fort Wayne^ 
over which the mails were carried at an early day. They 
were cut out in 1880 and formed a junction near the north line 
of the township. 

David L. Pickard was the first postmaster at Alexandria, 
He was succeeded by Nathan E. Tomlinson. Mr. Pickard 
was elected Justice of the Peace at the first election held in 
the township. The election was held at the house of Micajah 
Chamness in April, 1836. It was about this time that William 
Conner and John D. Stephenson, of Noblesville, having rea- 
son to believe that the Indiana Central Canal would be con- 
structed through the township, purchased the land where the 
city of Alexandria is now situated of Micajah Chamness. The 
purchase was made by Colonel N. Berry, who surveyed the 
land for the purchasers and at once proceeded to erect a log 
house on what is now the southeast corner of Berry and 
Clinton streets. A stock of general merchandise was placed 
in this building by Colonel Berry as agent of Conner & Ste- 
phenson, and thus the first store in the township was estab- 
lished. Many of the Colonel's customers came a long distance 

to trade with him, and articles were sold mostly in exchan;^e 
53 



fe34" HISTORY OF ifADISON COUNTYi' INDIANA." 

for coon skins, tan bark and other commodities. A large 
business was done in this line. 

The furs of wild animals were bought by the agents of 
Atnericah and European fur companies, and traders from 
every section of the country came to purchase them and ship 
them to New York. Coon skins brought from fifty to seventy- 
'five cents each, and the choicest of them were occasionally 
•sold for one dollar. Ginseng, in large quantities, was brought 
in and sold at from fifteen to twenty cents per pound. It was 
likewise shipped East arid was largely Used in compounding 
medicines. Colonel Berry, after remaining in Alexandria 
six months, turned his stock over to David Pickard, who car-, 
ried on the business as his successor for several years. The 
next store-keeper to locate here was a man by the name of 
IBurner, who arrived in lS89,and who carried on a large busi^ 
ness. In the same year Nathan E. Tomlinson came to the vil- 
lage from Yorktown and took charge of a stock of goods. He 
afterwards became proprietor of the store and continuously did 
business until a very short time before his death a few years 
ago. Mr. Tomlinson was one of the best known merchants 
in Madison county and was a very prominent citizen, socially 
•and politically. He was a stanch Republican and took an 
active part in that party's welfare. He was the father of 
Mrs. Jesse Forkner, of Anderson, and also of Mark Tomlin- 
son, lately deceased. 

• The first tavern-keeper was David Pickard, who kept a 
house in a log building, weather-boarded on the outside. It 
"was standing a few years ago, when it was torn down by the 
hand of progress to give way to a more stately edifice. The 
price for entertainment for man and beast was sixtj' cents 
per day in the currency of the realm, and the proprietor for a 
long time did a prosperous business. 

The first school teacher was a man by the name of John 
Brunt, who opened a school in the year 1)S37, with twelve pu- 
pils. The studies pursued were the primary branches, such as 
reading, spelling, and exercises in penmanship with a goose- 
quill pen. On Friday, the last day of the school week, spell- 
ing matches were in vogue, and the pupils would choose sides 
for the contests in the afternoon. Mr. Brunt was a brother of 
Thomas Brunt and an uncle to A. J. Brunt, spoken of in an. 
other place in this volume. The next school teacher in the 
village was a Mr. Richard Edwards, who resided here and 
taught school for a term of one year. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. . 835 

The first physician to locate in tlie town was Dr. Spence, 

••who arrived a year or -two after the first settlement of the 

iown. He built the first brick house in the village, which 

stood one square west of what is now Harrison street. He 

•did quite a flourishing business in the few years he remained 

here and finally removed to Fairmount, where he died in 1845. 

His immediate successor was Dr. D. C. Westerfield, who sub- 

c-sequently moved to the State of Iowa. The number of ills 

'which a country doctor, at that time, had to contend with 

were very great, but the principal ones were fever and ague. 

These have long since disappeared with the draining of the 

surface water by the many large ditches throughout the county. 

A NOTABLE CIRCUMSTANCE. 

Among the notable circumstances in the early. history of 
Alexandria was the disappearance of a man by the name of 
Branch, and the general belief in the community for a long 
time was that he had been murdered by one of the prominent 
residents of the place. The occurrence took place at the time 
the "spirit rappings " were introduced into the county. 
Branch, after staying around Alexandria for some time, had 
started for Ft. Wayne with the intention of purchasing some 
land and was never seen alive again. No particulars could 
«ver be ascertained in relation to him. Some one started the 
report that he had been murdered by a well-known citizen and 
that his body had been thrown into a small stream four miles 
east of the village. The gentleman asserted his innocence at 
all times but was regarded with suspicion. He offered suf- 
ficient proof from Ft. Wayne that Branch had taken sick and 
died there, and all suspicion was quieted for a time until these 
■" spirit meetings " began to have some believers. 

Among those who believed in this doctrine in the com- 
munity was a young man by the name of Ward McNeer, who 
was a person of rather unsavory reputation. He gave him- 
self out as a spiritual medium and through him, it is said, 
the spirit of Branch appeared and stated that he had been 
murdered and that his remains were thrown into the stream 
aforesaid. The excitement was now again at fever heat and 
the people flocked to the stream with shovels and spades to 
dig up the remains. The crowd was headed by McNeer. 
They found a fur cap with a hole in it and after prolonged 
search some bones were taken out from beneath a sma'l tree 
near by. The chances of the suspected man now grew very 



886 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

slim and talk of lynching him was indulged in. At last, how- 
ever, the cooler heads in the crowd began to investigate and 
the bones were found to be those of an animal while the cap 
perhaps had been placed there by design. Soon the people sus- 
pected that the whole thing was a ■" set up job" and McNeer 
and his followers fell into very bad odor. 

The first lawyer who established himself in Alexandria 
was Peter H. Lemon. This was in 1842, and he remained 
there for about one year. Mr. Lemon w^as subsequently elected 
Clerk of the Madison County Courts, and served a term of 
four years, after which he removed to Indianapolis, where he 
died a few years ago. 

The first blacksmith shop in the township was started by 
Joseph Fenimore at Alexandria in 1839. Mr. Fenimore 
was a clever workman and continued at his vocation for 
many years. 

The first flouring and saw-mill was built in 1850 by J. E. 
Smith. The ground upon which this mill stood is now occu- 
pied by the immense flouring mills owned and operated by S. 
E. Young. This property was owned and operated as a dis- 
tillery in 1868 by W. H. Daniels. At a point on the creek, 
just beloTBV the mill, was a small distillery at an early day that 
was operated by Yadkin Williams, and it is still remembered 
by the old-timers of the locality, one of whom is Mr. Nathan 
O'Bryant, that the " plant " was run at its full capacity day 
and night at times in order to supply customers with whisky. 
It is said that on one occasion Elijah Deadman went to the 
distillery with his jug to get it filled with liquor, and that the 
distiller took the receptacle and marked the number " 37" on 
the bottom of it with a piece of chalk, indicating that there 
were thirty-six other jugs to be filled before Mr. Deadman 
could be supplied. It is hardly necessary to observe that the 
whisky manufactured at this little still was not of the " sure- 
shot" kind, except in cases of ague. 

OTHER ENTERPRISES AND INDUSTRIES. 

The first person to open a saloon was Ryburn Haskett, 
situated on the lot now occupied by Charles Gipe's residence, 
on Harrison street. 

In 1S45 William Calloway established a large dry goods 
store on the lot now occupied by the Johnson & McMahan 
block, situated on the corner of Washington and Harrison 
streets. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 8B7 

In 1847 William T. Scott located here with a general 
store. Mr. Scott's store was situated on the corner of Harri- 
son and Berry streets, on the lot now occupied by R. H. Han- 
nah's residence. 

In 1850 Wolfe & Sherman located here a fanning mill 
factory (entirely without subsidy) on the lot now occupied by 
Dr. Runyan's residence. In 1856 they erected a frame busi- 
ness room on the lot now occupied by the Alexandria Na- 
tional Bank. 

The old landmarks are almost obliterated, except a part 
of the building now occupied by the Gas Belt News, built by 
J. P. Scott, in 1859, on the lot now occupied by Allison's shoe 
store, and the old frame building on Washington street, east 
of the Johnson & McMahan block. 

Alexandria made very slow progress from 1850 to 1867, 
having about 800 inhabitants. In 1875 the two railroads were 
put througii iiere, giving the town quite a boom. The popu- 
lation increased wonderfully within the next few years. 

ALEX.\NDRIA INCORPORATED AS A TOWN. 

In the summer of 1876, Alexandria was incorporated and 
the following ofHcers elected : E. B. Chamness, N. E. Tom- 
linson and Gideon Keifer, Trustees; Seth B. Henshaw, Treas- 
urer ; J. M. Tomlinson, Clerk ; Marion Tuttle, Marshal. Mr. 
Chamness had the honor of writing the first ordinance for the 
young corporation. 

NIAGARA LI.ME STONE DISCO\ERED. 

In 1885, Simon Richardson discovered the Niagara lime 
stone quarry, one and one-half miles west of town in the bed 
of Pipe creek, on the land owned by William Carver. Then 
there was no doubt that Alexandria possessed greater natural 
advantages than any town in the State. Mr. Richardson being 
a poor man had not the means with which to develop the 
quarry and Mr. Carver seemingly having no faith in the pro- 
ductiveness of his land, let the quarry lay idle for some time. 

L. C. Nicoson, an experienced quarryman, of Anderson, 
appreciating the fine quality of the stone, leased the land from 
Mr. Carver and bought the land adjoining it. He immediately 
put in all the machinery necessary for quarrying stone, devel- 
oping the quarry and manifesting one of Alexandria's natural 
advantages. Mr. Nicoson still owns and operates the quarry 
with a force of fifty men. 



838 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Later, R. Free & Son opened a quarry on their land far- 
ther up the creek, near the Big Four Railroad bridge, now in- 
side the city limits. In 1889 N. Booth bought R. Free's 
interest in the quarry, he and S. Free running the business un- 
der the firm name of Free & Booth. Four years later Mr. 
Booth bought S. Free's interest and now owns and operates 
the quarry. This quarry is equally as productive as Mr. Nic- 
oson's, and no\v employs about the same number of men. 
This made brick and boulder foundations and corner 
" chunks " a thing of the past. The Niagara lime stone far 
surpasses, for building purposes, any stone in the State. This 
was an enterprise, as well as a natural advantage, that the cit- 
izens of Alexandria could well feel proud of. 

The first newspaper in Alexandria was published in 1877, 
called the Alexandria J)ec, edited by Joseph Fenimore. 

In 1885 T. A. French came to Alexandria with the deter- 
mination of running a successful newspaper. The first issue 
of Judge French's paper came out with the Alexandria Times 
at the top of the first page, in large black letters. The citi- 
zens hailed this paper with delight, and whispered, " Alexan- 
dria will boom now, sure." 

The next and greatest natural advantage was natural gas. 
This great discovery was made on March 27, 1887, in well 
No. 1, of the Alexandria Mining and Exploring Company, lo- 
cated near the the terminus of East Washington street. The 
discovery of this ^vonderful fuel created greater excitement 
among the villagers than the discovery of gold created among 
the people of the West. Not only were the people of Alex- 
andria excited, but the people of the adjoining counties also. 
They came by thousands to see "the wonder of the nine- 
teenth century." Not knowing the depth of the Trenton 
rock, they were afraid to go very deep for fear of reaching 
salt water, consequently this well was small, flowing about 
two million cubic feet per day. Later, the same company 
drilled well No. 2, on West Washington street, which was 
thought at that time to be a very strong well, flowing 6,000,- 
000 cubic feet per day. 

At the time gas was discovered Alexandria was a village 
of 800 inhabitants. It was a very beautiful little place, hav- 
ing the best streets of any town in the county. Being well 
located, it attracted a gre^t many prospectors. 

Among the first to locate here was a brick manufacturer, 
a Mr. Davis, of Indianapolis, who located north of the city^ 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 83^ 

Mr. E. C. Ward now owns and operates the factory built by- 
Mr. Davis, employing about fifteen men. The second indus^ 
try was a window glass factory, located by Harper & Cruzen, 
now owned and operated by Herr, Free & Miller, under 
the firm name of the Alexandria Window Glass Company, 
employing seventy-two men. 

The third industry was the Lippincott Chimney Works,, 
located on West Washington street. This factory is one of 
the largest in the Gas Belt, employing about 650 men. 

The fourth industry was the Indiana Brick Works, located 
south of the city, employing fifty men. 

The fifth industry was the DePauw Plate Glass Works,-. 
one of the largest in America, now known as the American 
Plate Glass, employing about 300 men, situated west of the 
Lippincott works. 

The sixth industry was the DePauw Window Glass Works, 
situated east of the city. This factory was the first tank fac- 
tory built in the Gas Belt and employs about 800 men. 

The seventh industry was the Kelly Axe Manufacturing 
Company, located north of the city, manufacturing the Perfect 
axe, of which W. C. Kelly, President of the company, is the 
patentee. This axe is conceded by all to be the best made in 
the world. The factory employs 400 men and is kept con- 
stantly in operation filling the orders received from all parts- 
of the globe. 

The last, but by no means the least, is the Union Steel Co.'s 
plant, located south of the city. It is one of the largest and 
finest in the world, employing 1,600 to 2,000 men. 

Besides these industries there are a number of smaller fac- 
tories among which are the Artificial Ice Plant and the Nov- 
elty Works. 

THE OPERA HOUSE. 

During the year 1890, C. F. Heritage, Albert Gordon, R. 
H. Hannah and S. E. Young erected the handsome and com- 
modious Opera House on the south-east corner of Harrison and 
Church streets at a cost of $25,000. This building is an orna- 
ment to the city and will stand as a monument to the enter- 
prise and public spirit of its owners and builders. 

ALEXANDRIA BANKS NATIONAL BANK. 

Of the many financial institutions in the county — and it 
is a matter worthy of note that Madison county has more of 
them than any other county in the State — the banks of Alex- 



840 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

andria stand second to none in the confidence of the business 
world. The first bank estabhshed at Alexandria was organ- 
ized by Dr. Braxton Baker, years before it was ever thought 
that the village would become one of the busiest little cities in 
the country. It was a private institution and was known as 
the Alexandria Bank. In 1892 this bank was reorganized 
under the National banking laws, and has since been doing 
business under the name of the Alexandria National Bank. 
The capital stock of the bank is $50, OCX). It is safe and relia- 
ble, and its career has been eminently successful. The oflicers 
of the bank are, S. E. Young, President; R. H. Hannah, vice- 
President; S. G. Phillips, Cashier, and John H. Heritage 
Assistant Cashier. 

COMMERCIAL BANK. 

This institution was organized March 1, 1890, and by 
prudent management, practical methods and strict attention to 
legitimate banking business, is now held in high favior by the 
business public. It has ample capital with which to meet all 
■demands that are made upon it, and enjoys the reputation of 
being financially solid. It is a co-partnership bank and its 
stockholders have large holdings in lands and other valuable 
property. The officers of the institution are, B. T. Calloway, 
President; H. C. Calloway, Vice-President; S. Free, Cashier, 
and Miss A. E. Condo, Assistant Cashier. 

ALEXANDRIA INCORPORATED AS A CITV. 

In 1898 the town of Alexandria was incorporated as a 
•city. The following is a list of the first and subsequent offi- 
cers : John E. Sherman, Mayor; L. J. Hernly, Clerk; E. C. 
Robinson, Treasurer; W. W. Fenimore, Marshal; Council- 
men. First Ward, C. F. Heritage and John Reese; Second 
Ward, Joseph Brannum and Henry Herr ; Third Ward, T. W. 
Mullen and Peter Hartman. The following officers were 
elected in 1894: John Shannon, Mayor; C.C.Robinson, 
Treasurer ; J. F. Brenaman, vice Robinson, resigned ; John W. 
Wallingford, Clerk; (J. M. Tomlinson, vice Wallingford, 
resigned ;) T. M. Houston, Marshal ; Councilmen, First Ward, 
C F. Heritage and L. F. Pierce ; Second Ward, Joseph Bran- 
num and Henry Herr ; Third Ward, T. W. Mullen and S. E. 
Rhinehart. The present city officials are John Shannon, 
Mayor; Jesse E. Beeson, City Judge; Joseph M. Tomlinson, 
Clerk ; James F. Brenaman, Treasurer ; T. M. Houston, Mar- 



HISTORY OF MADrSON COUNTY, INDIANA. 841 

shal ; Councilmen, First Ward, L. F. Pierce and S. Michaels; 
Second Ward, Joseph Brannum and John Marrs ; Third Ward, 
T. W. Mullen and W. F. Edwards. 

ELECTRIC LIGHT AND WATER WORKS. 

The city is lighted by electricity, has an excellent water 
works system, and a well-organized fire department, mention 
of which will be found elsewhere in this work. The Electric 
Light Company was organized in 1898. 

CHURCHES, SCHOOLS AND BENEVOLENT ORDERS. 

Alexandria has seven Christian churches, or societies : The 
Methodist, Christian, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopal, United 
Presbyterian and Catholic. The Methodist society is the old- 
est in the city and township, having been organized at an 
early day. The society originally belonged to the Pendleton 
circuit and built the first church in Alexandria in 1845. The 
church is in a prosperous condition, having a large member- 
ship and practically out of debt. 

The Christian church was organized in 1852, although 
evangelical work had been done in the township as far back 
as 1839 and 1840 by Elders Daniel Franklin, Drury Holt, 
William Trowbridge, B. Blount and others. Prominent 
among the membership of this church at the time of its organ- 
ization were Jacob Cassell, John McMahan, James Ellis, 
Joseph Fenimore. Elizabeth Fitch and Martha Cassell. The 
society erected a meeting-house at Alexandria in 1858, in 
which services were held until 1868, when it was abandoned, 
being considered insecure. The membership divided at this 
time, a part going to what is known as the Lilly Creek church 
and a part to the Vinson church. The church was organized 
at Alexandria, however, in November, 1875, by Elder Will- 
iam McKensey, since which time it has steadily increased its 
membership. 

The Presbyterian society was organized at a compara- 
tively recent date. The membership is small but zealous and 
the result is that the society has one of the cosiest little 
churches in the county. 

The Baptist church was organized at Alexandria Decem- 
ber 23, 1895, and at present has no permanent home, the meet- 
ings being held in the Red Men's hall on Harrison street. 
The members are active and arrangements have been perfected 
that will insure them a place of worship. 



842' HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

There has been an organized Baptist society in Monroe 
township since June, 1842, when a small number of that faith 
assembled at the house of Moses Maynard for the purpose of 
organizing a church. In 1844 the society built a log meet- 
ing-house on .Section 32, in the south-east part of the town- 
ship. This house was removed in 1872, and on its site was 
erected a neat little frame building. This society is known 
as the Little Killbuck Old School Baptist Church. The first 
pastor was the Rev. William A. Thompson, one of the pioneer 
Baptist ministers of the State. 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church was organized December, 
1895, by Rev. Francis C. Woodard. The membership is few 
in numbers, but active, and the society is growing. 

The United Presbyterians organized their church at 
Alexandria on May 4, 1893, and on the 1st of July, 1893, Rev. 
A. K. Straw took pastoral charge of the congregation. The 
work of the society is well organized and the outlook hope- 
ful. 

The Catholics have a growing congregation, but as yet 
have no permanent place of worship. Services are held by 
Father Beagle, of Elwood, twice a month. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

The city of Alexandria has four public school buildings 
for the accomodation of the 670 children of legal school age 
within its limits, that number being the enumeration for the 
present year. Of that number sixteen are colored, eleven 
males and five females. This year a corps of twenty-one 
teachers was employed, at the head of whom, as superintend- 
ent, is Vinton R. Busby, one of the most efficient educators 
in the State. The present school trustees are Thomas H. 
Jones, S. Free and H. C. Binkly. 

Two of the four school buildings, the ''Tomlinson '" and 
" Clark," are deserving of special mention. These two 
structures when completed and furnished cost the citizens of 
Alexandria $40,000. They are of handsome design, very at- 
tractive and a credit to the city. 

There are thirteen school buildings in the township ex- 
clusive of the towns, and a like number of teachers. The 
school enumeration this year for the township alone shows 
that there are 352 males and 307 females, making a total of 
659 persons entitled to school privileges. 



I 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 84S 

BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES. 

There are five secret benevolent orders at Alexandria^ 
viz : The F. and A. M. ; I. O. O. F. ; K. of P. ; I. O. R. M. 
and K. O. T. M. These societies were instituted in the above 
order, the Masons being the first to organize a lodge. Alex- 
andria Lodge No. 225, F. and A. M., was organized May 25, 
1858, and the following officers installed : R. H. Hannah, 
W. M. ; John Coburn, S. W. ; T. J. Pickard, J. W. ; D. M. 
Scott, Treas. ; A. G. Tomlinson, Sec. ; G. Bohrer, S. D. ; Jos- 
eph Pugh, J. D, ; J. M. Zedeker, Tyler. 

Necessity Lodge No. 222, L O. O. F., was instituted Nov. 
21, 1860, with ten charter members. The first officers of the 
lodge were : C. Free, N. G. ; John Heagy, V. G. ; R. H. 
Cree, Sec. ; S. B. Harriman, Treas. This is the only lodge of 
any order in the county that owns a cemetery. The beauti- 
ful burial ground in the south-east part of the city was pur- 
chased and laid out as a place of sepulture by Necessity Lodge. 

The L O. R. M., K. of P. and Knights of the Maccabees 
are all in a flourishing condition and constantly increasing their 
membership. 

THE PRESS. 

The city has four newspapers proper mention of which is 
made elsewhere in these pages. 

PROMINENT CITIZENS. 

The following are the names of those who have served the 
county in an official capacity from this township : 

William Wilson, Commissioner, from 1844 to 1885; Fred- 
rick Black, Representative, from 1867 to 1869; Dr. Joseph 
Pugh, Treasurer, from 1867 to 1871 ; J. F. Mock, Representa- 
tive, from 1869 to 1870; D. K. Carver, Sheriff, from 1870 to 
1872; Robert H. Hannah, Clerk, from 1874 to 1878; T. J. 
McMahan, Sheriff, from 1876 to 1880; R. H. Cree, State 
Senator, from Madison anJ Delaware counties, from 1875 to 
1877; Morton H. Downey, Surveyor, from 1894 to 1896 and 
reelected and is the present incumbent of that office. 

ORESTES. 

A few years ago Orestes was a mere hamlet ; now, owing 
to the discovery of natural gas, it is an incorporated town 
with an estimated population of 450. The town is situated 
on the L. E. & W. railroad, two miles west of Alexandria, 
and possesses certain advantages which give it a degree of 



844 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

prominence as a business point. It has two large factories, 
the Powell Tile works and the United Window Glass factory, 
the latter being one of the largest establishments of its kind 
in the country. 

The school enumeration for the present year shows that 
there are 211 persons of legal school age within the corporate 
limits. Two school buildings are required for the accommo- 
dation of pupils and three teachers are employed. 

Orestes is surrounded by a fertile farming country ; its 
people are enterprising and thrifty, and taken altogether the 
town is fairly prosperous. It was incorporated in 1894. 

OSCEOLA. 

This village is situated in the north-west corner of the 
township and was laid out in 1855. It derives its name from 
the celebrated Seminole chief and at one time promised to be- 
come a place of considerable importance. A post-office was 
established here and E. M. Trowbridge, the first merchant in 
the place, was appointed postmaster. The office has long since 
been abolished. A large steam saw-mill was once operated 
here and a great deal of lumber was manufactured, but with 
the disappearance of the more valuable timber the industry 
ceased to be profitable and the mill was removed. The first 
physician here was Dr. Eppard, who was succeeded by Dr. 
Cyrenus Free. The first blacksmith was David Perry, and 
the first shoemaker Absolom Webb. A scliool-house ample 
for the needs of the community is located here. 

ACCIDENTS, INCIDENTS, REMINISCENCES AND SKETCHES 

THROWN FROM A BUGGY AND KILLED. 

Jacob Schwinn was, in his lifetime, one of the most in- 
fluential farmers of Monroe township, in which he had a large 
circle of friends and acquaintances. He was well known 
throughout the county, being prominent, not only as a busi- 
ness man, but also as a politician. He took an active part in 
the political campaigns of his party, being a stanch Repub- 
lican. 

On the 21st day of November, 1874, Mr. Schwinn, at an 
early hour in the morning, arose and started for Anderson, in 
a buggy, to which he had one horse hitched, and was leading 
another behind. His son, Evan, rode with him for nearly a 
mile, until he came to the cross-road leading to Osceola, where 
he was engaged in teaching school. After parting with his 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. . 845 

son, Mr. Schwinn drove south about eighty rods to a small 
bridge, which he passed over safely, but just after crossing, 
his horses became frightened at some obstacle on the road side 
and began to run. They had gone about thirty rods when the 
buggy was upset and the occupant thrown out, striking his 
head against the fence with such force as to cause his immedi- 
ate death. Mr. Thomas Bell was within 100 yards of the ac- 
cident, and Mr. Hankius but a short distance away. They 
both hurried to the place, but before reaching Mr. Schwinn, 
he had breathed his last. 

A few minutes after leaving the buggy, Evan Schwinn, 
the son, heard a noise in the direction of the bridge, and fear- 
ing there was something wrong, hurried back, finding his 
father in the embrace of death. The body was examined by 
Drs. J. W. Perry and Cyrenus Free, who found that his inju- 
ries were caused by a shock to the spinal column and the 
breaking of internal blood vessels. 

Mr. Schwinn was born in Bendenkirschen, in the Grand 
Duchy of Hesse Darmstadt, September 21,1816, and immigrated 
to this country when twenty-one years of age. He landed in 
Baltimore, where he remained a short time working at the 
tailor's trade. From here he went to Pittsburg, Penn. , and 
remained a short period and thence to Indianapolis. He final- 
ly settled in Yorktown, Delaware county, where he formed 
the acquaintance of N. E. Tomlinson and became very warmly 
attached to him. In the year 1842 Mr. Tomlinson moved to 
Alexandria and engaged in the mercantile business. Mr. 
Schwinn soon followed him and worked at his trade, when he 
gave it up for the more congenial occupation of farming. In 
the same year Mr. Schwinn, being prominent in the counsels 
of the Whig party, was placed in nomination for the office 
of Representative for Madison county. He made a bold and 
creditable fight in his canvass, but owing to the overwhelming 
Democratic majority was defeated at the polls. In 1866 he 
took a leading and active part in organizing the first Masonic 
lodge at Alexandria, of which he continued to be a leading 
member until the time of his death. He was a consistent 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and took a prom- 
inent part in the affairs of that organization. Being industri- 
ous and economical he had amassed quite a little fortune and 
left his fam"ily in easy circumstances. His remains were in- 
terred at the Deadman cemetery, two miles north of Alexan- 
dria, the ceremony being conducted by the Masonic order. 



"846 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

The funeral was one of the largest that ever occurred in Mad- 
,ison county. The older citizens of this county will pleasantly 
remember the subject of this sketch, and will long mourn his 
•death. • , 

SUICIDE OF JOSEPH CROSS. 

Joseph Cross was 'a bachelor, who for many years lived 
alone about two and a half miles southeast of Alexandria. He 
was found dead in his bed on Sunday, the 17th of August, 
1884. He had been missing since the previous Thursday eVeri- 
ing, and the evidence adduced at the Coroner's inquest terided 
to show that about that time he took arsenic with suicidal in- 
tent. A quantity of the drug ona teaspoon was found on the 
table near the bed on which he was lying. When the body 
was discovered it was in an advanced state of decomposition, 
so much so that it was almost impossible to make a post mor- 
tem examination. He was an inoffensive citizen, though 
somewhat dissipated. Despondency was the cause of th'e act. 
He was possessed of considerable property, being the owner 
of the farm upon which he resided. His remains were taken 
in charge by a brother and other relatives and interred in the 
Alexandria cemetery. 

He was, a brother of Lafe Cross, a once prominent Ander- 
son druggist, and also of Worth Cross, a painter, who still 
resides in or near Alexandria, and Absolom Cross, a promi- 
nent farmer of Monroe township. 

SAD DEATH OF WINFRED WALKER. 

On the 15th of July, 1879, Winfred Walker, one of the 
most influential farmers of Monroe township, left his home to 
go to Alexandria, four miles distant, for the purpose of get- 
ting a hay rake which he had purchased. He hitched his hor.se 
to the rake without " hold-back straps " and started tor home. 
On the road the horse became frightened at some object and 
started to run, and Mr. Walker was killed. No one was pres- 
ent to witness the occurrence, and how he came to his death 
is simply a matter of conjecture. It is supposed the rake ran 
upon the horse's heels and scared him, which started him to 
run. He %vas found in a dying condition near the farm of 
James Wilson, about two and a half miles east of Alexandria. 
He was unable to speak and unconscious, and lived biit a few 
minutes after he was found. His body was mangled in a 
frightful manner and had every appearance of a great struggle 
in his vain attempt to extricate himself from the " tines" of 



HISTORY OF MAEHSON COUMTY, INDIANA. 847 

the rake while the horse was wild with fright and running at 
the top of his speed. 

The scene at Mr. Walker's residence as his lifeless body 
was carried home is easier to imagine than describe. The 
Walker family had been peculiarly unfortunate. One of the 
da^ighters, before this accident, had lost her arm in a cane 
mill. 

Mr. Walker enjoyed the respect of tlie community in 
which he lived and was a practical agriculturist. He was a 
man of about fifty-three years of age, of very strict integrity, 
and one who prided himself always upon making his word 
good, and for his promptness in discharging any financial obli- 
gation. 

Marshal Walker, son of Winfred Walker, is still living in 
Monroe township. One of his daughters married a son of the 
Hon. Robert H. Cree, ex-Senator from the counties of Madi- 
son and Delaware. 

LOST HIS FOOT. 

Albert Chaplain, residing a short distance north of Alex- 
-andria, on the farm of his father, John Chaplain, met with a 
serious accident on the 25th of July, 1879, by which he had 
his left foot taken off. He, with his father and brother were 
mowing grass in the meadow near the family residence. The 
machine was stopped and Albert was engaged in removing a 
-piece of stump that was in the way. He came behind the 
mower and put his left foot over the sickle bar when some 
-bumble-bees in the grass frightened the team. His foot was 
caught in the sickle and he was dragged fifteen or twenty feet. 
His foot was found to be cut almost off. Dr. J. W. Hunt, 
who was then a resident of Alexandria was summoned and in 
company with Drs. Sullivan, Runyan and Sharp the foot was 
amputated. He also suffered other injuries, having one 
•of his fingers badly cut. He was only about fourteen years of 
age when this accident took place. 

FATAL ENDING OF AN OLD FEl'D. 

Oilman is a small station on the L. E. & W. R. R., eight 
miles east of Alexandria. On Monday evening, the 28th of 
March, 1881, Coroner Michael Ryan, of Anderson, received 
the following dispatch : 

" A man shot and killed at Gilman this evening. 

John W. Hunt." 



848 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

The John W. Hunt who signed the dispatch was Dr. J. 
W. Hunt, now of Anderson, who at that time resided at 
Alexandria. Coroner Ryan took the 9:12 train north on the 
C. W. & M. R. R. to investigate the matter and to hold an 
inquest over the body of the deceased. The news began to 
spread, and it was evident that a terrible tragedy had occurred. 
Rumors of all kinds were afloat, but as to the real facts, they 
were greatly exaggerated. Among the residents of the vil- 
lage was one Ira Miller; a single man of twenty-three years of 
age, who kept a small store in the place. Seth McKinney 
also lived there and was a cousin of Miller. McKinney had no 
particular occupation, but worked in the saw-mill in the village 
for a while, and was then engaged in the patent right and 
lightning rod business. A misunderstanding arose between 
McKinney and Miller, the direct cause of which seems to have 
been uncertain, as several accounts of the same were given, 
none of which seemed to agree. It is said, however, that at 
one time during the summer previous to the shooting, McKin- 
ney made a drawing for a gate which he intended to have 
patented. A portion of his territory was traded to a gentle- 
man near Muncie by some one representing himself as a part- 
ner of McKinney. The man who traded for the territory was 
looking about with a view to manufacturing the gate. When 
McKinney learned of this transaction he went to him, showed 
him his plates and drawings, explained that the person who 
had traded off the gate did so without authority. The out- 
come of the affair was that McKinney received a fine young 
horse in compromise of the unauthorized purchase of the ter- 
ritory, to quiet the matter. 

Ira Miller learned of this transaction, and believing the 
gentleman who had purchased the right of the gate had been 
swindled, so stated to parties in Muncie. This reached the 
ears of the purchaser, who went to see Miller and McKinney 
at Oilman. Some trouble arose between McKinney and the 
purchaser, Miller being the instigator, by the statements he 
had made to the parties in Muncie. Thus these two men 
were dragged into a trouble which resulted in making them 
deadly enemies. 

Another theory was that the difiiculty really arose over a 
woman McKinney had been living with by the name of 
Reeder, who came from Tipton county. Her character, it is 
said, was not of the best. It is said that McKinney lived with 
this woman as his wife. When Coroner Ryan arrived at the 



1 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 849" 

scene of the tragedy he found the body of McKinney in the 
house where he lived with this woman. McKinney and 
Miller had quarreled several times and mutual threats had 
been made. On the evening of the shooting the quarrel had 
been renewed and Miller charged McKinney with stealing 
$700 where he had hid it at one time when they were on a 
spree together. On the evening of the shooting they were in 
front of Miller's store, as the 5 o'clock train on the L. E. &- 
W. railroad was coming in. McKinney told Miller that he 
had a notion to take a pitch-fork handle, standing by, and 
mash his mouth for the way in which he had abused him. 
Miller answered, " Damn you, I told you if you ever crossed 
my path I would kill you!" He raised his revolver and shook 
it at him several times. A farmer standing by took hold of 
Miller's arm and requested him not to shoot. When the 
farmer had released his hold and was on the way to the train 
Miller shot McKinney, who walked about thirty feet, when 
he fell over dead. 

According to the testimony of witnesses, no revolver was 
found on McKinney's person. Miller went to his stable, sad- 
dled a horse and went north at full gallop. The horse re- 
turned to Oilman the next morning. 

McKinney had relatives in Tipton : at one time he had 
also lived in Michigan. SheriiT Randall Biddle, of Madison 
county, had received a letter from the Sheriff of Clinton, 
county, Michigan, where he was wanted for grand larceny.. 
He came from Ohio to Muncie ^nd from there to Oilman. It 
is claimed that he had a wife and children living in Ohio. 
He did not enjoy a good reputation and the fact that he was 
living with a woman to whom he was never married, would 
seem to confirm the belief that he was not of good character. 

Ira Miller, who did the killing, was about twenty j'ears of 
age, a son of Jacob Miller, an old and highly respected farmer 
of Harrison township, in Delaware county, who lives just 
across the line from Madison county. He had a great many 
friends that came to his and his son's relief in the investiga- 
tion of this unfortunate affair and it is said that it was due to 
his father's influence that Ira escaped the consequences of the 
law. Parties who were well acquainted with both men in the 
case and the trouble which existed between them, testified 
that Miller was justified in his actions from the fact that Mc- 
Kinney had on several occasions threatened to take the liie of 
Miller. 

54 



850 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Miller was placed under arrest and a preliminary hearing 
had before a Justice of the Peace of Monroe township. 
After a full hearing he was acquitted upon the ground of jus- 
tifiable homicide, it being proven that when McKinney ap- 
proached Miller, on the platform at the station, that it was in 
a threatening manner. Miller knew that McKinney was a 
desperate man, and felt that he was justified in shooting him 
in order to save his own life, or himself, from personal injury. 

A TRAVEI-ING MAN ASSAULTED. 

At the station of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad at 
Alexandria a most brutal and unwarranted attack was made 
on Frank M. Richardson, a drummer for a wholesale boot and 
shoe house of Cleveland, on the 8th of December, 1882, by 
Frank Cleary, of that place, in which Richardson was terribly 
cut in several places on his body, one gash over his eye and 
one clear across his face, cutting nearly through his cheek 
and leaving a horrible scar which Mr. Richardson will carry 
with him to the grave. 

There seems to have been but little provocation for the 
attack, for the reason that Mr. Richardson was an unobtrusive 
and quiet man who had gone to the station to await the arrival 
of the out-going train upon which he was about to take pass- 
age. Clearey was in an intoxicated condition, and for some 
cause commenced taunting Mr. Richardson, calling him names 
and inviting him out of doors to fight. Richardson endured 
this until his patience was worn out, and told Clearey and 
some companions who were with him that if they did not 
desist some of them would get hurt, and then started out of 
the doorway. However, before reaching the door, Clearey 
drew a knife and made an assault upon Richardson, with the 
above result. Besides cutting him in the cheek he was se- 
verely wounded in other portions of his anatomy. 

It was thought for awhile that Richardson would die from 
the loss of blood, but, after being taken care of by physicians, 
he was able in a few days to go on his way. 

Clearey was placed under arrest and gave bond in the 
sum of .$1,000, with Robert Hannah as security, for his ap- 
pearance at the next term of the Circuit Court. Clearey justi- 
fied himself by stating that Richardson had commenced the 
disturbance himself, but it was not generally believed that this 
was the fact. 

Richardson was a tall, handsome man, and prided him- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 851 

self greatly upon his personal appearance, and the mortifica- 
tion which he experienced from the wound in his cheek sank 
deep into his heart. He grieved over it very much. Some 
time after this assault he was in Anderson consulting Mr. 
Kittinger, who was then Prosecuting Attorney, in relation to 
the case against Clearey. Upon coming down on the street 
in front of the lawyer's office he unexpectedly found himself 
face to face with his late assailant, and, without a moment's 
warning, drew his pistol and fired. The ball took effect in 
Clearey's person, and felled him to the ground, but did not 
prove fatal. A crowd soon gathered, Clearey was taken off 
the street, and friends surrounded Richardson who persuaded 
him. to return to Mr, Kittinger's office. 

Richardson was placed under arrest for assault and bat- 
tery with intent to kill. Thomas J. McMahan became security 
for his appearance to answer to the charge. The case against 
Richardson hung in court for a long time, without being 
brought to trial, but finally through public sentiment, which 
was largely in his favor, or for other reasons unknown to the 
writer, Mr. Richardson was never tried for his assault upon 
Clearey. In the meantime Clearey wsls tried in the Madison 
County Circuit Court, was convicted of the charge of assault 
and battery with intent to kill, and sentenced to the State's 
prison for a short term. Mr. Clearey served his time in prison 
and returned to Alexandria, where he yet resides. 

KILLED IN A SAW-MII-L. 

On the 15th of August, 1884, Henry Pritchett, an off- 
bearer in Enos Rutledges' saw-mill at Oilman, was caught by 
a log on the carriage as it was being taken back from the mill 
and dragged onto the saw; he was instantly killed. His right 
leg was cut off at the knee joint and he received a gash across 
the breast puncturing his vitals and almost cutting his body 
in twain ; he never spoke after the accident. He was about 
twenty-four years of age, married, and left a wife to survive 
him. Dr. B. F. Spann, Coroner of Madison county, was 
called and an inquest was held and a verdict of accidental kill- 
ing was rendered, exonerating the owner of the mill from any 
blame whatever. The body was conveyed by friends to the 
Whetstone cemetery, south of Anderson, for interment. 

A TRAGEDY'. 

Albert C. Carver, a Madison county boy, ex-Prosecutor 
of the Pleas of the State of Indiana, was born and reared in 



852 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the vicinity of Alexandria, where he is at the present time 
enjoying the highest esteem of his neighbors and fellow 
citizens. Mr. Carver is a very quiet man, has never dealt 
in epithets or offered insult to his fellow men, but he is made 
of sucii material that when approached in a menacing way, 
he will defend himself to the bitter end. 

On the 9th of August, 1879, Mr. Carver became engaged 
in an affray at Alexandria, his native village, in which he was 
assaulted by a mob, prominent among whom was William 
Cox, during the course of which it became necessary for Mr. 
Carver, in defense of his person, to use such force as to cause 
the death of his assailant. 

Mr. Carver was in the act of boarding a C. W. & M. 
train for Anderson, when he was attacked by three men who 
commenced beating him in a merciless manner. William Cox 
and Carver clinched, when someone, believed to be Cox, cried 
out for help from the others, saying that they should kill Car- 
ver and at the same time calling him vile names. At this 
juncture. Carver seeing there was no possible escape, either 
from being killed or badly hurt, drew a pistol from his pocket 
and shot twice in rapid succession ; both shots taking effect in 
the body of William Cox, killing him almost instantly. 

When it was known that Cox had been shot his accom- 
plices immediately retreated ; Carver boarded the train and 
asked protection from several traveling men on the train, who 
responded. Conductor Albert Johnson took in the situation 
at once and pulled out ^vith his train, and thereby avoided 
further bloodshed as Carver's assailants were in an ugly mood 
and prepared to do further deeds of violence. 

Carver was placed under arrest and in the custody of the 
Sheriff of Madison county, but several persons from Alexan- 
dria went upon his bond for his appearance at court. Michael 
Ryan, the Coroner, was summoned, and held an inquest the 
day after the shooting. The verdict was, that William Cox 
came to his death from a pistol shot fired by Alfred C.Carver, 
in defense of his own life. Mr. Carver had a preliminary ex- 
amination before Lewis C. Burke, Justice of the Peace, at the 
Mayor's office, in Anderson, on the following Monday, and 
after a full and impartial hearing, he was acquitted of any 
criminal action. 

The direct cause of the unhappy event was attributed to 
a feud that had existed between the parties for some time, 
growing out of some trivial matter, which kept on growing 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 853 

until it had culminated as before stated. It was contended 
by some that the fact that Carver had been pushing suits in 
the Circuit Court, involving tlie title to a large amount of 
real estate on which the town of Alexandria is situated, he 
had incurred the displeasure of a portion of the citizens of that 
place. 

No one knowing the circumstances of the case ever held 
Mr. Carver responsible for an)' thing criminal in this transac- 
tion, as he simply did what every other citizen has a right to 
do — defend his person against bodily harm. 

Mr. Cox was a young man of about 26 years of age. His 
father, it is said, was killed several years before this affair, in 
Texas, by also being shot in a row. Since this unfortunate 
affair, Mr. Carver has lived in Madison county and has 
been a just and upright citizen, having been elected by 
his constituency to the high and honorable position of Prose- 
cuting Attorney for this District, which office he filled with 
credit. He now resides in Alexandria, is engaged in the prac- 
tice of his profession and is one of the leaders at the Madison 
county bar. 

POST OFFICE ROBBED. 

On the 29th of August, 1891, the post office at Alexan- 
dria was robbed in a most thorough and complete manner. 
The robbers entered the building by the rear window and 
opened the money drawer in Postmaster Tomlinson's desk, he 
having no safe in the building. About forty dollars in money, 
some small change and a considerable number of stamps were 
taken. The burglars then proceeded to a butcher shop close 
by and plundered that place, receiving but little for their 
trouble. There was no clue to the robbery. The authorities 
at Washington were notified and detectives were put to work, 
but no discovery was made as to who the guilty parties were. 

A STRANGE HOiMIClDE. 

Joseph Frazier and Sylvester Hupp were neighbors liv- 
ing near Alexandria, and no enmity or bad feeling had ever 
been known to exist between them. On the 11th of May, 
1884, the community was startled by a report that Frazier had 
in cold blood murdered Hupp. 

On Saturday prior to the murder they were in Anderson 
together and Jiad been drinking considerably. Frazier became 
sick from the effects of drink and was confined to his bed as a 
result. On the evening of the day that he was taken sick he 



854 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA 

sent for Mr. Hupp, whose residence was but a short distance 
from his own. Hupp immediately complied with the request, 
and as he entered the room he passed by the bed upon which 
Frazier was lying and spoke to him in a friendly manner. 
Frazier's only reply was, " What do you want ? " and reaching 
under the pillow, drew a revolver and fired, the ball entering 
Hupp's heart, killing him instantly. There was no reason 
that could be assigned by any one for this horrible act. Frazier 
was at once arrested by Constable George W. Cummins, of 
Monroe township, and on the morning following Avaived an 
examination in 'Squire Finch's Court in Alexandria, and was 
committed to the county jail. During his incarceration he 
steadily refused to talk to any one in an intelligent manner, 
trying to leave on every one the impression that he was insane. 

Many of the neighbors and people who were acquainted 
with Frazier gave credence to the story that he was deranged, 
from the fact that he had lost his daughter a short time pre- 
viously which it was said bore heavily upon him, causing him 
to give away to drink. He was a hard working man and had 
accumulated considerable wealth. He owned a farm of 160 
acres well stocked, and in addition had quite a large sum of 
money. He was about forty-eight years of age and had a wife 
and eight children. 

Sylvester Hupp, the victim, was a carpenter by trade and 
being of a quiet and jovial disposition, was not known to have 
an enemy in the world. He left a wife and four children in 
moderate circumstances. He was about fifty years of age, and 
a brother of Dewitt C. Hupp, a prominent school teacher and 
politician of Madison county, who yet resides at Alexandria. 
Coroner William A. Hunt held an inquest over the remains, 
returning a verdict of murder. However, before the Grand 
Jury could convene to make an investigation of the affair, Fra- 
zier put an end to the whole matter by taking his own life in 
the county jail on the 18th of May, 1884, by hanging himself 
to the bars of his cell. It is said that Frazier recognized the 
enormity of his crime and had asserted on several occasions 
that he had been guilty of a grievous offense. On being placed 
in jail he inquired of Deputy Sheriff Moore how long it would 
be before the court convened and on being informed that it 
would be four weeks, he replied that he would never have a 
trial. This was sufficient evidence that hejhadjpremeditated 
suicide. Before committing the act he addressed -a letter to 
his mother and also one to his wife and family, on the 31st of 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 855 

May, in which he urged them both to be good to the children, 
and to prepare to meet him in a better world. After the in- 
quest held by the Coroner of the county, his remains were de- 
livered to his grief stricken family, and they were then con- 
veyed to Wesley Chapel cemetery, in Richland township, 
where the remains of his victim had been interred but a few 
days before. The estate that he left to his family was esti- 
mated to be worth ten or fifteen thousand dollars. It is chari- 
table at least to believe that Frazier at the time he committed 
the deed, was not in his right mind, as no reason could be 
offered why he should deliberately take the life of one who 
had always been a neighbor and a close friend. 

KILLED WHILE COUPLING CARS. 

On the 28th of June, 1890, Henry Sholts, a brjikeman 
on the C, \V. & M. Railroad, was killed while making a 
coupling at Alexandria. He fell between the cars and was 
instantly killed. No one seems to know much about the par- 
ticulars of his death, and but little can be said about it. The 
records of Dr. C. L. Armington show that he was called 
there in the capacity of Coroner, and held an inquest over 
the dead body of Sholts, that he was a man of about twenty- 
five years of age. His remains were taken by friends after 
the inquest. 

AN ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING. 

One of the most distressing accidents that ever occurred 
in Madison county, took place on the 17th of October, 1891, 
near Alexandria, whereby Arlantas Runyon was accidentally 
shot by Willis S. Ellis, who is at this writing a practicing 
attorney-at-law in Anderson, and who was once Superintend- 
ent of Schools in Madison county. On the day above men- 
tioned, Runyon and Ellis had been out hunting, and were in 
a field about three miles from Alexandria walking very closely 
together, Ellis having his gun pointing downward. In some 
manner, he slipped and fell, and in his fall the gun was dis- 
charged, and the entire contents were landed in Runyon's 
right foot, terribly lacerating it, and disabling Mr. Runyon 
so that he could not walk. 

Mr. Ellis hastenened to a neighboring house, secured a 
buggy and hauled his companion to Alexandria where his 
wounds were dressed. After an examination it was deter- 
mined that amputation was necesssary, and Mr. Runyon un- 



'S56 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

-derwent the ordeal of having his leg taken oft' between his 
knee and the ankle, thus rendering him a cripple for life. 
When he became convalescent, he had an artificial member 
placed on his limb, and one, to see him walk along the street, 
•would never suspect that he had lost so important a member 
of his body. 

Mr. Runyon is a prominent citizen of Madison county, 
having been twice elected to the position of Trustee of Mon- 
roe township, and was at one time a prominent candidate for 
Treasurer of Madison county. This accident distressed ISIr. 
Ellis nearly as much as it did Mr. Runyon, from the fact that 
they were close friends and companions from boyhood. Mr. 
Ellis rendered every assistance in his power to alleviate the 
sufferings of his wounded friend, and they are still close 
friends. 

FATAL SHOOTING AT ORESTES. 

On the 8th of September, 1894, in a saloon at the town 
of Orestes, in Monroe township, a fatal shooting affair took 
place in which James McDermit shot and killed Isaac Mar- 
tin, a young man about twenty-five years of age. It happened 
in a bar-room fight, and it seems that Martin was the aggressor, 
and that McDermit acted in self-defense. 

C. L. Armington, the Coroner, was called and investiga- 
ted the case, and returned a verdict of justifiable homicide, 
which was afterwards confirmed in the courts of justice of 
Madison county. 

A FATAL FALL. 

On the 22nd of October, 1894, Lewis Hatchet, of Ores- 
tes, while in an intoxicated condition coming down a stair- 
way, fell and broke his neck, from the effects of which he 
died almost instantly. He was a man about forty years of 
age, being almost a stranger in the locality. But little is 
known of him. He was emploj-ed in a glass factory in the 
capacity of a laborer. 

JEREMIAH SMITH MEETS DEATH BENEATH THE WHEELS OF A 
BIG FOUR PASSENGER TRAIN. 

Jeremiah Smith, a Madison county pioneer, residing 
near Rigdon, was killed at Alexandria by the morning pas- 
senger train over the Big Four, April 15, 1896. 

Mr. Smith, although seventy-three years of age, was even 
more energetic than hundreds of men forty years his junior. 
He was a dealer in produce and drove to Alexandria from his 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 857 

home at Rigdon every Wednesday and Saturday morning. 
With a new buggy filled with eggs, butter, etc., he left his 
home as usual, not anticipating the horrible fate he afterwards 
met. 

Attorney Arthur H. Jones, of Summitville, was an eye 
witness to the accident. He was coming to Anderson on the 
train. Mr. Smith had succeeded in crossing the track in front 
of the engine at the crossing just north of the Big Four depot. 
After crossing the track the horse became frightened and com- 
menced backing. The buggy was backed against the baggage 
car of the train, and immediately torn loose from the horse 
and broken into pieces. Mr. Smith was thrown forcibly to 
the ground, his head striking the rail. The top of his head 
was completely cut oflP and death resulted instantaneously. 

The unfortunate man was well known throughout the 
county. 

After the accident the ambulance was called and the re- 
mains of Mr. .Smith were immediately conveyed to the Qavis 
undertaking establishment and cared for. 

Coroner S. C. Sells held an inquest, after which the re- 
mains were removed to his home. 

KILLED BY AN OFFICER. 

On Saturday night, April 20th, 1895, special officer Harry 
Painter, of Alexandria, while doing his duty as prescribed by 
law came in contact with two men, one of whom was named 
Schneider and the other Cherott. It became his duty to place 
them under arrest for transgression of the ordinances of the 
city, and in so doing was compelled to use his pistol by which 
means he mortally wounded Schneider and severely crippled 
Cherott. The facts of the affair are as follows : A party of 
glass workers were drinking at a saloon on Washington street 
in West Alexandria and became so boisterous that the pro- 
prietor ordered them from the place. The party left the saloon 
and got out on the sidewalk where the men who composed it 
commenced fighting. 

Officer Painter, who was doing duty for another officer in 
that part of town, was in a barbershop near by getting shaved, 
but immediately got up as soon as the disturbance commenced 
and rushed out to arrest the men. He was soon surrounded by 
the men and in struggling with Cherott was borne to the ground. 
While he was down Schneider jerked his mace out of his hand 
and commenced beating him over the head with it. Painter 



858 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

finding that he was beset by men who appeared to be wanting 
to kill him, pulled his revolver and fired twice at Schneider 
and once at Cherott. Schneider ran and Painter succeeded in 
arresting Cherott and placing him in the calaboose. The shot 
aimed at Cherott took effect on the top of his head, making 
a painful but not serious wound. 

Soon after Cherott had been placed in the calaboose, Mar- 
shal T. M. Houston was informed that there was a man lying 
under a tree not far from the scene of the fight who ^vas either 
drunk or sick, and the officer proceeded to the place indicated 
to investigate. He found Schneider lying on the ground under 
the tree dead, and sent for an ambulance and had the body 
conveyed to an undertaking establishment. Painter gave him- 
self up to the Marshal saying that he supposed he had killed 
the man, but was not aware of it until his remains had been 
found. 

Upon examination of Schneider it was found that he had 
been shot twice, one of the wounds being in his left arm and 
the other in his left side. 

Painter was placed under arrest, but was bailed by R. 
H. Hannah and other leading citizens of Alexandria, and 
finally, on a hearing in court, was acquitted of any criminal 
act, being entirely exonerated, as doing his duty as an officer 
of the law. 

A DISASTROUS STORM. 

One of the most disastrous storms that has visited this 
county occurred on the 17th of August, 1888, in a small strip 
of country, lying north of Anderson, between Killbuck and 
Alexandria, and was the scene of much destruction. On 
the Alexandria pike, north of the old John Nelson farm, and 
for two or three miles on either side, a strip as far as the Del- 
aware county line, was severely shaken up by the w-ind and 
rainfall. Hail fell in immense quantities and the wind up- 
rooted trees, blew down fences, barns and out-buildings. The 
hail was of unusual size, cutting the corn to ribbons and 
breaking the glass in the windows of the houses. The grow- 
ing crops over the country were almost entirely obliterated 
and the corn was beaten down into the ground. The home of 
Mrs. Hupp, a small log house, was blown out of existence. 
The logs were caught by the wind and blown in every direc- 
tion. At the time it struck the building, Mrs. Hupp and her 
family were in the house, but strange to relate, none were seri- 
ously hurt. One of the boys, however, sustained a wound 






HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. SSQ' 

about the head, from the falling timbers. Mrs. Hupp was the 
widow of Wesley Hupp, who was killed by Joseph Frazier 
prior to this event, of which killing an account has been 
given in these pages. The farms of Washington Black, 
Weems Heagy, Mrs. Anthony Mabbitt, William Thornburg 
and Noah Eppard were in the direct track of the storm and 
their growing crops, fences, timber and out-buildings were 
more or less damaged. It was, by far, the most severe stoVm 
that ever swept through this part of the country, and will be 
long remembered by all those who witnessed it. 

SAVED HIS BRIDE FROM A WATERY GRAVE. 

On the 18th of February, 1895, Hon. John Shannon, 
Mayor of Alexandria, was joined in wedlock with Miss Mar- 
garet Lathrop, of Greensburg, Indiana. After the wedding 
ceremony was over and they had received the congratulations 
of their friends, they started on their wedding tour by the way 
of Louisville, Kentucky, at which place they boarded a 
steamer on the Ohio river for Cincinnati. They took passage 
on the " State of Missouri," one of the finest boats plying be- 
tween New Orleans and Cincinnati, owned by the Cincinnati 
and Memphis Packet Company. While they were enjoying 
their honeymoon on the placid waters of the Ohio, near Alton, 
Indiana, the steamer struck a rock on the Indiana side, and in 
less than ten minutes went down in forty feet of water. C. C. 
Whitehead, an old pilot, was on board and gave the following 
account of the disaster. He said : " As the vessel was com- 
ing down the river I was in the pilot house and started down 
to supper. When I reached the cabin deck I noticed the ves- 
sel was headed too much towards the shore, and started to see 
what the matter was. At that moment the pilot in charge of 
the boat seemed to realize that the steamer was going in the 
wrong direction, and he began to turn, but he was too late in 
making the effort to change the course of the vessel. The bow 
missed the rock but the stern was struck and was completely 
cut off from the other part. When the shock came, a brave 
negro jumped ashore with a line and attached it to the boat, 
but the headway of the vessel parted the line and the boat 
swung into the river. All were excited and there was no 
time to study what was best to do. Life boats were lowered, 
but before the passengers had time to take advantage of them, 
a general scramble was made without any system on the part 
of the officers' and passengers. It seems that every one fought 



860 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTY, INDIANA. 

his own battle. At this juncture Mr. Shannon seeing the 
danger, and that there was but one way to escape, asked his 
wife to jump into the river, assuring her that he would follow 
and take her safe to the shore, which she did ; he immediately 
sprang after her and swam with her to the Indiana side, 
thereby saving himself and his wife from a watery grave. 

It was a brave deed and very few men would have had 
the courage to undertake such a task. The clothing of Mr. 
Shannon and wife were badly soiled, and they lost their bag- 
gage which was in the wreck. They telegraphed their friends 
and relatives at Greensburg that they were all right. They 
continued on their trip, however, and returned to Alexandria, 
which place they have since made their home. No fatalities 
occurred on the vessel as the crew and passengers were all 
saved. 

KILLED WHILE RESISTING ARREST. 

Scarcely had the Schneider killing passed out of the pub- 
lic mind (an account of which appears in this volume) when 
the news was flashed over the wire that John Graham, a 
Policeman of Alexandria, had on Saturday the 2Uth of Febru- 
ary, 1890, shot and killed John Worthington, a workman in 
the steel mill, while arresting him for the violation of the 
law. 

Many stories were set in circulation and no two agreed as 
to the particulars. The public press at the time gave about 
the following account of the affair : 

" The tirst reports of the tragedy received indicate that 
the shooting was the result of an attempt to place Worthing- 
ton under arrest, upon a warrant issued on the complaint of 
his room-mate, one Thomas Kneading, who reported to the 
police that Worthington had fired three shots at him. It 
seems that there was a woman in the case, a widow, at wiiose 
house the two men boarded ; that Worthington was in love 
with the widow and suspected Kneading of being a little too 
persistent in his attentions. 

" When Policeman Graham went to arrest Worthington 
he was accompanied by Kneading, who, however, kept well 
to the rear as they approached the house. Graham found 
Worthington in his room, and four of his fellow- workmen 
were with him. It is said that Worthington had his revolver 
in hand ready for action, but it does not appear that he made 
any demonstration toward using it against the officer. On the 
contrary, when he found the officer had a warrant for his 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 861 

arrest, he suffered him to take the revolver from him. After 
securing the revolver and placing it in his own pocket, the 
officer seized the prisoner, who, for some reason which at the 
present time is unexplained, made a stubborn resistance, strik- 
ing and kicking the officer, it is alleged, whereupon the latter 
pulled his gun and fired the fatal shot. It does not appear 
that the four companions of Worthington took any part in the 
proceedings beyond attempting to cool the parties down and 
avoid trouble, though it is stated that Graham had his prisoner 
floored at one time, and let him up at the request of these men, 
who guaranteed that he would go along peaceably with the 
officer. 

" Graham immediately reported the occurrence to his 
superior officer, who sent him to the Mayor's office where he 
was formally placed under arrest. 

" Worthington came to Alexandria from Birmingham, 
Ala., but has a sister residing at Ashville, Ky., also one at 
Columbus, Ohio. He was a large and powerful man phys- 
ically." 

Mr. Graham was taken to Anderson for safe keeping on 
account of the angry spirit manifested by the companions of 
Worthington, although no violence was offered. 

Graham was acquitted in January, 1897. 

BURNING OF THE PLATE GLASS WORKS. 

On the 17th of September, 1895, a disastrous fire took 
place at the Alexandria Plate Glass Works, in which a por- 
tion of that institution was destroyed, entailing a large loss of 
property to the owners of the plant. Major C. T. Doxey was 
the president of the company, and immediately after the fire 
set about rebuilding the parts destroyed in a substantial and 
extensive manner, and it is at this writing one of the largest 
of its kind in the State. 

AN OLD SOLDIER KILLED. 

On the 6th of August, 1896, Leonard Birch, a veteran of 
the late war, a member of Company K, lOOth Regiment of 
Indiana Volunteers, and an inmate of the Soldiers' Home at 
Leavenworth, Kansas, was killed at Alexandria by being run 
over by the cars on the " Big Four" railroad. 

He was on the track and stepped aside to avoid a coming 
train and stepped in front of another, unnoticed by him, going 



862 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

in an opposite direction, thus meeting his death. He was a 
man about fifty-two years old. 

DR. SCOTT COM.MITS SUICIDE. 

On Saturday, August 8, 189(3, Dr. Scott killed himself at 
Alexandria by cutting his throat with a razor. He had been 
in bad health for some time, and was visiting the family of 
his sister, Mrs. Davis, the \vife of the minister in charge of 
the M. E. church, when the rash act was committed. His 
sickness had caused a temporary aberration of mind and he was 
not responsible at the time. 

The weapon used \vas a razor that Mrs. Davis had been 
preparing to pack with some articles that she was taking to 
the lakes where she intended to go in search of rest and recre- 
ation, and during her temporary absence Scott got hold of it 
and took his life. The act was done in the presence of Mrs. 
Scott, just as she was returning to the room in which she had 
left the unfortunate brother a few minutes before. 

Drs. Hugh and Coffin were called, but no relief could be 
rendered the victim, and he died in a few minutes after the 
fatal stroke. The remains were removed to Greentown, his 
home, for burial. 

ALE.XANDRIA HAPPENINGS GAS EXPLOSIONS AND A BRIEF 

SKETCH OF ITS FIRE DEPARTMENT. 

The facilities of Alexandria for fighting fire, prior to its 
wonderful boom, were considered adequate for a small village, 
and for many years consisted onlv of an unorganized bucket 
■brigade under the management of a volunteer chief. When 
a fire occurred, the usual alarm was a loud cry of fire, started 
by some one and taken up by the denizens of the town. Mer- 
chants, mechanics, laborers and numerous small boys with 
wooden buckets, tubs and vessels of every description would 
form a line from the neighboring wells to the burning build- 
ings. The noble work and deeds of daring of this unorgan- 
ized brigade has saved the homes and household efl^ects of 
many families, and the success or failure, and the special deeds 
of bravery of individuals were liberally discussed at the homes 
and firesides of Alexandria people for many days after the oc- 
currence. 

Among those who have been prominent in fighting fire 
and who have distinguished themselves as volunteer chiefs of 
•the fire fighters, we mention James B. Black, Mort. Canfield 






HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 86r? 

and George Grant, they having been in command in more than 
one conflagration. 

The rapid increase in population causing Alexandria to 
spring from a mere village in 1891 to a city of six thousand 
souls, gave an impetus to all branches of business and to all 
trades, but the means of protecting property from the fiery el- 
ements were entirely ignored until the citizens were confronted 
with the fact that the town was being rapidh' burned down 
without the resources at hand to prevent its entire destruction. 

On the 6th of December, 1891, near the hour of midnight, 
an alarm of fire given by a citizen promptly brought out the 
populace with their buckets. It was soon discovered that the 
business room occupied by Scott Pauly, as a jewelry store, 
was on fire, and before water could be procured the flames 
had communicated to the adjoining buildings. It was soon 
apparent that the whole square would be consumed. The se- 
vere cold weather and scarcity of water rendered the citizens 
powerless. Many stocks of merchandise were carried from 
the adjoining buildings to the streets and the flames had their 
own way. They were finally checked at either end of the 
square, by Washington street on the south and Church street 
on the north. Three saloons were among the many business 
places destroyed. Their contents were carried into the street 
and freely made use of by all those who wished to help them- 
selves. The only brick building in the block was that occu- 
pied by H. P. Williams as a saloon. The side walls were all 
that remained of this structure, and they were left in such con- 
dition that in a few days they fell down, and buried in the 
ruins John Fink, a well-known citizen, and Willie Morley, a 
boy about fifteen years of age. When rescued they were both 
unconscious and died in a short time afterward. 

The following is a list of the business houses that were 
destroyed by the fire : John Wiggins, restaurant ; Ves Layne, 
boots and shoes; Alexandria Fruit Company; John A. Gra- 
ham, saloon ; Fred Cartwright, grocery; John Dwyer, saloon ; 
George Kelley, saloon; Manlove & Buckley, hardware; H. P. 
Williams, saloon; A. Bertsche, harness; Ben Patterson, 
restaurant; Edward Eccles, saloon. 

On the night of January 21, 1898, a frame building on 
the west side of Harrison street, occupied by J. C. Clayton as 
a grocery store, and also by the post-office, was discovered to 
be on fire, and it looked for a time as if the conflagration 
would destroy the entire west side. The building was soon 



864 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

enveloped in flames, and the adjoining property was doomed. 
The contents af the stores were hastily removed to the street, 
as there were no buildings empty in which to place them. 
The fire was checked at the corner of an alley between Church 
and Wood.streets by tearing out a frame building occupied by 
Rupert & vStockton as a restaurant. John Black, John E. 
Sherman and others rendered valuable aid in tearing out the 
building, damming up the gutter and saving the water made 
by the intense heat melting the deep snow. After these con- 
flagrations the property owners began to realize the necessity 
for protection, and therefore applied to the City Council to 
provide apparatus for that purpose. The finances of the city 
Nvere, however, such that it was soon apparent that nothing 
could be done by the city fathers. 

Five citizens, R. H. Hannah, Anthony Bertsclie, A. E. 
Harlan, S. E. Young and J. P. Condo, volunteered to supply 
the necessary money with which to purchase a large, two- 
horse chemical engine, hook and ladder wagon, a small five- 
gallon chemical engine, which was accordingly purchased in 
Chicago. 

When the apparatus arrived a meeting was held in the 
office of Mayor John E. Sherman, when forty men signed for 
service and organized a board of directors consisting of Pink 
Varble, Joseph Fulton, Joseph Brannum and T. W. Mullen. 
They eff'ected an organization by electing John H. Frank 
chief of the department. The company not having any head- 
quarters, the fire apparatus was placed in a livery stable. 

Many persons were anxious to see the new fire machine at 
work, and several ventured the opinion that they would prove 
no protection. Dr. Budd Reid , being more anxious than others, 
started a cry of fire on October 21, and called out all the mem- 
bers of the company. He was not in sight when they arrived, 
and was anxious to have them believe that some one else had 
called them out by this false alarin. 

The department had thirty-two runs during the first year 
of its existence, and some of their achievements during that 
time are worthy of note. James Kingsberry was the first paid 
man, and commenced duty as driver of the chemical engine. 

On the night of March 31, 1894, a terrible gas explosion 
took place which will ever remain in the minds of the resi- 
dents of Alexandria as one of the most appalling accidents in 
the history of the city. About 11 o'clock p. m. the barber 
shop of Harrell & Pyle, and the express office on the corner of 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 865 

Canal street, in the rear of Whiteside's clothing store, was 
blown to atoms by a terrible explosion of natural gas, the 
debris from which immediately caught fire. 

Seven men were in the shop at the time and four human 
beings were burned to death, Oren Ball, Jesse D. Harrell, 
Charles Hoover and Harry Boyer. They were all young men 
of good standing, and were excellent citizens. William Pyle 
was rescued from the ruins, but sustained severe injuries. Hi- 
ram Hurd was pinioned in the building by heavy timbers and 
the flames were rapidly burning around him. Several attempts 
were made to rescue him but were unsuccessful. Finally Fred 
Miller, John A. Graham and Arthur Noble, braving death, 
rushed into the flames and by superhuman efforts rescued hinK 
from his fiery prison. His shoes were burned from his feet, 
his clothing was on fire and some of the flesh on his lower 
limbs was burned. All of his rescuers were more or less- 
burned. James C. Graham was rescued without any serious- 
injury. 

The fire department responded promptly and did noble 
work. The chemical engines were put into action and the 
efforts of the men were directed to saving the stock of mer- 
chandise. The flames were confined to the building and to 
the upper part of the Whiteside's block adjoining. 

Several other fires of minor importance also occurred at 
different times. 

On April 6, 1894, the Fred Miller Co. 's cold storage house 
and barns were destroyed, including three valuable horses. 
On Maj' 28, the Indianapolis Brewing Company's cold storage 
house became fuel for the fiery element. On June 4, the Terre 
Haute Brewing Co.'s office and cold storage building was to- 
tall)' consumed. All three of the last named fires occurred in 
rapid succession and confirmed the belief in the minds of the 
people that they were of incendiary origin. 

At this writing the fire department of Ale.xandria con- 
sists of two hose wagons, one hook and ladder wagon, one 
two-horse chemical engine and twelve enrolled firemen, con- 
sisting of a chief, three paid men, and eight volunteers paid 
for each run made, as follows: John E. Sherman, chief; 
William Wooten, driver ; Frank Morgan, hydrant coupler: 
and the following minute men : John H. Frank, John Staggs. 
James Kingsberry, Charles Wertz, George Atchison Bfoiii 
and William Maynard. 

It was supposed that the gas explosion referred to ;;I o\e 
55 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

was caused by the sudden rise in the pressure in the gas mains 
and that some burning jets were blown out in the building, 
and that others were left lighted, and when the room became 
thoroughly filled with gas it came in contact with the lighted 
jets and thus caused the disaster. Parties in the barber shop 
first felt a tremor in the building which was instantly follow- 
ed by the disastrous effects of the explosion. 

The remains of the dead, after being taken from the 
wreck, were removed to the undertaking establishment of 
J. P. Condo & Son, where they were cared for and placed in 
proper burial caskets. 

Mayor John E. Sherman issued a proclamation convening 
the citizens of Alexandria in the Opera House, where memo- 
rial services were held. The Opera House and stage were pro- 
fusely decorated with flowers and evergreens. After the serv- 
ices were over, the body of Oren E. Ball was taken to Lewis- 
ville, Indiana, for interment. The remains of Jesse Harrell 
were taken to North jSIanchester, Indiana. The other bodies 
were laid to rest in the cemetery at Alexandria. 

The outcome of this disaster was much litigation, suits 
having been filed against the gas company in the Circuit 
Court of Madison county for damages. The company, how- 
ever, took a change of venue and the cases were taken to Tip- 
ton county, where they were tried, resulting in a judgment 
for damages, which was appealed to the Supreme Court, where 
they are still pending. 

Many people from Anderson and other places in pro.xim- 
ity thereto visited the scene of the disaster, and viewed the 
ruins and the bodies of those who perished from the explosion. 

A CHURCH DEDICATION. 

In the year 1873 the Methodist Episcopal Church Society 
at Alexandria commenced to erect a very commodious and 
handsome building, in which that congregation worships. On 
the 6th of June, 1875, the edifice was formally dedicated. In 
the erection of the building the Trustees had incurred consid- 
erable indebtedness, which it was necessary to discharge be- 
fore the dedicatory services could be carried out, as it is one of 
the rules of the church organization that no services of this 
kind can take place in any church building that is not free 
from debt. But raising a large sum of money by voluntary 
subscription did not seem practicable. The services of the 
Rev. T. M. Campbell, of Greencastle, Indiana, were procured 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 867 

for the occasion. At the appointed hour the church bell rang 
and the house slowly filled up. At 11 o'clock, when the 
preacher arose to begin his sermon, the seats were not all full. 
It looked very discouraging to the congregation, but Mr. 
Campbell was a veteran in the work, and he gave the congre- 
gation to understand that he had come to Alexandria to 
dedicate the church, and, like a man of religion and business, 
he proposed to do it. After making a splendid appeal to the 
members present and to the outsiders who had come to wit- 
ness the ceremonies, he began the fight for money. Names 
came in very slowly at first, but a glance over the congrega- 
tion revealed the fact that more than one hundred and fifty 
men were present. When the small sums were reached, the 
subscriptions poured in quite freely, while those who gave 
large amounts were slow and deliberate in reaching into their 
pockets for the cash. However, before the exercises closed, 
the debt had been subscribed and the money, either in good 
notes or in cash, placed in the hands of the Trustees for the 
purpose of wiping it out. 

Among those who gave large amounts were : N. E. Tom- 
linson, Anthony Bersche and Dr. E. H. Menefee, who each 
gave $200. Those who contributed .$100 were : D. M. Scott, 
James Hughes, Mrs. James Hughes, G. W. Painter, Elias 
Fink, Uriah Bell, William Carver, Dr. J. W. Perry, S. B. 
Henshaw, Nathan O'Bryant, Paschal Johnson, Margaret Wil- 
son, R. A. Menefee, A. J. Lee, Mark Tomlinson, Peter 
Schwinn and John J. Johnson. The following contributors 
each gave .ISO: Joel McMahan, W. E. Heritage, T.J. Mc- 
Mahan, F. S. Ellison, John J. Pickard, A. M. Painter, W. K. 
Bailey, J. C. Daniels, John Bell, Tom Shepard, P. Painter, 
Evan Schwinn, E. H. Perry, D.K.Carver and Mrs. Mary 
Schwinn. Many others gave smaller sums, but the list is too 
long and would weary the patience of the reader to give them 
in detail. The building was erected under the supervision of 
Samuel D. Van Pelt, of Anderson, who prepared the plans 
and put in execution its construction. It is a plain gothic 
structure of brick, cornice of galvanized iron, the entrance 
being a brown glass front of fine finish. Its seating capacity 
is 500. The Sunday upon which this church was dedicated 
will always be remembered in Alexandria as a most eventful 
day. While this church is no doubt too small for the present 
congregation, it admirably served the purpose at the time for 
which it was erected, and is a monument to the good people 



868 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of that city and to the liberality of the men and women who 
made up the community. 

DEATH OF MARK TOMLINSON. 

Mark Tomlinson, son of N. E. Tomlinson, of Alexandria, 
was one of the shrewdest and best equipped young business 
men of the county, and had a large circle of friends who were 
very much distressed at his early taking off. In addition to 
being an energetic business man, he was quite a politician and 
was extremely popular with the young element in politics. 
At one time he filled the honorable position of Trustee of 
Monroe township, being elected over his Democratic oppo- 
nent when the township was two hundred Democratic. 

In the succeeding political campaign in 1878, Mr. Tom- 
linson was placed in nomination for the office of County 
Treasurer on the Republican ticket, having for his opponent 
Daniel F. Mustard, who was a candidate for a second term in 
that office. Mr. Tomlinson made a very creditable race, re- 
ducing the majority of his popular competitor to a considera- 
ble extent. 

In 1881 Mr. Tomlinson for a short time resided in Ander- 
son and was the partner of Thomas J. McMahan and Rufus H. 
Williams in the boot and shoe business, in which he continued 
for a time, but on account of failing health retired from the 
firm and returned to Alexandria, where he lived until death 
came to his relief on the 18th of November, 1881. 

No young man ever died in Madison county whose death 
was more universally regretted. He was a brother of Mrs. 
Jesse Forkner, of Anderson, and of Mrs. L. J. Hernly, of 
Alexandria. 

Alexandria's first fire fro.m natural gas. 

In the spring of 1887, Alexandria, in keeping with other 
towns in Madison county that have been fortunate enough to 
strike natural gas, piped her streets with mains so as to per- 
mit the fluid to be turned into the homes of the consumers. 
Everything went on swimmingly and without accident until 
the 19th of November, 1887, when the residence of A. M. 
Painter, which had been finished but a short time, was burned 
to the ground at about 9 o'clock at night. The fire was dis- 
covered in a closet on the second floor, having been ignited 
from a flue running in proximity thereto. 

Mr. Painter early in the evening had lighted the gas in. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 869 

a stove in the bedroom on the first floor. A little later lie 
went to the room and found the stove red hot. He then turned 
the gas down, but at 6 o'clock returned and the stove was 
again at a red heat, and the building was soon on fire. 

It was claimed by Mr. Painter that the gas company 
was in fault from the fact that they were carrying an immense 
pressure on their mains, the pipes being too small, and inade- 
quate to carry the proper volume for domestic use without 
excessive pressure. 

A brisk wind was prevailing on the night of the fire, and 
no efforts at all could save the building, which was destroyed 
with its contents, entailing a loss to Mr. Painter of $1,200 with 
no insurance. 

Mr. Painter made a demand upon the Alexandria Gas 
Company to be reimbursed for his loss, with which request the 
gas company refused to comply. Mr. Painter thereupon 
brought suit in the Madison Circuit Court, which entailed 
much expense and litigation upon both parties, but finally 
resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff. 

This was the first suit brought in Madison county to test 
the question of the liability of gas companies for fires, and was 
hotly contested on both sides, the best of legal talent being 
emploved in the case. 

Robert H. Hannah, S. E. Young and other leading busi- 
ness men of Alexandria were members of the gas company 
and spared no pains or expense to defeat the plaintiff, and have 
the company saved from having a judgment rendered against 
it, but all to no purpose as the court finally held that the)' 
were liable for damages under the circumstances, and in con- 
formity with the evidence given. 

ALEXANDRIA LAND AND GAS COMPANY. 

Although Alexandria was the first town in Madison 
county to discover natural gas, it for several years thereafter 
was at a standstill, with but little done toward inviting indus- 
tries to settle within her borders, the people being seemingly 
satisfied to sit around their gas fires and crack jokes with each 
other, oblivious to what might happen by the introduction of 
business enterprises and factories. It was twelve miles away 
from the county seat, and being but a small village, it labored 
under disadvantages. 

On the 21st of January, 18U1, Alexandria forged to the 
front by a master stroke in organizing the Alexandria Land 



870 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and Gas Company with a capital stock of $250,C)00, and at 
once the battle for a great future began. 

The organization of this company was heralded through- 
out the United States in all the leading dailies of the large 
cities with the inducements offered to capitalists and manu ■ 
facturers to locate in the place. A hearty \velcome was 
extended to all such as might come, and a large bonus was 
offered to those who could be induced to bring their plants 
thither. 

The directors and incorporators of the company were Hon. 
Charles T. Doxey, Hon. J. \V. Lovett, James L. Kilgore, 
Freeman E. Lyon, Wesley C. House, George Nichol, Frank 
Pierce, DeFrees Critten and J. N. Huston, the latter being ex- 
Treasurer of the United States. The object of the company, 
as stated in their articles of incorporation, was as follows : 
The object of this company shall be to buy, hold and sell real 
estate in and about the town of Alexandria with the view of 
developing the territory, building and locating factories, and 
also to acquire gas and oil territory in said locality, and also 
to dispose of the products of natural gas arising from the 
operation of said company. 

Under this organization Alexandria almost instantly 
leaped to the front as one of the great gas towns of Indiana. 
Many large industries were located, prominent among which 
were the DePauw Glass Works, the Kelly Axe Works, the 
Alexandria Brick Works, and several others of a similar 
nature. The town at once shook off its village appearance 
and assumed the proportions of a hustling, busy city. Old 
shacks of wooden buildings were torn down and moved away 
from the principal streets, and in their stead were erected 
large and substantial business blocks. The Alexandria Na- 
tional Bank was incorporated, and capital began to pour into 
the new city like water into the ocean, and in less than two 
years from the time of the organization of this company, 
Alexandria grew from a hamlet of 500 to a city containing a 
population of 5,000 souls, and at this writing it enjoys the dis- 
tinction of being the third largest city in Madison county. 

The Commercial Bank, of Alexandria, was in existence 
before this time, and is one of Madison county's solid finan- 
cial institutions. 

DISCOVERY OF OIL. 

On Tuesday, April 20, 1897, the first oil well in Madison 
county was developed on the farm of Nimrod Carver, situated 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 871 

one and a half miles northeast of the city of Alexandria. The 
development of this well caused great excitement among oil 
men and capitalists, who flocked to Alexandria for the purpose 
of leasing lands and investing in real estate. The well was 
drilled by the Northern Ohio Oil Company, who held a lease 
on Mr. Carver's land. This well has a capacity of 800 barrels 
per day. 

It has been known for some time by gas well drillers, 
prominent among whom may be mentioned W. E. Decker & 
Sons, that oil exists beneath Madison county soil, and that it 
will succeed natural gas. The Deckers have had much expe- 
rience as gas and oil well drillers, and predict that it is only 
a question of time when oil will be found in most, if not all, 
of the territory known as the Indiana gas field. 

JAMES CALLOWAY. 

Old Uncle Jimmy Calloway, who used to live in Alexan- 
dria, was quite a character in his time. He was one of the 
old-timers, built on the old-time scale. He was an early set- 
tler in Madison county, knew all of the people within a day's 
ride of where he lived, and also knew all of their good and 
bad qualities. If he sized a man up, he was very certain not 
to be far out of the way when his verdict was rendered. The 
man who picked Uncle Jimmy up for a fool, or invited a 
quarrel with him, was just as sure to get left as the sun sets 
in the west. He was always loaded, and went off easily on 
the "trigger." He was not profane, but had a genteel way 
of swearing when he wished to emphasize his meaning. One 
time, during the agitation of the slavery question, when it 
was considered a disgrace to be called an " Abolitionist," a 
man of the name of Runnells tackled him and accused him of 
slandering him. Runnells said : " Mr. Calloway, I under- 
stand that you said a nigger is as good as I am." 

" No, no. I — I — never said no such thing. I — I — said 
a nigger is as good as I am, and I am a lam dam sight better 
ner you are," replied Calloway. He at one time got into a 
quarrel with William Carver. They had it hot and heavy, up 
one side and down the other. At last, Uncle Jimmy got very 
mad. He s"iiid : '' Why, William, the Carvers are the worst- 
est people I ever seen. They are worser than my Bill, and he 
is worser than the devil himself." His argument was of such 
a character that it was of no use to reply to it. 



CHAPTER LXXV. 



Pipe Creek Township. 



Pipe Creek township derives its name from a small but 
pretty stream that enters the township on the east and leaves 
it about midway on the south. The name " Pipe " was given 
to the stream in honor of the noted Indian chief , Captain Pipe, 
or Hopocan (which signifies in the Delaware tongue, " tobac- 
co-pipe"). The township is peculiar in shape, having ten 
inside and outside corners, with an area of forty-three square 
miles. It is well watered by Big and Little Duck creek. Big 
Branch, Pipe creek and their tributaries, and when Joseph 
Schell, the first settler in the township, located in 1830 on 
what is now section 11, was densely timbered. In 1832 a 
number of settlers, among whom were \Valter and William 
Etchison, from North Carolina, Reuben Kelly, from Virginia, 
Peter Job and John Chamness located in the vicinity of the 
present site of Frankton, and in 1833 Jacob Sigler, from Yiv- 
ginia, and John Beeson, from Wayne county, Ind., located on 
the ground where Frankton stands. Others followed and 
the township was organized on the 13th of May, 1833. 

By the following order of the Board of Commissioners it 
will be noticed that Pipe Creek was originally apart of Jack- 
son township : 

" Ordered that there be a new township organized and 
stricken ofi" from Jackson township as follows, to-wit : Be- 
ginning on the county line at the south-west corner of Section 
9, in Township No. 20, in Range No. 6 east, running thence 
east on the section line to the south-east corner of Section No. 
8, Township 20, Range 7 east, thence north to the county line, 
thence west to the north-u'est corner of the county, thence 
south to the county line to the place of beginning. To be 
known and designated by the name and style of Pipe Creek 
township. It is also ordered that the Sheriff notify citizens of 
said township, that they on the last Saturday in June next 
proceed to elect one Justice of the Peace in said township, 
and that all elections in said township be holden at the house 
of Walter Etchison until otherwise ordered by the Board." 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 873 

CHANGING OF THE BOUNDARY OF PIPE CREEK TOWNSHIP. 

The boundary of Pipe Creek township as originally made 
and established by the County Board was changed at the May 
session, 1835, as follows : 

"On petition filed it is ordered by the Board that the 
boundary lines of Pipe Creek township be altered so as to in- 
clude the following territory, viz: Commencing at the south- 
east corner of .Section 10, Town 20, north of Range 7 east, run- 
ning thence north to the county line, thence west with the 
county line to the north-west corner of Madison county, 
thence south on the said county line to the south-west corner 
of Section 8, Town 20 north, Range 6 east, thence east to the 
place of beginning; and that the said acquired territory and 
the same is stricken from the township of Richland. It is or- 
dered that Jesse Harris be appointed Constable ; James French 
and Jesse Etchison, Supervisors; Jacob Sigler and William 
Flint, Overseers of the PoOr ; Robin Erwin and Jeremiah 
Derry, Fence Viewers of the township of Pipe Creek, and it 
is also further ordered that an election be held in said town- 
ship on the first Monday in June next for the purpose of elect- 
ing an additional Justice of the Peace, and that the Sheriff 
give notice accordingly." 

It will also be seen by this that Richland, though now 
one of the smallest townships in the county, was at one time 
one of the largest, containing all the territory of Pipe Creek, 
Monroe and Lafayette. 

An election was held the following June at the house of 
Walter Etchison, and James Beeson was elected to the oftice 
of Justice of the Peace. Shortly after this Elijah Dwiggins 
settled in the township and was soon followed by John and 
Daniel Dwiggins. In April, 1836, Noah Waymire settled on 
Section 24 and in June of the same year Henry Plummer 
located on Section 30. 

Tlie names of others who settled in the township prior to 
1840 are : James and William Montgomery, Jonathan Reeder, 
James M. Dehority, Caleb Canaday, James Barrow, Benjamin 
and Hezekiah Denny, John Hardy, Jacob French, Jacob Sig- 
ler, James Tharp, Edmund Johnson, Starling and Hezekiah 
Kidwell, John Benifiel, Arthur Legg, Joseph and Jonathan 
Miller, Frank Dennis and Lindsey Blue. A majority of these 
early settlers located along the creek from which the township 
gets its name. These pioneers have long since gone to their 
reward, but thev have numerous descendents living in the 



874 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

township and in other portions of the county who take pride 
in recounting their virtues. The first public highway in the 
township was the old Indianapolis and Fort Wayne State 
road, which was cut out but never improved. 

The first mill erected in the township was a "corn -cracker." 
It was built in 1839 or 1840, and was located on the Big Branch 
on the old J. C. Montgomery farm, north-west of Frankton. 
It was a rude affair, but ground out a very good quality of 
corn meal. Previous to this the pioneers were compelled to 
take their corn to Perkinsville or Anderson to have it ground. 
About this time a saw-mill was built on Pipe creek, three 
miles north-east of Frankton, by Joseph and Daniel Franklin. 
This mill is still standing and is owned by David Fesler. 

The first schoolhouse in the township was built in 1836 
on Jacob Sigler's land, and the first school was taught by Dr. 
Perry. Joseph Sigler, who was afterwards elected Auditor 
of the county, was one of the first teachers in the township 
and taught school for many years. Hezekiah Denny, Tighl- 
man Armfield and John Ring also taught in an early day. 

In 1837 the first store in the township was opened by 
Elijah Dwiggins, about a half mile north-west of where Frank- 
ton now stands. 

The first village in the township was a place called " New 
Madison." It was situated about a mile and a half northeast 
of the present site of Frankton, on the south side of Pipe creek, 
and was laid out by John Chamness, December 3, 1849. Two 
years later another town called " Monticello " was laid out by 
James Hilldrup and a Mr. Sanders, about two miles north- 
west of where Frankton is situated. The town at one time 
consisted of a store, blacksmith shop, schoolhouse and six or 
seven houses. James Hilldrup owned the store, and Hezekiah 
Denny taught the school. Considerable business, considering 
the sparse population of the vicinitj', was done here in the 
early '50s, but immigrants to the township preferred a difler- 
ent location, and the village declined. This was likewise the 
case with New Madison, or " Chamnesstown," as it was some- 
times called by the old settlers, and that such places ever existed 
is now but an old-time memory. 

DUNDEE. 

This village was originally known as " Mudsock," the 
name being conferred on account of the marshy condition of 
the land where it is situated. Back in the early '50s Riley 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 875 

Etchison erected a log cabin near the present site of Dundee, 
where he traded in peltries, giving in exchange, when desired, 
dry goods and groceries. There were no roads at that time 
leading to his place of business, only forest paths or traces, as 
they were called by the backwoodsmen. Mr. Etchison's near- 
est neighbors were Anderson Brannock and Edmund Johnson, 
the latter the father of the present Clerk of the county. Ex- 
Sheriff Albert Ross, who is at present a resident of Anderson, 
traded coon-skins and other peltries for goods at this place in 
1856, and has a vivid recollection of many interesting and 
amusing incidents that occurred hereabout that time and later. 
In the course of time quite a settlement sprang up and a post- 
office was established here, the place being given the name of 
Dundee. On the 6th of December, 1883, Mr. Etchison plat- 
ted the land upon which the village is situated and placed it 
on file in the Recorder's office. Dundee is four and a 
half miles east of Elwood, on the L. E. & M. R. R. The 
population at this time is estimated at 150 people. 

TOWN OF FRANKTON. 

This interesting town is situated on the P., C, C. & St. 
L. Railroad, in the southeast part of the township, and was 
laid out March 3, 1853, by Alfred Makepeace and Francis 
Sigler. The first house erected in the place was built in 1848 
by John Hardy, and a stock of general merchandise was 
placed in it by Alfred Makepeace. This store at one time 
was in charge of the Hon. Eli B. Goodykoontz, of Anderson. 
The building is still standing. Mr. Makepeace purchased his 
goods in Cincinnati and hauled them to Frankton in wagons. 

The growth of the town was slow until 1887, when the 
discovery of natural gas caused it to assume an air of thrift and 
importance, such as are seldom witnessed outside of the Indi- 
ana gas field or rich western mining districts. It now has an 
estimated population of 2000 people. The town was incor- 
porated in 1871, and the first Board of Trustees were : Dr. 
S. W. Edwins, William Cochran and Dr. R. Harvey. The 
present Trustees are : Solomon Smelser, Richard Lewellyn 
and William Johns. 

The first postmaster in the township was probably Will- 
iam Taylor, who lived about one mile east of Frankton and 
kept the office at his house. The office was established in 
1887 or 1838 and the mail was conveyed on horseback from 
Indianapolis via Strawtown, Perkinsville and on to Alexan- 



876 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

dria. The present postmaster is William T. Wright. The 
first church organized in the township was in the summer of 
183G at the house of Reuben Kelly about one mile east of 
Frankton. A number of devoted Methodists, among whom 
were William Taylor, Joseph Miller, John Chamness, Jacob 
Speck, Amos Goff and their wives, gathered at the house of 
Mr. Kelly and the society was organized. This society for 
many years belonged to the Anderson circuit and its meetings 
were held during that time at the houses of the membership. 
Among the early ministers who preached to the congregation 
were Revs. Hezekiah Smith, J. F. Stiles, I. N. Ellsberry and 
J. C. Bradshaw. 

The next religious society organized in the township was 
the Frankton Christian church. This church was organized 
in 1839 by Daniel Franklin at the house of Elijah Ring. The 
first membership included among others, Daniel Franklin, 
Joseph Franklin, Henry Plummer, Elisha Lawson, Edmund 
Johnson and their wives. Services were held at the homes of 
the members. In 1854 a majority ot the congregation united 
with the Elwood church and assisted in building a house of 
worship at that place, but in 1859 they returned and the 
Frankton church was reorganized. In 1867 a place of wor- 
ship was erected by the congregation, since which time the 
membership has had a permanent home. Among those who 
have ministered to the spiritual wants of the church at times 
are Elders Daniel Franklin, Benjamin Franklin, his son, 
Joseph Franklin, Henry Blount, Cornelius Qiiick, and Graf- 
ton Nailor, the latter being the present pastor. 

Besides the Methodist and Christian Churches, the United 
Brethren and Adventists each have an organized society at 
Frankton and a permanent place of worship. The new church 
edifice erected this year by the United Brethren is one of the 

handsomest places of worship in the county. 

■* 

FRANKTON SCHOOLS. 

Much pride is taken in the public schools of Frankton by 
the citizens of the place, and the result is that a liberal policy 
is pursued by the School Board in providing educational 
accommodations and facilities for pupils. The enrollment this 
year was 432 pupils, for whose benefit a corps of teachers is 
employed. H. H. Belden is Principal of the schools. The 
present School Trustees are W. H. H. Quick, J. H. Daugherty 
and Joseph Qiiinn. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 877 

FRANKTON INDUSTRIES. 

The following are the factories thus far located in this 
thriving little city: Clyde Window Glass Co., two factories; 
Frankton Window Glass Factory, Wetherald Rolling-Mill,. 
Hoosier Fence Co., Frankton Brick Works, Dwiggins Fence 
Co., Quick City Novelty Works, Bradrick & Lineburg Fence 
Factory, Frankton Lumber Manufacturing Co., Frankton 
Flouring Mills, Orr & Campbell Saw-mill. These factories- 
employ a large number of hands, and are in active operation. 

The Clyde Window Glass Factory was the first located 
at Frankton after the discovery of natural gas." It was located 
through the instrumentality of Joseph M. Watkins, October 
22, 1889. He owned certain lands at Frankton, which he 
platted as Watkins' 1st, 2d, 3d and Fairview additions. He 
was one of the leading promoters of the "boom " that subse- 
quently transformed Frankton from a village to a thriving, 
bustling town. Mr. Watkins is now Deputy County Treas- 
urer. He is the son of Francis Watkins, one of the early 
pioneers of Richland Township, but for many years past a 
resident of the city of Anderson. 

C. Q.UICK & CO.'S BANK. 

This institution was established in the year 1876 by Cor- 
nelius Qiiick, a leading citizen of Frankton and gentleman of 
wealth. His son, George Quick, now interested in the Ander- 
son Banking Company, was a partner in the bank and took 
an active interest in its affairs until he retired to accept his. ' 
present position. The business of the bank is conducted upon 
conservative principles, and is one of the safest and soundest 
financial repositories in the county. 

FRATERNAL SOCIETIES. 

Frankton has three fraternal and benevolent orders, the 
Masonic, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. Frankton 
Lodge, I. O. O. F., was instituted January 31, 1872. The 
first officers were W. L. Philpott, N. G. ; J. H. Wagoner, 
V. G. ; R. R. Cramner, Secretary ; C. C. Mays, Treasurer^ 

CITY OF ELWOOD. 

Elwood is the second city in size and importance in the 
county. It is situated in the north-west part of the township 
on the P., C, C. & St. L. Railway, and near the Tipton county 
line. It was originally called Quincy, but on account of 



878 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

another village, or postoffice, of that name in Owen county 
which caused no little confusion in delivering mail, the name 
was changed through the efforts of Captain F. M. Hunter and 
others, to that of Ehvood on the 21st of July, 1869, Captain 
Hunter being at that time, and for fifteen years thereafter, 
postmaster. 

The town was laid out March 1, 1853, by James Ander- 
son, Mark Simmons and J. B. Frazer, and soon after a post- 
office was established. The office was called Duck Creek, 
and William Barton was appointed postmaster. Mr. Barton 
opened the first store (in 1852), also the first bank (in 1870), 
and built the first grain elevator. The office of postmaster 
has been held by the following gentlemen in the order named : 
William Barton, J. M. Dehority, W. F. ]SIorris, P. B. Smith, 
F. M. Hunter, James M. Parsons, James M. Overshiner and 
Franz Harbit, the latter being the present incumbent. 

The Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad was com- 
pleted to Elwood in 1857, and Andrew J. Griffith was 
appointed depot agent. It is related that Mr. Griffith was com- 
pelled very often to walk out from the "station" to the train 
on a log for the mail, the land in that immediate vicinity 
being covered with water at that day nearly the whole year 
round. No man at that time could have predicted the future 
possibilities of the place ; no man dreamed that it had beneath 
it that which, in a day, would cause it to mount to prominence 
later on as a busy mart, a proud manufacturing city. The 
growth of the town was like that of other Indiana towns 
until the discovery of natural gas — "nothing to boast of," 
although it was always a good business point. In 1872 it was 
incorporated, and the following officers were elected : Huston 
Clendenen, G. W. Hupp and John Ross, Trustees ; George 
Ross, Treasurer ; J. H. Hunter, Clerk; and J. M. Parsons, 
Marshal. 

The following concerning Elwood is taken from a brief 
sketch in Harden's history of Madison county, published 
in 1874: 

" A large amount of lumber and heading and stave ma- 
terial is shipped from this place. It contains a Methodist 
Episcopal and Christian church, a brick schoolhouse, a rail- 
road depot, a good hotel, a livery stable, a lanyard, a flouring 
mill and several neat and tasteful private residences. The 
business firms are Burriss & Quick, J. M. DeHority & Son, 
H. C. Calloway, R. Free and A. Chamness & Dwiggins. The 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 879 

druggists are F. M. Hunter, J. F. Mock & Hunter and Way- 
mire. The harnessmakers, T. Samuels & Bro. Shoemakers, 
James Parsons, William Hopenrath and John Buchanan. 
Wagonmakers, J. M. Overshiner & Co. Blacksmiths, George 
Barns & Son and James Hannah. Lumber dealer, Augustus 
Kramer. Sawyers, Cochran & Sons. Miller, J. T. Adair. 
Postmaster, F. M. Hunter. Railroad agent. Perry A. Taylor. 
Elwood contains a population of four hundred." 

This picture presents Elwood as it was twenty-two years 
ago. It would require a volume now to give the details of its 
progress and history since that time. It is the marvel of the 
Indiana gas belt, and the pride not only of its citizens, but of 
the people of the entire county. It arose " as if from the 
stroke of the enchanter's wand," and yet there is not, perhaps, 
in the country a city of equal size whose improvements are 
more substantial, or whose various enterprises are operated 
upon a sounder basis. Immediately following the drilling of 
the first gas well the town began improving ; manufactory 
after manufactory was located by its enterprising citizens ; 
capital was invited to safe and profitable investment; the old 
landmarks disappeared and its busy population prospered. 

INCORPORATED AS A CITY. 

On the 27tli of April, 1891, an election was held for the 
purpose of determining the sentiment of the people with ref- 
erence to incorporating the town as a city. The result of 
this election was 377 for and 146against the proposition. Soon 
after the city was divided into four wards, and the following 
officers were elected : W. A. Dellority, Mayor; O. A. Arm- 
field, Clerk; T. L. DeHority, Treasurer; F. M. Hunter, Jr., 
Marshal; Councilmen, First Ward, G. W. Bryer and Jacob 
Kraus : Second Ward, Martin E. Goode and Hugh Lyst , 
Third Ward, Daniel Heck and S. H. Cochran ; Fourth Ward, 
John Frith and W. B. Willets. Since the first city election 
the following getitlemen have been elected members of the 
Common Council: Francis Harbit, W. L. Austil, Joseph 
Boyer, Theo. Harwick, C. C. Kestner, T. O. Arnifield, M. 
L. Shores, James Howard, A. L. Starkey, F. M. Headle^', R. 
H. Mount, A. B. Williams. 

The present city officers are : W. A. Finch, Mayor; W. 
A. Hupp, clerk ; T. L. DeHority, Treasurer; James Parsons, 
Marshal; Geo. W. Alford, City Judge. 

The police department of the city is in charge of a chief 



880 



HISTORY OP" MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



and five patrolmen appointed by a Board of Police Commis- 
sioners. The city also has a fire department and system of 
water-works, \vhich aff'ord ample protection against fire. 

WILLIAM A. DEHORITY. 

The subject of this sketch was born October 24, 1868, in the 
town of Elwood. His parents were John W. and Jane De- 
Hority, both of whom were born in Madison county. The 
father died August 28, 1891; the mother is still living at 
the old homestead at Elwood. 

Mr. DeHority's boyhood was passed in the usual occupa- 
tions which engaged the attention of the young in country vil- 
lages. In 1885 he entered Earlham College at Richmond, 
Indiana, where he remained until 1887. In 1887-8 he took a 




WILLIAM A. DEHORITY. 



commercial course at Louisville, Kentucky, where he acquired 
a knowledge of practical business methods, which, together 
with unlimited energy and good sound judgment, have con- 
tributed very largely to his success in the various enterprises 
to which he has given his attention. Owing to many advan- 
tageous circumstances he was chosen as the Democratic candi- 
date for Mayor of Elwood after its incorporation as a city in 
1891, and on the 9th of June of that year was triumphantly 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 881 

elected, being the first Mayor of that city and the youngest at 
tiie time in the State. During his administration the Elwood 
electric liglit plant was put in operation, his little son, John 
W. DeHority, having the honor of pulling the throttle that set 
the machinery in motion for the first time. This interesting 
event took place at 2 o'clock p. m., August 1, 1891. The 
electric street railway and water works system were also 
begun and completed during his term of office — improvements 
which it now affords him great pleasure as a citizen to know 
that he assisted in promoting. At the time of his election 
Elwood had a population of 2,500; it is now a city of 11,000 
population. 

Mr. DeHority was married June 27, 1888, to Miss Fran- 
ces C. Metts, daughter of Rev. M. S. Metts, who was at the 
time pastor of the M. E. church at Elwood. The fruits of 
this union have been four children, three boys and one girl — 
John W., Ruth M., J. Loomis and Walter C. F., all of whom 
are living. 

Mr. DeHority is actively engaged in various business 
enterprises and enjoys the confidence and respect of all who 
know him. He is nothing if not practical and comes as nearly 
observing the Golden Rule as any man in Madison county. 

THE SCHOOLS. 

The school facilities and accommodations of Elwood com- 
pare favorably with those of any city in the State of equal 
population. The progress made in this respect is commensur- 
ate with the advancement made by the city in its material 
interests. In 1876 the city had but one school building, which 
was known as the " Elwood Graded School ," the faculty 
being J. T. Jennings, Principal ; John Gronendyke, C. M, 
Greenlee and Joseph Howard, teachers in the grammar, inter- 
mediate and primary departments, respectively. The city 
to-day has four large school buildings of modern design and a 
corps of thirty-three teachers. The number of children of 
school age this year was 2,764. Every facility for acquiring 
a common school education is afforded pupils by an active and 
liberal Board of Trustees. Thomas F. Fitzgibbon,a gentle- 
man well qualified for the position, is school Superintendent.. 

MANUFACTORIES AND BANKING INTERESTS. 

The principal cause of Elwood's remarkable growth ;inil 

prosperity in the past ten years will be found in the following 
56 



882 HISTORY OF MADISON COfXTV, INDIANA. 

list of her manufacturing industries, all of which have been 
located since the discovery of natural gas : Pittsburg Plate 
Glass Works, George A. Macbeth Glass Factory, W. R. 
McCloy Glass Factory, Elwood Furniture Company, Ehvood 
Furniture and Planing Mill Company, Elwood Boiler and 
Engine Works, Elwood Crystal Ice Manufacturing Company, 
Superior Radiator Company, Elwood Window Glass Com- 
pany. Nivisen & Weiskolp Bottle Works, Phil Hamm Boiler 
Works. Akron Steam Forge Works, Elwood Brick Company, 
Starkey Brick Company, George Heffner Planing Mill Com- 
pany, American Tin Plate Works. Elwood Box Factory, 
Elwood Iron Works, Excelsior Works. 

In addition to these industries the city has an electric 
■street railwav system that is operated in connection with the 
Elwood electric light plant ; also a telephone system, at 
the head of which is James M. Overshiner. 

BANKING INSTITUTIONS. 

The city has two banks, the Citizens' Exchange Bank 
and the First National Bank, the former having been organ- 
ized in 1881 by B. T. and H. C. Calloway, and the latter in 
January, 1892. The National had been doing business, how- 
ever, as a private institution, known as the Farmers' Bank, 
until it was reorganized. The officers of this bank are J. H. 
DeHority, President; Nathan J. Leisure, Vice-President; J. 
A. DeHority, Cashier. The building in which this bank con- 
ducted its business was burned in 1892, and another was built 
on the north-west corner of Anderson and Main streets, where 
it is now located. Both banks have ample capital and enjoy 
the fullest confidence, not only of the business men of El- 
wood, but of the public generall}-. 

AN IMMENSE ESTABLISHMENT. 

It would require much more space than is permissible in 
this work to give the names of the merchants and citizens do- 
ing business here at the present time, even if it were proper 
to do so. A history of this character, however, would be sub- 
ject to just criticism if it failed to give some mention of the 
mammoth retail establishment of J. L. Leeson & Sons. This 
store occupies a three-storj' block, situated at the south-east 
corner of Anderson and South A streets, and is the largest 
establishment of its kind in the county. It is a department 
store and employs at certain times and during certain seasons 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 888 

as many as eighty clerks, to wait upon the customers \vho 
throng the different departments. An immense business is 
done annually, greater, perhaps, than in any store of its kind 
in Central or Eastern Indiana, excepting the State capital. It 
is a credit to the city of Elwood and the county, and stands 
as a monument to the excellent business methods and manage- 
ment of its founder, Mr. J. L. Leeson. 

FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS. 

The first fraternal order organized at Elwood was Quincy 
Lodge, No. 230, F. and A. M. The lodge was instituted 
May 25, 1858, the following officers being elected : A. J. 
Griffith, W. M. ; J. M. DeHority, S. W. ; D. Barton, J. W. 
The lodge has a large membership and is in a prosperous con- 
dition. 

I. o. o. F. 

Qiiincy Lodge, No. 200, I. O. O. F., was instituted on 
the Sllth of July, 1858, with twelve charter members. The 
first officers of the lodge were : Culpepper Lee, N. G. ; John 
B. Frazier, \'. G. : B. T. Calloway, R. S. ; Mark Simmons. 
Treasurer; L. J. Kidwell, Permanent Secretary. 

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT ELWOOD. 

On the morning of September 18, 1872, a destructive fire 
occurred at Elwood, whereby the large flouring and saw-mills 
owned and operated by John T. Adair took fire between 2 and 
3 o'clock in the morning and were entirely consumed. The 
proprietor had run the mill until about 2 o'clock a. m. and, 
after shutting down, had gone to his home. He had scarcely 
reached his house and become comfortably seated before a cry 
of fire was heard, and looking out, saw that his mill was en- 
veloped in flames. The alarm was given to the people of the 
neighborhood, and soon they ran from all directions with buck- 
ets and such other artpliances as were then at hand to enable 
them to subdue the fire, but in less than an hour the whole 
structure was destroyed, together with the contents, consist- 
ing of a large amount of wheat, valued at from twelve to fif- 
teen thousand dollars, and a large quantity of lumber, the 
value of which was estimated at .$8,000, making a total loss of 
very nearly $20,000, none of \vhich was insured. 

The loss fell very heavily on Mr. Adair, who had his 
entire fortune wrapped up in these enterprises. He was an 
energetic, thorough-going business man, and possessed the 



884 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

confidence and esteem of the community, who deeply sympa- 
thized with him. Efforts were at once made by the people of 
Elwood and the surrounding country to render him assistance 
to rebuild his mill, which he subsequently did, although on not 
so large a scale as the first one. 

Mr. Adair was at this time a popular Democratic politi- 
cian in Madison county, and one time made a contest for the 
nomination for County Treasurer, and came within one vote 
of reaching the goal of his ambition. 

The losses sustained by Mr. Adair had the effect to a cer- 
tain extent of destroying his usefulness as a business man, as 
he never fully recovered from it, and he died about the year 
1885 near the scene of the conflagration. 

THE KILLING OF MILTON HALFIN. 

On New Year's eve of the year 1875, the town of Ehvood 
was thrown into great excitement over the report that a j-oung 
man had been killed on the railroad near that village. Many of 
the citizens ran to the place of the disaster, where tliey found 
the lifeless form of a young man of the name of Milton Halfin 
lying on the railroad track, who had accidentally met his 
death by a pistol shot in the hands of Philip Hosier, a comrade. 

The facts of the unfortunate shooting were about as fol- 
lows: Arrangements had been made for an oyster supper at 
the house of Isaac Etchison, who resided about a mile and a 
half from Elwood. In the evening young Halfin and Philip 
Hosier went to town to purchase the oysters and other deli- 
cacies for the evening's entertainment. After providing them- 
selves with such articles as they required, thev started back to 
the Etchison home, accompanied by Ira Kidwell, James Bird, 
William Kidwell, and John Kidwell. It being quite dark,, 
the)' walked down the railroad track in single file, Halfin 
being in the lead. Bird second. Hosier third, and Ira Kidwell 
fourth. - 

They moved along quite rapidiv. jesting and talking with 
each other, when about half a mile from the town , Hosier quietly 
took a revolver from his pocket and, without warning, fired; 
into the air to scare his companions, as he afterwards said. 

In doing so he cocked the pistol to fire the second time, 
and James Bird, who was frightened by the first report of the 
pistol, partly turned around to see what was the cause of the 
shooting, and in doing this threw up his hands and caught 
Hosier's arm which held the pistol, and jerked it downwards 



^ 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 885 

In the meantime Halfin, who had partially turned around, at 
■this moment received the contents of the pistol in his left 
temple. The wounded man fell forward upon his face, and 
when they attempted to raise him he was found to be dead. 
vSome of the young men of the party hastened back to town 
for medical aid, and Drs. Armfield and Sigler hastened to the 
fatal spot, but the unfortunate man had died before they 
reached his side. 

An inquest was held the next day by George M. Ballard, 
Justice of the Peace at Elwood, and a verdict of accidental 
shooting was rendered by the jury. Hosier was present at 
the inquest and gave full details as to the shooting and his 
connection with the affair ; he did not try in any way to con- 
ceal the facts of the case. Halfin and Hosier were about the 
same age, and greatly attached to each other. Both were 
young men of steady habits and much respected. 

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. 

In the month of August, 1878, on Sunday morning about 
10 o'clock, during a shower at Elwood, a bolt of lightning 
struck a two-story tenement liouse located in the center of the 
town. The house was occupied at the time by a widow and 
another familj' — ten persons in all. The house was literally 
demolished. The shingles were torn from the roof and parts 
of the building were stripped off and carried to quite a dis- 
tance from the scene of the disaster. In one corner of the 
house, under the sheathing, a hole about a foot in diameter was 
left where the lightning had entered, and then, striking the 
wall, twisted the main posts into splinters. Strange as it may 
seem, the inmates, who at the time were scattered about in 
different parts of the house, escaped without injury. Ira 
Kidwell, Jr., and Isaac Boyden, who were walking along the 
street about a hundred yards from the place, were knocked 
senseless by the force of the lightning, but soon recovered. 
The town was terribly shaken up over the matter, but fortu- 
nately no fatal injury was done to anv one. 

KILLED ON A RAILWAY. 

On Saturday, the 30th of August, 1878, John Sloan, Will- 
iam Cox, Edward Spencer, Aaron Spencer and John W. Spen- 
cer hired a team and spring wagon at the livery stable of Cox 
& Swindell, at Alexandria, and went to Dundee to a dance 
that was to be held on that evening. When they arrived at 



886 HISTORY OF MADISON" COUNTY, INDIANA. 

that place they found that the dance had been postponed. 
The party then proceeded to a saloon and drank quite freely. 
William Cox and John W. Spencer had gone to look about 
the team and had driven it partly across the railway and halted 
on the crossing. They had been gone but a little while when 
a train came down the track at a rapid rate. The engineer, 
seeing the men, gave a shrill signal. The party in the saloon 
rushed out just in time to see the train run over the wagon 
and kill one of its occupants. 

It is supposed that Cox and Spencer had been overcome 
by liquor and did not hear the whistle until it was too late to 
make their escape. Spencer was killed instantly, and Cox 
suffered severely, but afterwards recovered. The front wheel 
of the wagon was carried a distance of one hundred and fifty 
feet. One of the horses was killed and the other terriblj- 
mangled. An inquest was held by Coroner Rockenfield and 
a verdict of accidental death in accordance with the facts was 
rendered. The railroad company was excused from all blame 
in the matter. 

KILLED BY A SWITCH ENGINE. 

Charles J. Jeffries, of Elwood, was run over by a switch 
engine on the tracks at Indianapolis and killed, August 17, 
1884. Both his limbs were cut off, and he lived but a short 
time. His remains were forwarded to Elwood, where his 
widowed mother resided. He was a young man, 22 vears of 
age, and unmarried. He had been employed by the Pan Han- 
dle Railroad Company some time prior to the accident, and 
had been out of work but a short time, having gone to Indian- 
apolis with a companion to look for a situation. He was 
standing on the track unconscious of the approaching locomo- 
tive, when he was run over, with the above result. 

KILLED BY A HORSE. 

James Bright, a young man about twenty-four years of 
age, residing at Elwood, was, on Monday, the 12th of Octo- 
ber, 1884, killed at a point a few miles west of that place on 
the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. He was approaching the 
crossing, when a train came along, and he got out of his buggy 
to hold the horse, when it took fright and reared, striking him 
on the head with its hoof, and then in some manner losing 
control of his feet, the animal fell upon him. His skull was 
crushed, and the injuries he received caused instant death. 



HISTORY OF .MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 887 

Mr. Bright was an exemplary young man, and the tragical 
occurrence was very much lamented. The remains were 
buried on the following Wednesday. 

ACCIDENTAL DEATH. 

On Wednesday, the I'Mh of February, 1885, John East- 
born, a young man residing two miles north of Elwood, was 
the victim of a fatal accident. He was engaged in chopping 
down a tree, which fell upon him. One of the limbs struck 
him on the right side of the head, producing a fracture of the 
skull, from which he died. No one was with him at the time 
and little was known of the occurrence. Coroner Wm. A. 
Hunt was notified, and he held an inquest, being assisted by 
Dr. Daniel Sigler, who made a post-mortem examination, 
which resulted in a verdict of accidental death in accordance 
with the above facts. Mr. Eastborn was an industrious, hard- 
working boy, and the main support of a widowed mother, 
whom he left in needy circumstances. 

SUICIDE OK .\ YOUNG LADY. 

In the month of March, 1887, a very sad suicide took place 
at the residence of John Grifiee, a farmer living five miles 
west of Elwood, whereby his sixteen-year-old daughter took 
her own life by swallowing adoseof " Rough on Rats." She 
had gone to Rigdon to purchase a box of this compound, and 
on returning home ate a part of it, and then told her mother 
what she had done. A physician was summoned, but not 
until the poison had taken such effect that she was beyond the 
reach of medical aid. She was a handsome and intelligent 
girl. Her parents and friends were very much grieved over 
the sad occurrence. 

AN OLD CITIZEN KILLS HI-MSELK ACCIDENT.\LLY. 

Anderson Brannock was an old and highlv-respected citi- 
zen who lived in Pipe Creek township for many years. On 
the 4th of April, 1882, while carelessly handling a pistol, it 
was discharged, killing him instantly. He was in his house 
hunting for a button to sew on his pants and while examining 
a box in whicli there were several articles he espied an old 
revolver that had been lying there for some time. He 
made a light remark that it iiad been there long enough and 
ought to be disposed of in some way, as it was considered 
worthless. While handling the weapon it was discharged. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the bullet taking effect in his abdomen. His wife and a ser- 
vant girl were in the house at the time. They heard the dis- 
charge of the pistol and ran to his relief. The alarm was 
given to the neighbors and physicians were sent for, but the 
wound was of such a nature that no relief could be of any 
service to him, and he died the saine evening. 

Michael Ryan, Coroner of Madison county, was sum- 
moned, and on the 15th of April held an inquest and returned 
a verdict of accidental death in accordance ^vith the above 
facts. 

SUICIDE OF WILLIAM SIL^■V. 

William Silvy, a farmer residing near Dundee in Pipe 
Creek township, committed suicide by hanging himself on the 
22nd of September, 1885. He tied a rope around the rafters 
in an outhouse near his residence and without ceremonv 
swung himself into eternity. He had been troubled with 
rheumatism for many years and the disease had crippled him 
to such an extent that he had to require the constant use of 
crutches. It was through despondencj- on account of his bad 
health that caused him to take his life. He was a prosperous 
farmer in that part of the county before the disease fastened 
itself upon him and had accumulated considerable wealth, 
much of which he spent in the way of doctor bills and medi- 
cine. Dr. William A. Hunt, Coroner of the county, was 
called and investigated the case and rendered a verdict of 
death by suicide. 

KILLED BY A L. E. & W. RAILWAY TRAIN. 

On Wednesday, the 25th of December, 1889, John Kemp, 
residing one-half mile west of Elwood, was run over by a 
Lake Erie and Western Railroad train and instantly killed. 
He had been to Elwood and had started home down the 
track ; he was in an inebriated condition, and it seems that he 
did not notice the approaching train, and when near a crossing 
he was struck by the locomotive, and his bodv, just above the 
hips, was cut almost in twain. He ^vas an unmarried man, 
about 30 years old, and resided with a brother, who took 
charge of his remsins, after the inquest bv the Coroner. They 
were interred in the neighborhood. 

RUN OVER BY A PAN HANDLE TRAIN. 

Robert Montgomery, of Pipe Creek township, was run 
over by a train on the Pan Handle Railroad, near Elwood, on 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 889 

the 19th of June, 1876, and had one arm cut off and was other- 
wise badly bruised and mangled. 

He was in an intoxicated condition and had sat down 
upon the track. Dr. Stanley W. Edwins, of Frankton, 
was summoned and attended his wounds, amputating the 
w^ounded member. He recovered from the effects of his 
injuries. 

TERRIBLE EXPLOSION. 

Newton House has for many years run a flouring mill at 
Elwood. On the morning of January 4, 1887, about 7 
o'clock, the boilers under this mill exploded with terrific force, 
killing Joseph Redd and Dell Lyst, and severely injuring 
other persons in the neighborhood whose escape was miracu- 
lous. On the Monday evening before the explosion Dell Lyst, 
the engineer, when shutting down, drew part of the water 
from the boiler, intending the next morning to clean it out. 
On the following morning, however, he came late to his work. 
Joseph Redd, the miller, having got there before he did put a 
fire in the furnace which had been burning quite a while 
under the boiler, he not knowing the state of the water. 
When the engineer reached the place and the pumps were 
tested they were found frozen. The two men set to work to 
thaw out the valves, and the moment they were placed in run- 
ning order and the cold stream of water was turned in, a ter- 
rible explosion occurred. Both men were killed instantly. 
Joseph Redd received a dozen or more internal injuries, any 
one of which would have proven fatal. The entire skin of 
llisface was burned off, and he could only be recognized by 
the clothing he wore. His right arm was crushed to the 
shoulder and both his legs were broken. He was a man of 
39 years of age, and left a widow and two children. The re- 
mains of Dell Lyst, the engineer, w^ere mutilated almost be- 
yond recognition, and were found in the boiler room a few 
feet distant from the pump, where he and Redd stood at the 
time the explosion occurred. The back part of his head was 
crushed, and there were scarcely two bones left in his body 
t-hat were not broken. He was about twenty-six years of age 
and left a widow and one child. 

George Redd, another person who worked in the mill, 
was discovered a few moments after the explosion under a pile 
of brick and mortar and was rescued, being terribly hurt and 
frightened almost out of his senses. He finally recovered 
from the effects of the shock. 



890 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

The victims of the explosion were buried at Elwood, and 
their funerals were attended by nearly all the population of the 
city. Services were held in the "rink," as the church was 
not large enough to hold the throng. 

The mill was a complete wreck. The boiler house was 
entirely blown away and some of the foundation stones were 
removed from their position. One section of the boiler weigh- 
ing nearly 200 pounds was thrown a distance of about two 
squares through the town and came down through the roof of 
a blacksmith shop. Another piece quite as large was thrown 
in an opposite direction for a considerable distance and was 
found near the cliurch. Another portion of the boiler was 
carried to a great distance and found near the residence of Mr. 
William Clymer, at the Pan Handle depot. Fragments of the 
building were found upon stores and houses in the locality. 
A section of pipe that was in a wall some twenty feet from 
the surface of the ground was blown out, and was found some 
distance away from the building. A piece of the boiler-head 
struck the brick residence of Dr. Daniel Sigler, north of the 
mill, and cut a hole in the wall ; another piece passed through 
a window of the same residence striking a stove and breaking 
it. The concussion produced by the explosion broke nearly 
all the glass in Sigler's residence and badly cracked the north 
wall of his building. 

The mill was built in tirst-class style and co9t about 
$17,000. Its destruction was a severe blow to Mr. House 
financially, from the effects of which he has not recovered to 
this day, although he rebuilt the mill upon a more economic 
basis. This was one of the most disastrous occurrences that 
ever transpired in Madison county. 

FATAL SHOOTING AFFRAY. 

Among the many sad affairs that have occurred in ]Madi- 
son county none caused more excitement or general regret than 
the shooting of Dayton Warfield by Ella Overshiner at Elwood 
on the 29th of July, 1887. 

Young Overshiner is the son of highly respected par- 
ents, and this happening was a very severe blow to themj 
although upon a trial in the Circuit Court the defendant was 
acquitted on the ground of self defense. 

Dayton Warfield, the victim, was a resident of Tipton 
county and made his home with his brother there, he being a 
single man. and about thirty years of age. On the afternoon 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 891 

of the day of the tragedy, he had hauled a load of wiieat to 
Elwood, and was detained until a late hour at the railway 
unloading the grain. His brothi^r, Edward, had also come to 
town on business, and the two met about 10 o'clock. It was 
proposed by one of them and assented to by the other that they 
should go to a restaurant to take a meal before starting upon 
their journey home. They entered a place kept by Walter 
Beach on South Anderson street, and ordered a lunch. This 
was served to them and placed upon the counter. The elder 
of the brothers then took a pitcher and started in quest of some 
water. When he returned to the eating saloon he missed a 
piece of sausage from the table and asked his brother what 
had become of it. The latter replied by directing attention 
to three young men who were in the room, and remarked that 
the}' had taken it. The matter was reported to the proprietor 
who advanced towards them, and found the missing sausage 
on the counter near where they stood. He then ordered them 
from the room, a request which they immediately complied 
with, and went out upon the street. The three young men 
referred to were Ella Overshiner, Ernest Brenner and Charles 
DeHorrity, being chums and close friends, about the same age, 
and full of mischief, and from all accounts ready to engage in 
any sort of amusement. When the Warhelds had eaten their 
lunch, they also went out upon the street when they noticed 
Ella Overshiner sitting or standing by a box, and asked him 
whether he wanted to have any more difficulty about the mat- 
ter, Overshiner replied that he was not seeking trouble. From 
words they passed to blows, Warfield struck Overshiner a 
powerful blow, so hard as to turn Overshiner partly around. 
Overshiner, however, recovered himself, and running back- 
wards a few steps, warned his assailants to stand back. Over- 
shiner then drew a revolver and fired at him, but the ball did 
not take effect, and Warfield ran back into the restaurant. At 
this juncture Dayton \Varfield bore down upon young Over- 
shiner striking him in the forehead with a piece of board or 
barrel stave, severely wounding him. Overshiner recovered 
himself and as he did so he fired his revolver again, but not 
hitting his antagonist he fired another shot the ball from which 
took effect in the body of Dayton Warfield. The young man 
staggered into the restaurant, and walked into the dining room, 
wJiere he fell upon the floor declaring that he was killed. 
Dr. Daniel Sigler was summoned, but before he could reach 



892 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA 

the side of the wounded man he was beyond medical aid. He 
breathed his last at 11 o'clock that night. 

As soon as young Overshiner had fired the fatal shot he 
■went down the street in a frenzied condition. He was at once 
overtaken by friends who took him to his father's home where 
he was taken in charge until the Coroner held an inquest over 
the remains of the deceased. In the meantime Overshiner had 
secured the services of the law firm of Ballard & Goodykoontz 
to defend him. When the Coroner's inquest was concluded 
Marshal Wagner, of Elwood, brought Overshiner to Ander- 
son, where he was placed in custody of the Sheriff. He was 
greatly excited, and suffered much mental agony and severe 
nervous strain. Overshiner was admitted to bail, which was 
readily furnished, and he was held to await the action of the 
Grand Jury. An indictment was returned against him, and 
at the following term of the Madison Circuit Court he was 
placed on trial. He was defended by Ballard & Goodykoontz 
and also by the Hon. James W. Sansberry, Sr. 

Mr. Sansberry was an intimate friend of the father of the 
defendant and believing conscientiously that the boy was not 
guilty of the crime of murder -^vith which he was charged, 
volunteered his services in his defense. In his argument be- 
fore the jury he made the ablest address of his life. This was 
his last speech before the Anderson bar. He cro\vned the 
evening of his life with the glory of having made one of the 
most eloquent appeals that was ever listened to in an Anderson 
court. He spoke for three hours \vithout cessation, and held 
the court, jury and spectators spellbound by the eloquent words 
that fell from his lips. He displayed much feeling, and it 
was evident that his ^vhole heart and soul ^vere wrapped up 
in the cause. Manj* tears were shed by the lady spectators 
and others who listened to this address, and after the jury took 
the case they were out but a short time, when a verdict of 
acquittal was rendered. 

The Prosecuting Attorney was J. F. Neal, assisted by 
Colonel Milton S. Robinson and other able counsel. Colonel 
Robinson made a vigorous effort in this case, but could not 
bring about a conviction. Messrs. Goodykoontz and Ballard 
also acquitted themselves admirably. Mr. Ballard, who had 
but recently removed from Elwood to Anderson, and was, 
therefore, but little known to the people of the city, made a 
very able address which pushed him far to the front in the 
estimation of the people, and was the means of securing for 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 893 

him a large and lucrative law practice, which he retains to this 
day. 

A BOILER EXPLOSION. 

A very disastrous and fatal boiler explosion occurred at 
Ehvood on the 16th of November, 1894, by which the power 
house of the electric light and street railway plant was blown 
to atoms, caused by the bursting of one of the large boilers in 
the engine house. Thomas Clark, the night engineer, was in 
the building at the time and was so seriouslj- injured that he 
died two hours after the occurrence. Frank McDaniel, the 
only other person in the building at the time, escaped with 
slight injuries. Part of the boiler was blown a distance of 
two squares away. The building was entirely demolished, 
being blown down to the foundation walls. A number of 
street cars that were in the building were badly broken and 
damaged in such a manner as to be almost a total loss. The 
damage to the property amounted to nearly $20,1)00. Nearly 
the entire population of Elwood was soon gathered at the 
scene of the disaster, and all that men could do to alleviate 
the sufferings of the wounded was done. Jatnes»M. Over- 
shiner, Ollie Frazier, J. H. DeHority, Henry C. Calloway 
and many others of the leading business men and financiers of 
Elwood were stockholders in the enterprise and immediately 
set about to secure temporary quarters for the operation of the 
plant, and in a very short time the street railway and the 
electric plant were in full operation. The building was im- 
mediatelv rebuilt, and, phoenix-like, this enterprise grew from 
its ashes and is now one of the best of its kind in Madison 
county, and is a monument to the financial nerve and energy 
of the founders. 

This plant was again destroyed by a natural gas explosion 
and again rebuilt. _ - 

GAS EXPLOSION. 

On the morning of February 12th, 1895, the smoke and 
debris of Calvin IJendricks house in Andenson, wrecked by 
a natural gas explosion, had hardly been cleared away when 
the news of anotlier terrible catastrophe of the same nature, at 
Elwood, was received. The handsome new building known 
as the Heck block was wrecked and destroyed by a gas explo- 
sion on that day and other property in the same neighborhood 
badly shaken up, windows knocked out and doors blown oft" 
their hinges, making altogether a sorry picture. This block 



894 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTY, INDIANA. 

was used as a city building. The explosion took place at 8 
o'clock. There were three men injured and several thousand 
dollars' worth of property- destroyed. It was a two-story 
building with business rooms on the first floor, the second be- 
ing occupied bv the city offices. The gas had accumulated 
under the floor of the room occupied by the Elwood Trust 
Company. 

A Mr. Telbs and Mr. Graham and an employee of the 
name of Miller were in the room at the time of the accident. 
Miller's right leg was broken in three places and he was 
otherwise seriously injured. The other two men \vere only 
slightly bruised. 

The explosion wrecked the adjoining room occupied as a 
grocery, the glass plate was knocked out and other serious 
damage sustained. Fire broke out immediately but was quick- 
ly extinguished by the fire department, which was soon upon 
the scene of the disaster. 

The loss upon the building at the time was estimated to 
be $2,000 and the damage to the stock of goods amounted to 
much morsj but was covered by insurance. 

The cause of the explosion was supposed to have been a 
leak in the street main, running in front of the building, the 
gas having followed the service pipe into the cellar of the 
house and was ignited from a light in the room, or from the 
stove. 

Mr. Heck immediately rebuilt the structure, which is 
much more handsome and commodious than the former one. 

KILLED BY A TRAIN. 

On the night of July 21. 1881, Joseph Halpin, of Pipe 
Creek township, was run over and instantly killed by the 
north-bound passenger train that passes Anderson at midnight 
for Chicago. He had been away that day and late at night 
started home, which was near the place where be met his 
death. He had sat down on the railroad to rest and had fallen 
asleep, from the effects of too much alcohol, in which he had 
been freely indulging, when the train came thundering along 
at a high rate of speed and knocked him into eternity. The 
engineer said he saw some black object on the rail, but not in 
time to stop. The night was very dark and it was hard to 
distinguish an object on the track at any distance. The acci- 
dent occurred about two miles south of Elwood. Halpin was 
mangled past all recognition. The Coroner held an inquest 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 895 

as a matter of form and returned a verdict in accordance with 
the facts. Joseph Halpin was a man well liked by his fellow- 
men, and had but one fault, that was his love for ardent spir- 
its. At the time of his sudden taking off he was well 
advanced in years, and had for a long while lived in the neigh- 
borhood where it happened. 

SHOOTING OI-" CARROL PARSONS. 

On Sunday,' May 10, 1SS6, an old feud which existed 
between Carrol Parsons and William Wright, of Elwood, culmi- 
nated in a "shooting match," in which Parsons was shot by 
Mr. Wright. Young Parsons was apparently the aggressor. On 
the evening above named Parsons met Wright on the street, 
but Mr. Wright was not inclined to enter into a fight or quar- 
rel. However, he was followed and threatened, and he was 
then compelled to shoot in self-defense. The affair took place 
in front of Jenner's restaurant. The ball entered Parsons' 
head under the right eye and came out immediately in front 
of the left ear. He was carried home, and Dr. Sigler was 
summoned and dressed the wound. 

Wright surrendered himself to Marshal Bucy, who imme- 
diately took him in custody to await the result of Parsons' 
injury. He was admitted to bail in the sum of .^1,000 and 
released from custody. The young man finally recovered. 

W. A. Sprong, the attorney, was an eye-witness to the 
shooting and did much to quiet the parties and to prevent 
further bloodshed. Wright appeared for trial, and on a hear- 
ing was accjuitted. 

FIRE AT THE PLATE GLASS WORKS. 

On the night of June 25, 1891, the large Plate Glass 
Works at Elwood caught fire and came near being destroyed. 
At one time the flames looked very threatening to the people 
of Elwood, and the means of combatting them being very lim- 
ited, the city authorities telegraphed to Logansport, Kokomo 
and Anderson for help. The Anderson department responded 
promptly. The switch engine was placed at their disposal, 
and two flat cars and two box cars were secured. The hose- 
wagon, horses, ladders and truck were soon loaded. About 
five hundred people collected at the depot to see them off, and 
one hundred and fifty, including the police, newspaper report- 
ers and others, boarded the train. The trip to Elwood was 
accomplished in a very short time. The fire was still burning 



896 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

when the Anderson department arrived, but it was practically 
under control. Logansport had sent her fire engine, and Ko- 
komo two hose carts, but none of the apparatus was needed. 
The damage to the plant was estimated to be about $60,000. 
The portions of the building destroyed were the casting hall 
and the furnace room, the former building being probably 
three hundred feet long. The plant was only partially 
insured. After the Anderson department had gallantly assisted 
in subduing the flames they were invited to a restaurant, where 
at midnight a banquet was served. Mr. George Hogle, for- 
merly of Anderson, acted as host. Mr. George Tate, one of 
the principal owners of the glass factory, became oaymaster 
for the bill. The Elwood people were very grateful to their 
sister cities, who had nobly responded to their call for aid, and 
treated them in royal style. The destroyed portions of the 
glass factory were immediately rebuilt upon a larger and more 
substantial scale. The plant is now one of the largest in the 
United States, being one of Elwood's principal industries. 

BURNING OF A STORE. 

On the 1st of February, 1890, the town of Elwood was 
thrown into a state of excitement by a destructive fire, that 
culminated in the arrest of Abraham and Simon Sklute, two 
Hungarian Jews, in whose store the fire originated. A short 
time after the fire had been subdued, a mob gathered around 
the boarding house occupied by Miss Piper, where the Jews 
were stopping, and threatened to lynch them. The excite- 
ment was finally subdued by the counsel and advice of cooler 
heads. It was openly alleged by some in the crowd that the 
Sklutes had played the part of incendiaries for the purpose of 
burning their stock of goods and thereby reaping the benefit 
to be derived from collecting the insurance. The feeling be- 
came so strong against them that they were taken before 
'Squire Ward L. Roach, and charged with arson. They 
stood a preliminary trial, the result of which was that their 
case was sent to the Circuit Court and their bond was fixed at 
$800 each. This they failed to give and were taken to Ander- 
son by Deputy Sheriff Moore and lodged in jail. The Jews 
claimed that they knew nothing of the fire until they were 
awakened by some one about 4 o'clock ; that they had left the 
store about half-past 9 o'clock the evening before and had not 
been there afterwards. The only evidence given against them 
was by an old man, who testified tiiat he saw two men who 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 897 

resembled the suspected parties go to the store about 1 o'clock, 
in the morning, which allegation they declared to be false in 
every part, so far as they were concerned. Simon Sklute was- 
the owner of the stock, and the other was in his employ. 
George M. Ballard was employed by the defendants to take 
charge of their case in the Circuit Court, and on the 28th of 
February, before an impartial jury, they were acquitted of the 
accusation. This fire caused considerable excitement at Elwood 
at the time and, even although the defendants were acquit- 
ted, many citizens could not be led to believe that they were 
not guilty. 

A MYSTERIOUS MURDER. 

One of the most foul and dastardly murders ever com- 
mitted in Madison county was done at Elwood on the 8th of 
July, 1894, in which William Foust was killed. The murder 
was, for some time afterwards, a complete mystery, baffling 
the skill of officers and detectives, who immediately set to 
work to ferret out the crime. Sheriff John Starr, of Madison 
county, and his deputy, Zachariah Dean, of Elwood, put in 
much of their time on the case, but a considerable period 
elapsed before any light was thrown on the subject that would 
tend toward the capture and conviction of the guilty party. 
Sheriff Starr took into his confidence Amos Coburn. the Chief 
of Police of Anderson, and Madison Moore, ex-Deputy Sheriff 
of Madison county, now a detective for the Pan Handle Rail- 
way system. On the 6th of February, 1895, Captain Coburn, 
Sheriff Starr, his son, James Starr, and Detective Moore went 
to Elwood and were successful to a certain extent in ferreting 
out the guilty ones and obtained evidence that pointed to the 
perpetrators of the deed. 

On the morning of July 8th, 1894, some children discov- 
ered the body of a man lying near the Pan Handle railway 
tracks, a short distance from the Diamond Plate Glass Works 
in the northern part of the city of Elwood. The fact that the 
body had been found was immediately reported and a mes- 
senger sent to Coroner Armington, who repaired to Elwood 
to hold an inquest and investigate the matter. The remains 
were seen and identified as those of William Foust, a farmer 
living north of Elwood, who, at the time of the investigation 
held by the Coroner, was supposed to have been run over by 
a train and killed. During the examination of the body Dr. 
Armington discovered a small wound ju^t below the left collar 

bone, and he at once decided that tiie man iiad been muidered 
57 



898 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and placed where the body was found, as it was cold and stiff 
when taken in charge. After an examination into all the facts 
that he could obtain. Dr. Armington returned a verdict set- 
ting forth that the deceased had come to his death from a 
pistol shot wound made by some person unknown to him. 

The fact that the Coroner had placed the responsibility of 
Foust's death upon some unknown person caused no end of 
speculation concerning the tragic affair, and for weeks the 
murder was the principal topic of conversation in Elwood and 
vicinity. The mystery surrounding it had a fascination that 
could not be dispelled, especially in the mind of Mr. Dean, 
the Deputy Sheriff of the county, who resided in Elwood. 
He was impressed with the idea that the murder was com- 
mitted near the place where the body was found, and he began 
a process of reasoning which finally brought about the appre- 
hension of the criminals. 

Living near the place where the body was found was a 
Mrs. Margaret Bolton, a widow, and her two sons, Clifford 
and Ephraim, aged nine and twelve years. Mrs. Bolton did 
not bear the best reputation and Dean was aware that she had 
sometimes persons of shady character about her premises, and 
also the fact that George Hires, William Cox and others had 
been seen in the vicinity of her home at different times under 
circumstances that left no doubt as to the knowledge on their 
part of her character. He put this fact along with that inde- 
scribable feeling that comes over a man when following a pur- 
pose, and he felt confident that Foust had been murdered in 
Mrs. Bolton's house. How to ascertain the actual facts now 
became the burden of his mind. Some time after the murder 
Mrs. Bolton and her two sons were admitted to the county 
infirmary, where she remained but a short time, and subse- 
quently left that institution and went to Kokomo, leaving her 
two sons at the poor farm. 

Dean was aware of this fact and on a visit to the city of 
Anderson on business connected with his duties as Deputy 
Sherifl"', requested James Starr, the son of the Sheriff, to drive 
him to the poor farm, stating that he wanted to procure if 
possible, by an interview with the Bolton boys, any evidence 
that they might possess in relation to the murder. Sheriff 
Starr willingly consented. 

Dean and James Starr accordingly visited the infirmary 
and the boys revealed the story of the crime. Ephraim, the 
older of the boys, did the talking. He said that on the night 



HISTORY OF MADISON COL'NTY. INDIANA. 899 

of July 7, George Hires and William Cox came to their house 
and that later on Epbraim and George Crull came in. The 
men were drunk and indulged in loud talking. He said that 
he and his brother were not alarmed for "the reason that men 
often came to the house at night. A little before dawn of the 
next morning he got up and went to the pump in the back 
yard to get a drink of water. As he passed the kitchen door 
he saw several men seated at the table playing cards and Will- 
iam Cox in another room with his mother. As he came back 
to the house he met his brother Clifford at the door, who also 
saw the men and became very angry and threw a stool at 
them. A little later William Foust came in the room, where 
the men were seated, and upset some whisky that was on the 
table, and Hires and Foust got into a quarrel. Hires jumped 
up and pointed a revolver at Foust, calling him foul names, and 
informed him that he was not wanted there, at the same time 
firing his pistol. Foust sank into his chair and almost 
iminediately died ; their mother came in at this time and she 
and her two boys ran into another room, locking the door. 
After everything had become quiet they came out. but the 
men were gone, as well as the body of Foust. 

This story of the boy was afterwards reiterated in sub- 
stance before the Grand Jury in an investigation of the case, 
and an indictment found and warrants were issued for the 
arrest of George Hires, William Cox, Ephraim Crull and 
George Crull, for murder. 

The men all resided in Tipton county, and just how to 
successfully carry out the intention of the officers was a mat- 
ter of no little concern to the Sheriff. As before stated in this 
article, he called to his assistance Detective Mat Moore and 
Captain Coburn. They planned that Coburn should go to 
Kokomo, where Mrs. Bolton was then living, and place her 
under arrest, and as soon as she was placed in custody to pro- 
ceed to the homes of the other parties in the case and place 
them under arrest also. 

Captain Coburn performed his part of the plan without 
delay, and in a very satisfactory manner. Immediately after 
Coburn's return with the Bolton woman in charge, it was sug- 
gested that the Sheriff, with a number of deputies and a detail 
of police, should go to Elwood on an engine used in the Pan 
Handle j'ards. Detective Moore made satisfactory arrange- 
ments with the Pan Handle Railroad Company, and at 6 
o'clock a. m. the engine pulled out of the yards at Anderson 



900 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

for Elwood. On board were the Sheriff, John Starr, his dep- 
uties, James Starr and Warren Copper, Captain Amos Co- 
burn, Detective Mat Moore and Patrohnen Mark Robbins and 
Alonzo Pence, of the Anderson police force. The trip to El- 
wood was made in a few minutes. After arriving there the 
officers got off the engine, went to the home of ex-Sheriff 
Thomas Moore, and secured his services in the case. The 
posse then divided into three squads, each one of which went 
in search of its particular man. Hires was arrested at his 
home in Tipton county, about four miles northwest of El- 
wood. Ephraim Crull was arrested at a country literary enter- 
tainment, three miles west of Elwood. Cox, who worked at 
the chimney flue glass factory, was arrested just as he was- 
returning from his daily work. George Crull beheld the offi- 
cers coming and succeeded in getting away, but not before he 
had been stopped by Captain Coburn and questioned as to his 
name and where he was going. He gave satisfactory answers 
and was permitted to go on. He had been gone but a short 
time when it was discovered that he was the party named 
in the warrant. But it was useless for the officers to try ta 
overtake him, and they were therefore compelled to return to 
Anderson without him. 

None of the men made any resistance, but each one 
declared not only his innocence of the crime, but his ability 
to establish that fact before a jury. 

In a conversation with Mrs. Bolton by the officers she 
made statements that established, beyond a doubt, the guilt of 
the arrested parties. 

Great credit was due to Deputy Sheriff Dean for his skill 
in unraveling the mystery and bringing about the arrest of the 
criminals. 

At the March term of the Madison Circuit Court, 1895, 
George Hires, the central figure in the case, was placed upon 
trial before the Hon. Alfred Ellison, Judge. The Judge, 
realizing the enormity of the crime, spared no pains in 
every way consistent with his position to bring the guilty 
party to justice. He therefore appointed W. H. Kittinger 
and Edward Reardon to assist Prosecutor D. W. Scanlan on 
behalf of the State. The defense was represented by Greenlee 
& Call, of Elwood, and George M. Ballard, of Anderson. The 
trial lasted for many days, and large crowds of witnesses from 
Elwood and the surrounding country were in attendance. 

The prosecution was handled in an able manner by Pros- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 901 

editor Scanlan and his associates, and nothing was left undone 
by the defense to prevent a conviction of their client. On the 
6th of April the jury returned a verdict convicting Hires, and 
placed upon him a punishment of thirteen years in the peni- 
tentiary at hard labor. 

On the 17th of April following the trial the community 
and the court officials were startled by the report that Mrs. 
Bolton had made a confession to SheriflF Starr in the Madison 
county jail that she was the guilty party, and that Hires was 
innocent of the crime, and that it was she who fired the fatal 
«hot which caused the death of Foust. The news spread at 
once throughout the city and county and caused great excite- 
ment and endless comment. But little credence was given 
the story, as it was thought that Mrs. Bolton, realizing the 
enfeebled condition of her health, she being then a great 
^^sufferer, had concluded that she had but a short time to live, 
and that no conviction could be obtained against her before 
her death ; that she desired to obtain the release of Hires from 
prison, and of his ultimate acquittal, and therefore made this 
.confession. The news was at once conveyed by Sheriff Starr to 
Judge Ellison, who immediately went to the jail, where he 
had an interview with Mrs. Bolton, in which she reiterated her 
confession to SheriflF Starr. The Judge, however, gave but 
little credit to her words, and afterwards visited Mrs. Bolton 
at St. Johri's Hospital, where she had been taken for treat- 
.ment, and in company with Dr. Callens, a professional hypno- 
tist, held an interview with her. The hypnotist immediately 
placed her under mesmeric influence, and she again reiterated 
her story as told to the Judge and the Sheriff on the previous 
occasions. The Judge did not attach much importance to her 
story, and no effort was made on the part of the prosecution 
to obtain a release from imprisonment of Hires. 

When the time arrived for the trial of Ephraim and 
.George Crull,,a change of venue was taken from Madison 
county, and their cases were sent to Kokomo. When the trial 
began the same -witnesses appeared on either side as in the 
Hires case at Anderson. Young Bolton told the same story 
that he had testified to on the former trial. After all the evi- 
dence had been heard and the arguments were made a verdict 
of not guilty was rendered as to the defendants. Thus ended, 
.so far as. the courts were concerned, this celebrated case. The 
Teal facts surrounding this mystery will perhaps never be 
known to the community at large. As a general thing, well- 



902 HTSTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

informed people believe that George Hires was the guilty party 
who fired the fatal shot which ended Foust's life. 

At one stage of the proceedings in ferreting out this case 
some suspicion was directed toward Chief Toler, of the Elwood 
police force, and strong efforts were made to bring him in as 
one of the suspected parties, but sufficient evidence was never 
obtained to connect him directly with this affair. 

William Cox, one of the defendants, was tried by a jury 
at the June term of the Howard County Court and received a 
sentence of two years in the State's prison at Michigan City. 

It is to be hoped that the future of Madison county may 
never again be clouded by the occurrence of such a tragedy. 

In writing this article, we have endeavored to be impar- 
tial to all parties connected with it, and have simply recorded 
the facts as they are, without a comment from our pen. The 
above account as stated by us is almost wholly taken from the 
Anderson Democrat of February 6, 1895, which gave a very 
concise statement of the facts developed in this case. 

No case in the annals of crime has so puzzled officers of 
the law, except it be the celebrated Clem murder case, at In- 
dianapolis, in 1868. There seems to have existed in the minds 
of the jury some doubt as to Hires' guilt, from the fact that 
they gave him so light a sentence. 

The final scene in this mysterious tragedy occurred in El- 
wood, on the 13th of May, 1896, when Mrs. B. F. McFar- 
land, a daughter of William Foust, the murdered man, com- 
mitted suicide, after brooding over her father's death until she 
lost her reason. 

ACCIDENT TO DR. S. W. EDWINS. 

On the 13th of September, 1895, Doctor S. W. Edwins, 
of Elwood, while attempting tc cross the tracks of the L. E. 
& W. Railroad, was run over by a train of cars and was very 
seriously injured, and up to this writing has not fully recov- 
ered. He was in a buggy in company with a lady friend, who 
was also seriously injured. The horse which he drove was 
killed and the buggy torn into fragments. Doctor Edwins, 
having recovered sufficiently to be about, brought suit against 
the railroad company for damage to his person and property, 
which suit is yet pending in the courts. The many friends of 
the Doctor were paired to learn of his being maimed in such 
a manner as to practically unfit him to attend to his large and 
lucrative practice which he enjoyed prior to this accident. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 903 

CUT HIS THROAT. 

On the 9th of May, 1896, Charles Vanness attempted to 
take his life at Elvvood by cutting his throat. He made a 
horrible wound, almost severing the jugular vein. It was 
thought that his recovery was beyond a possibility, but Dr. S. 
W. Edwins performed the difficult operation of sewing up the 
wound, being one of the first cases on record in the State 
where the jugular vein was sewed successfully and the victim 
survived. 

KILLED BY THE CARS. 

On Monday, January 27, 1896, a shocking casualty 
occurred at Elwood. James Gelispe, a young glass worker, 
met a sudden and horrible death. 

Gelispe was at the Pan Handle depot as local freight No. 
77 pulled out, and at the crossing of South B street fell 
between two cars iu such a manner that the wheels passed 
over his neck and both wrists, completely severing his head 
and his hands from the body. A large crowd of people was 
soon attracted to the spot and Coroner Sells was at once 
telegraphed. 

It is generally supposed that Gelispe attempted to board 
the moving train to ride from the depot to the post-office, 
which is a few squares north. Owing to the slow speed at 
which trains must travel this practice had become quite com- 
mon, especially on freight trains. He was a single man, well 
known and liked among glass workers. 

No one saw the affair, and he was not discovered until 
the train had passed over him. 

Coroner Sells at once visited the scene of the accident and 
held an inquest, returning a verdict of accidental killing, hold- 
ing the railroad company blameless. 

FOURTH OF JULY ACCIDENT. 

During the celebration of the Fourth of July at Elwood 
in the year 1896, Charles Adair, a workman employed by the 
American Tin Plate Company, had his right arm blown off 
near the elbow by the explosion of a " cannon" fire-cracker. 

He was enjoying the sports of the day with friends and 
was shooting one of those large toy crackers which are dis- 
charged with a fuse. It had been fired and set down in the 
street and Adair was awaiting the result when it appeared to 
him that the fuse had gone out, when he picked it up to exam- 



'904 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY. INDIANA. 

ine it, and it immediately exploded with the result as above 
stated. 

Dr. Newcomer, the physician at the tin plate works, was 
summoned and amputated the wounded member. 

Adair was a young man about twenty-five years of age 
and was well respected by the people of Elwood, and much 
sympathy was expressed in his behalf, and quite a gloom was 
cast over the festivities of the day. 

MISCELLANEOUS ELWOOD LIGHTED BY ELECTRICITY. 

The striking of natural gas at Elwood brought to its bor- 
ders, like all other towns in the gas belt, a large influx of pop- 
ulation from all quarters of the country. Money began to be 
made and house building progressed to such an extent that it 
astonished the old timers who looked upon what was being 
done with amazement and Elwood grew at once to be quite 
a city. 

Such a thing as electricity for the lighting of the streets 
of that hamlet was a thing that had never been dreamed of 
until in the summer of 1891 when a movement was put on foot 
to have the streets illuminated. There was much contention 
as to the best means of doing so. Some contended for light- 
ing with natural gas, while others advocated the establishing 
of iron posts similar to the ones used in the old system of arti- 
ficial gas lighting, but the ideas of the progressive element pre- 
vailed and the use of electricity was agreed upon and on the 
1st of August, 1891, the elegant electric light power house 
was completed and at 3 o'clock in the morning the button was 
pushed by the electrician and Elwood sprang forth in all her 
magnificence and beauty, being one of the best lighted cities 
in the state. The Elwood band was brought out and discoursed 
stirring music up and down the principal thoroughfares and a 
general good time was had celebrating this event. The plant 
is a splendid one and the city can well feel proud of it , although 
it has been twice \vrecked, once by a gas explosion and once 
by that of a steam boiler explosion. It has been rebuilt and is 
still one of the features of the city. From time to time the 
plant has been increased to meet the requirements and demands 
of the growing population until it is at this writing second to 
none in thecount)-. 

elwood's prize drill company. 
For several years Elwood held the proud distinction of 
having the best drilled "Canton of Odd Fellows" in the 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 905 

United States. Captain Nett Nuzum was their drill master 
and had them disciplined in the highest style. They won many 
prizes in local contests in the county during the period of their 
organization, but the crowning event of their existence 
occurred at St. Louis on the 22nd of September, 1891, when 
they entered at a meeting of all Cantons and competed for a 
prize of $1,000, which they captured. A dispatch from St. 
Louis appeared in the Democrat of September 23rd, giving 
the following confirmed notice : " The weather was very hot 
and oppressive, especially for the uniformed Cantons. The 
maneuvers were carried out splendidly. The draw of lots for 
position in the Canton drill resulted as follows : First Canton, 
number 3, of St. Joseph, Missouri, Captain, P. M. Aber- 
crombrie ; second Canton, Elwood, number 33, department of 
Indiana, Captain, Nett Nuzum ; third Canton, of Indianapolis, 
Ind., Captain, J. M. Bodien."" The contest was one of the 
hottest fought battles in this line that ever occurred in the 
United States. Captain Nuzum, after a severe contest, came 
out the winner. 

Upon receiving the news of the Canton's success, the 
people of Elwood were wild with joy, and upon . their arrival 
home a grand reception was given in their honor. Captain 
Nuzum is one of the finest looking officers in full uniform that 
one can see in many a day's travel. He is still a resident of 
Elwood and highly respected by the community. 

THE ELWOOD CEMETERY ASSOCIATION. 

Elwood has one of the handsomest cemeteries in Madison 
county. It is situated on a beautiful knoll just west of the 
main part of the city, and is easy of access by brick-paved 
streets, of which Elwood has many. This association was 
incorporated in April, 1895. by Daniel King, Dr. Daniel Sig- 
ler, Thomas DeHority, L. M. Good and Lewis Hefner, who 
are the present officers of the association. 

The place was long a burying ground before its incor- 
poration, perhaps as far back as 1854, but was simply a vil- 
lage burying ground, with no one responsible for its care, 
and was kept up by those who had friends buried there. The 
rapid building up of the city made it necessary to have an in- 
corporated cemetery, with a system of management, and the 
enterprising gentlemen whose names appear above came to the 
front and filled the want of the community in this regard. 

Among the prominent people lying at rest in this beauti- 



906 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



ful cemetery is the late Dr. James M. DeHority, who is placed 
in a family vault, erected in 1882. Mrs. Flora May Howe, 
daughter of Dr. and Mrs. S. W. Edwins, whose sad death is 
yet fresh in the minds of her many friends, is also sleeping in 
the handsome vault erected by Dr. Edwins, an illustration of 
which is given on this page. 

This is the finest receptacle for the dead in Madison 
county, and is a credit not only to its builder but to the city 
in which it is located. It cost the goodly sum of $4,000, 
and is built of finely dressed Bedford stone, presenting a beau- 
tiful exterior, and is handsomely arranged inside the walls 
with marble cases, urns, and stone vases for flowers. 

Dr. Edwins has spared neither pains nor money to make 
this not only a credit to himself and a monument to the mem- 




THE EDWINS VAULT. 

ory of his beloved daughter, but to make it one of the substan- 
tial evidences of the taste and refinement of the community 
in which he lives ; one that the people of Elwooa can well 
feel proud of and point to as a remembrance of the Doctor 
long after he has passed beyond, and has been placed beside 
his loving daughter, who has gone before him to that land 
from whence no traveler returns. 



HISTdRY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 907 

BURNING OF THE EXCELSIOR FACTORY AT ELWOOD. 

Leeson & March, during the year 1888, owned and oper- 
ated an excelsior factory at Elvvood. It caught fire on the 
20th of December of that year and was utterly destroyed. 
The fire had been put out under the boiler in order to enable some 
men to do work there. The machinery was running, although 
the gas was turned off from the boilers where they were mak- 
ing some changes. It was thought that the changes could be 
made in a very few minutes, and instead of cutting oft the gas 
at the street, the pipe leading into the engine-room was simply 
closed. A section of the pipe was taken off, and the gas 
rushed into the engine-room in a great volume, and as the 
brick and iron were still redhot, the gas ignited, and, as a 
result, the building was soon a mass of flames. In the build- 
ing there was an unusual quantity of shavings and sawdust, 
and in a very short peroid the whole structure was in a blaze. 
Adam Miller and Michael Glaspy were at work in the engine- 
room, and were very severely burned. Miller was so severely 
injured that it was thought for a while that he would lose his 
life, as he inhaled the flames while endeavoring to effect an 
escape. He lay for several days in a critical condition. The 
factory had just been rebuilt and enlarged, and was doing a 
splendid business. The loss was $4,000, without any insur- 
ance. 

FRANKTON AND VICINITY ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS 

BOILER EXPLOSION. 

On or about the 9th day of August, 1877, the people of 
Frankton and vicinity were startled about 9 o'clock in the 
morning by a terrific sound and by the shaking of the window 
panes in the houses and the trembling of the earth as if an 
earthquake had taken place. The people ran from their places 
of business and from their houses to ascertain the cause of this 
commotion but were unable from any indications in the village 
to account for it. A messenger soon made his appearance 
and brought news that an engine connected with the thresh- 
ing machine owned by James Ruth, which was threshing 
wheat on the farm of Samuel Beck, a few miles distant, had 
exploded its boiler. The engine was torn to atoms and was 
sent in all directions through the air like bullets shot from a 
gun. One of the men named Frank Melson, the engineer, was 
terribly lacerated and wounded in several places, having the 



"908 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

left thumb torn off and receiving several wounds about the 
head. 

The news spread throughout the country in a short while 
and people from all directions were at the scene of the disaster. 
It was a wonder to all who witnessed the wreck how it was 
possible that such a mishap could take place in the presence of 
so many people who were connected with the machine, and 
who had assisted in the threshing, without some one being 
killed. No cause could be assigned for the explosion 
other than that the engineer neglected to keep a suffi- 
cient amount of water in the boiler. One of the pieces of the 
boiler was thrown a quarter of a mile, and a wagon standing 
near by was literally blown to pieces. The threshing machine 
was standing still at the time of the explosion and was not 
materially injured. Dr. S. W. Edwins, of Frankton, and 
Dr. John E. Canaday, now a resident of Anderson, and ex- 
Auditor of Madison county, were called to dress the wounds 
of the unfortunate man. Later in the afternoon Dr. G. F. 
Chittenden and Horace E. Jones were called in consultation 
with the above physicians, when it was decided that with 
proper care Melson would recover from his injuries, which 
proved to be the case. He is now living somewhere in this 
county. This was one of the most serious accidents that ever 
occurred in the vicinity of Frankton and was the talk of the 
neighborhood for months and years afterwards. 

ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING. 

On the 5th of January, 1884, Miss Mary Ring was acci- 
dentally killed by the discharge of a gun, at the home of her 
sister, Mrs. Kidwell. The unfortunate lady was there on a 
visit at the time. In one of the rooms of the house an old 
army musket was standing in a corner, and at the solicitation 
of his wife Mr. Kidwell had lifted it out of its place to put it 
in a more secure position. In doing this the hammer of the 
gun was struck by some obstacle and the weapon was dis- 
charged. The load took effect in the face of Miss Ring. Her 
face was horribly mutilated, her lower jaw was nearly blown 
off and her tongue torn out. Although suffering intensely she 
remained rational for some time and lived until Sunday night, 
the following day, when she died. At the time of the acci- 
dent she was engaged to be married to a young and prosper- 
ous farmer, and had it not been for this, the wedding ceremony 
would have been performed in a few days. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 90f^ 

DISASTROUS FIRE AT FRANKTON. 

On the 3d of October, 1877, a disastrous fire took place 
at the village of Frankton, in which nearly the entire business 
part of the town was destroyed. A correspondent from that 
place to the Anderson Democrat of October 5 gives the fol- 
lowing account : " About half past five o'clock in the morn- 
ing an alarm of fire was given which aroused the slumbering 
citizens of the quiet village to a full sense of the fact that the 
long-expected conflagration had come. In a short time most 
of the citizens of the town and many people from the country 
%vere at the scene of the disaster. It was very fortunate for 
the place that the morning was calm and that scarcely a breeze 
was stirring to fan the raging flames. But for this reason 
nearly the whole town would have been laid in ashes. The 
fire originated in the stable owned by William Waples. Next 
to this on the south side was the stable of J. W. Phillips. From 
this building it went to the drug store of John A, Howard, then 
to the Dwiggins building, in which was the post-office and a 
grocery owned by James McLean. On the north of this was 
the Suman building, occupied by the Kimmerling Bros., 
druggists, and J. & W. Townsend, dry goods merchants. Still 
farther north of this was a hardware store owned by Hurst & 
Brother. All these buildings were swept away by the raging 
flames in a moment's time. Quick, Sharp & Co. was the only 
firm in town that did not move its stock. H. C. Brown moved 
out of his building, but it did not burn. The cool and delib- 
erate action of the people managed to save all the merchan- 
dise owned by the different firms. The most interesting incident 
of the fire was that of Isaac Wood, who tried to save two 
horses, but in spite of his efforts to rescue them from the burn- 
ing building one of them perished. William Wood himself,, 
while trying to save his horses, was severely burned about the 
neck and face. A fine stallion owned by Waples & Phillips 
was also burned. The Masonic fraternity lost everything per- 
taining to their lodge. The Odd Fellows saved their furni- 
ture and fi.xtures. The books owned by 'Squire A. H. Muhol- 
land were lost, together with some valuable notes and papers. 
The severest losers were parties living out of town who were 
the owners of buildings, none of which were insured, among 
whom were J. M. Cockran and Bernard Dwiggins. As usual 
on such occasions thieves were busily engaged and a large 
amount of property was stolen and carried ofl^. Parties were 
seen going in every direction with bundles in their arms, but 



910 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA, 

during the excitement no one attempted to halt them or recover 
the plunder they were carrying away." 

It was generally thought that the fire originated in the 
headquarters of a lot of gamblers who were playing cards in 
the hay mow in a stable in which the fire was first discovered. 
This was a very severe blow to the enterprising village of 
Frankton, and it was some tiine before it recovered from the 
effects of the disaster. 

THE KILLING OF JOHN LITTLE. 

John Little, who lived near Frankton, in Pipe Creek 
township, was at one time one of the central figures of that 
community, in politics and business. He was a prosperous 
farmer, made money fast, lived well and enjoyed the respect 
of the people among whom he lived. In the year 1870 he con- 
cluded to contest for the nomination, on the Democratic tick- 
et, for the office of Sheriff of Madison county. He had 
always been a hard worker for the cause of his political 
friends and had numerous advocates of his elevation when he 
launched his boat upon the sea of politics. In that memorable 
year it seemed that nearly every prominent Democrat in the 
count)' aspired to some office. It was one of the most hotly 
contested and thrilling canvasses that was ever made for nom- 
inations since the formation of the county. The candidates 
went in droves from one township to another, making per- 
sonal appeals to the voters, generally winding up each even- 
ing at some school-house in the neighborhood, where all the 
candidates would be corralled and speeches would be made in 
advocacy of their claims for office. 

It was in this year that the late Neal C. McCullough 
made his famous fight for the office of County Auditor, receiv- 
ing the nomination and then being defeated at the polls in the 
subsequent election. John Little was successful in securing 
the nomination for Sheriff ; James F. Mock for County Treas- 
urer ; Neal C. McCullough for County Auditor ; Jacob Hub- 
bard for County Recorder, and James W. Sansberry for Rep- 
resentative. During the scramble a great deal of bitter 
warfare was indulged in, causing a feeling among the candi- 
dates, which was impossible to allay or pacify after the pri- 
maries had closed. This warfare was kept up to the bitter 
end, thereby insuring the defeat of every candidate on the 
Democratic county ticket, except Hon. James W. Sansberry 
for Representative, Jacob Hubbard for Recorder, and Thomas 



inSTOKY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 911 

J. Fleming for Clerk of the Court, who had no opposition for 
the nomination or final election. 

The canvass, made in the spring and before the fall elec- 
tion, cost Mr. Little nearly his entire fortune, and made a 
financial wreck of him for the balance of his life, and he never 
thereafter was able, although frugal in his habits, to over- 
come the indebtedness that he had made in this political fight, 
and when he died he left liis family in poor circumstances. 

The sad end of his life was caused by an altercation with 
Henry Burk in the city of Anderson, in the month of March, 
1876. Mr. Little had been to Indianapolis on business, and, 
on returning, stopped at Anderson to await the train to go 
north at midnight on the Pan Handle road. In order to while 
awa)' the time he stepped into a saloon on South Main street, 
kept by Hezekiah Trueblood. When he left the saloon he 
carried away an overcoat belonging to Henry Burk, the bar- 
tender. After leaving Mr. Trueblood's place he entered the 
salooh owned by William Ryan, where it is said he put Burk's 
coat into the stove and tlien left for the north depot to take 
the midnight train for home. Mr. Little had evidently been 
drinking, or he would never have indulged in this kind of con- 
duct, from the fact that, although at times he was rough in 
his manners, no one ever accused him of being dishonest, or 
would have for a moment suspected him of taking the coat 
witii any intention of converting it to his own use, as he was 
entirely above reproach in that respect. Mr. Burk followed 
Little to the depot, and when he came upon him demanded 
Little's coat in place of the one he had destroyed, which Little 
readily assented to, and gave Burk his coat, who returned to 
town. Mr. Little, instead of going on with tlie train, followed 
Burk back to town and overtook him in the office of the United 
States hotel, a large three-story building that the older citizens 
of the city of Anderson will remember as having stood on the 
corner of Ninth and Main streets. It was occupied at that 
time by Frederick Cartwright. Little carried two large bowl- 
ders in his hands, and upon entering the room he dropped one 
of them on the floor and caught Burk by the collar with his 
left hand, and was in the act of striking him with the other 
stone when Louis Tetherington, a "bus driver, grasped Lit- 
tle's uplifted arm and took away the stone. Little at this 
juncture let go of Burk and struck Tetherington a terrible blow 
on his face, which sent him reeling to the other side of the 
room. Burk, realizing the great strength of Little, and know- 



912 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ing his disposition to be ugly in a fight, took advantage of the 
occasion and determined to protect himself. He armed him- 
self with a billet of wood, and when Little returned to attack 
him Burk struck him on the head and face, knocking him 
down. Little's face was beaten and cut into a perfect jelly, 
and he also received a fracture of the skull, from which he was 
found to be unconscious. Medical aid was summoned, and such 
relief as was necessary at the time was rendered him, and on 
the Saturday following the patient was removed to his home 
at Frankton, and after lingering for several days he finally died 
from the wounds. Dr. S. W. Edwins attending him in his last 
hours. Burk was placed under arrest for the crime of man- 
slaughter, but upon a trial was acquitted and exonerated from 
any criminal act on the ground of his having acted in self- 
defense. Little being the aggressor. 

For many years after this a bitter feeling prevailed 
between the friends of Little and Burk, and it was feared for a 
time that the blood of other parties might be shed over this 
lamentable occurrence, but time has effaced all the memories 
clinging around it and it is now only alluded to as a matter of 
history. 

John Little when sober was a noble hearted man and 
would sacrifice anything almost to do a friendly favor ; was 
hospitable at his home and was surrounded by a large circle 
of friends. 

In the election above referred to Mr. Little was the cen- 
tral figure in the fight and it was made principally against 
him, but had a most wholesome effect upon the politics of the 
county as it caused the Democratic party, which was then in 
the ascendency, to be cautious as to the men who received the 
nominations and it was also a means of stopping the nefarious 
business of buying votes in the nominating conventions and at 
the polls in the following elections. At the following elec- 
tions in LS72 the Democrats redeemed themselves and 
elected their entire ticket. 

John Little in this election was defeated by David K. 
Carver, Esq., who was the first Republican sheriff that ever 
held the office in this county, and it is a real pleasure for the 
authors of this book to state that Mr. Carver was a conscien- 
tious official and filled his place to the satisfaction of the pub- 
lic, and had it not been for tbe overwhelming majority of the 
county he would have been re-elected. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 91S^ 

A SAD SUICIDE. 

William Townsend was a young business man of Frank- 
ton, who was engaged in merchandizing with his father, under 
the tirm name of J. & W. Townsend. They carried on an 
extensive business and enjoyed the respect of the community 
and had a large circle of friends in the county. 

On the 5th of October, 1881, the citizens of Frankton 
were shocked at receiving the news by telegraph that William 
Townsend had shot himself at the Crawford House, in Cin- 
cinnati. No seeming cause could be assigned for the rash 
act, as he was pleasantly situated in business, belonged to a 
very good family, and was highly esteemed. He was happily 
married, and was the father of a three-year-old daughter whom 
he dearly loved. He was at times, it is said, given to fits of 
melancholy, but no stress was laid on that fact, as he had 
made no demonstration of doing injury to himself or to others. 
On the day prior to his death he went to Cincinnati on the 
evening train and registered at the Crawford House, paying 
his bill in advance for the time he expected to remain. He 
was apparently in the very best of spirits, and after supper 
left the hotel to spend the evening with a friend by the name 
of James Duncan, who represented one of the wholesale 
houses of which he purchased goods. During the evening he 
was more than usually cheerful, and never once raised a sus- 
picion of the terrible deed he was about to commit. On leav- 
ing his friend he charged him particularly to call for him at 
seven o'clock the next morning. He entered the hotel where 
he had an order placed upon the register to call him at half- 
past six o'clock the next morning, and after a brief conversa- 
tion with the clerk, he retired for the night. The next morn- 
ing the clerk, at the designated hour, went to his room, but 
getting no response, he forced the door open and was horrified 
to find young Townsend dead. He was lying with his pants 
and shirt on, with a bullet hole in his head, and a 32-calibre 
Colt's revolver clinched in his hands. 

The alarm was at once given and the Coroner notified. 
He empaneled a jury, held an inquest, and after investigation 
a verdict returned that the deceased had come to his death 
from a pistol shot by his own hand. 

He had on his person ^S0() in monev, and a handsome 

pair of bracelets which he had purchased for his dauglite. 

His father went to Cincinnati and took the remains home on 

the following Friday night, and on Saturday he was buried 
58 



■914 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

in the village cemetery. His funeral was one of the largest 
ever witnessed in that section of the county. 

It was a sad blow not only to his father, mother and other 
near relations, but also to his young wife, who yet survives 
him, and who is at this time a resident of Anderson. 

KILLED BY DAMPS IN A WELL. 

On the 24th of July, 1890, Louis Peppin and David 
Welker, his son-in-law, both of Frankton, were digging a 
well near that place, when they were overcome by gas, or 
" damps," and were suffocated. They had dug the well to a 
depth of twenty feet, when Peppin, who was in the bottom, 
struck a vein of gas, and coming up, sat down, remarking 
that he believed he had struck a gas-well. After resting a few 
moments he again descended. He had nearly reached the 
bottom when his farther progress was arrested by the gas, 
which was pouring out to such an extent as to prevent him 
from going down farther, and was overcome. David Welker 
looked down and saw his father-in-law lying limp and help- 
Jess. It dawned upon him that there were " damps " in the 
well, and he started down to rescue Peppin from his perilous 
position. When he reached the bottom he attempted to lift 
the body into the bucket, and in doing so, he himself was also 
overcome, and both bodies lay at the bottom of the well in a 
lifeless condition. The accident produced a momentary panic 
among the men who had assembled on the brink of the well, 
and it was fully twenty minutes before the bodies were recov- 
ered. No one dared to enter the deadly well, and therefore a 
rope was let down and looped around the legs of the unfortu- 
nate men, and thus they were drawn to the surface. Peppin 
was a man about sixty-eight years of age, and his son-in-law, 
Welker, was much younger. They both left families in needy 
circumstances. The well in question was upon the farm of 
John D. Gooding, ex-Deputy Sheriff of Madison county, and 
was southwest of the town of Frankton. The remains of the 
unfortunate men were interred in the cemetery near the place 
of their death. Welker was a nephew of Mr. George Welker, 
ex-Chief of Police of Anderson. 

KILLED BY A TRAIN. 

On the 16th of May, 1882, a sad accident occurred at the 
town of Frankton, whereby Mrs. MaryTimmons, of that place, 
lost her life by being run over by a train of cars on the Pan 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 915 

Handle Railroad. She had been in the dry goods store of 
Quick & Co. making some purchases and on leaving went 
towards the railroad. This she intended to cross and walked 
in a northernly direction, but had her attention drawn the 
opposite way by looking at some object along the roadside. 
She was unconscious of the approaching train, and being very 
deaf could not hear its noise. The train was running at con- 
siderable speed and struck her on her left side so that she was 
thrown a distance of forty or fifty feet, falling under a flat-car 
on the side of the track. Her body was considerably bruised 
and mutilated and she lived only an hour after the accident. 
Several persons saw her going to the railroad and beheld the 
danger that she was in, but were too far away to render her 
any assistance. Dr. Edwins was immediately called and took 
charge of the woman, being assisted by Dr. Brown. But noth- 
ing could be done. Her injuries were fatal. 

On examination it was found that her left arm was broken 
and badly crushed and a dangerous wound was also discovered 
in her left side. Michael Ryan, Coroner of Madison county, 
was notified and proceeded to Frankton to hold an inquest. 
He returned a verdict of death in accordance with the facts as 
stated. The Coroner also exonerated the railroad company 
from anj' blame in the matter. Lafayette Freeman was the 
engineer and W. H. Green, fireman, in charge of the engine. 
They testified that they saw the woman, but not in time to 
stop the train, and supposed that she heard them, and every 
moment looked for her to step off the track. Mrs. Timmons 
left a husband, but no children. 

INCENDIARY FIRE. 

In the month of August, 1890, a man of the name of 
MacDonald erected a building in Frankton for the purpose of 
occupying the same with a retail liquor saloon, but while in 
course of erection in some manner it was set on fire and com- 
pletely destroyed. It was almost certain that the fire was the 
act of an incendiary, as no fire was about the premises and 
there was no other way in which it could have been ignited. 
No clue %vas ever obtained as to \vho the guilty parties were. 
It was strongly suspected that some parties who were opposed 
to having the building occupied by a dram shop took this 
method of getting it out of the way. 



916 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

A BURGLARY'. 

The usually quiet town of Frankton was visited on the 
night of the 20th of October, 1887, by a band of burglars who 
rifled the dry goods store of D. Canaday & Company, Sigler 
Brothers' drug store, and Quick's hardware store. The bur- 
glars, however, secured but little valuable booty, as they were 
frustrated in their designs by someone walking on the street, 
which compelled them to abandon their object. A little 
money had been left in the cash drawer at Sigler's store, which 
was taken, and from the other establishments a few pocket- 
knives and revolvers were carried away. Strong suspicion 
pointed to some parties in the immediate vicinity, but sufficient 
evidence was not obtained to cause their arrest, and none was 
ever made in connection with the matter. 

WILLIAM MASSEE DISEMBOWELED. 

In the year 1888 William Massee came near losing his life 
by having his bowels cut by a knife in the hands of a cousin, 
Charles Massee, at the town of Frankton. The occurrence was 
the result of a family feud that had for some time existed. The 
Massees were Kentucky mountaineers, who had not been long 
residents of this communitj', and little is known of them by 
the writers. Soon after this affair they removed from the 
county, and their whereabouts is now unknown. Dr. S. W. 
Edwins was soon upon the scene, and in a very skillful man- 
ner replaced the intestines and sewed up the wound, and the 
unfortunate man recovered. 

CAPTURE OF BURGLARS AT FRANKTON. 

During the early part of the year 1890 the vicinity of 
Frankton had been the scene of several small burglaries and 
petty thieving operations. The store of Jefferson Ring was 
entered during that time and a considerable quantity of goods 
taken therefrom. Mr. Ring and others, who had suffered by 
these depredations, did their best to trap them but without 
avail, and finally the detective agency of Charles Page, of 
Richmond, was brought to bear upon them. Park Page was 
placed immediatel}' at work upon the case, and a " stool pigeon" 
was sent to Frankton to overlook the field. One of the first 
clews obtained was that Charles Rains and Preston Shell, twa 
young men living near Frankton, had some time previously 
come into possession of a key to the rear door of Ring's store, 
having stolen it of a carpenter of the name of Hiser who had 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 917 

■worked on the building. The young man who had been sent 
to Frankton as a •' decoy " and the detectives soon gained the 
confidence of the boys and a plan was entered into to rob the 
store on a certain night during the month of , May in that year. 
Mr. Ring and the detectives secreted themselves in the store. 
About 12 o'clock Rains, Shell and "the decoy" put in their 
appearance and opened -the rear door with the stolen key. As 
they entered the store the acute ear of Rains heard the ticking 
of Detective Page's watch and having some misgivings that 
he and his partner were "bagged" endeavored to make his 
escape. The detective stepped to the door and drawing his 
revolver captured the two boys and placed them in irons. 
After the capture they admitted that they robbed the store on 
two different occasions and had obtained entrance by the key 
which they had stolen. They were handcuffed together and 
taken to Anderson and lodged in jail to await their trial. 
They were both j-oimg men, one twenty-one and the other 
nineteen years of age. They had both been born and reared 
on farms in the vicinity of Frankton. 

At the May term of the Madison Circuit Court they were 
placed on trial for the crime of burglary, Shell being defended 
by Hon. C. L. Henry and Hon. George M. Ballard. Judge 
M. A. Chipman having heard the evidence, young Shell was 
sentenced to two years in the State's prison, and on account 
of the youth of Rains and by his being badly influenced by his 
companion he was left off with a light punishment. 

KILLED BY AN OFFICER. 

A serious shooting affair occurred at the town of Frank- 
ton on the night of August 29, 1872, the facts of which are 
about as follows : The firm of C. Quick & Co. had been 
suspecting for some time that there ■were parties ^vho contem- 
plated robbing their store and safe. They were large dealers 
in clothing, merchandise and groceries, and had a large Hall's 
safe in their office, as they also conducted a banking business 
for the accommodation of the Frankton public. They were 
formally notified of the intended raid by information which 
was communicated to them by a detective bj- the name of Will- 
iam .Shoemaker, who resided at Centerville, Wayne county, 
Indiana. 

Shoemaker had fallen in with one William Beeson at 
Indianapolis, one of the parties upon whom suspicion rested. 
Shoemaker caused Beeson to believe he was also a burglar. 



918 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

The detective told Beeson that he was not a good hand at 
opening safes, but that he had a friend who was very success- 
ful in that line, and would send him to assist Beeson. This 
assistant came, and it seems that he and Beeson made the nec- 
essary arrangements and fixed upon a certain night to commit 
the burglary. Quick & Co., in the meantime, had been made 
acquainted with the scheme, and deeraed it proper to provide 
such means as would tend to the capture and arrest of the 
parties who were about to engage in this criminal act. Thurs- 
day night of that week was fixed upon as the time for the 
burglary. Quick & Co. sent a messenger to the city of 
Anderson to inform the Sheriff of Madison county, and to 
request him to have some proper officer detailed to visit Frank- 
ton on the night in question in order to arrest the parties while 
they were engaged in the act of burglarizing the store. David 
K. Carver, then SherifT of Madison county, willingly com- 
plied with this request and selected Mr. Stephen Metcalf, 
his deputy, and called to his assistance Cornelius Daugherty, 
Constable of Anderson township, and Mr. Oran Walker, a 
deputy Sheriff. 

These officers immediately proceeded to Frankton. At 
about 12 o'clock at night, two men entered the store, and, at 
a signal of the detective, who had met and become acquainted 
with Metcalf and his assistants, and who had communicated 
to them how the details should be arranged as to the capture, 
rushed to the store front, which was thrown open by the 
detective, who was on the inside of the building, in company 
with Beeson, in the act of committing the burglary. At that 
very moment, one of the men in the store, who had a dark- 
lantern, shut off its light, and in doing so, threw up his arm. 
The light reflected on the lantern and caused it to glisten. 
Islr. Metcalf mistook this for a revolver, and, from the man's 
motions, supposed he was in the act of shooting. Mr. Met- 
calf, acting upon the spur of the moment, and in the full con- 
fidence that he was acting in defense of his own life, and in 
the discharge of an official duty, instantly fired his revolver, 
the shot taking effect in the left arm of vShoemaker, who had 
been mistaken for Beeson, the burglar, passing thence into his 
side, causing instant death. 

Some doubts were entertained as to the real character in 
which Shoemaker was figuring in this matter, but the prevail- 
ing opinion seems to have been that he was acting in good 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 919 

faith as a detective in order to entrap the parties who medi- 
itated the robbery. 

William Beeson, who was found in the store, was arrested 
by the officers, and, after a preliminary examination before 
'Squire Roach, of Anderson, was required to give bond in the 
sum of $2,000 for his appearance at the subsequent term of the 
Madison Circuit Court. He was unable to give the required 
bail and was committed to jail, where he remained for a con- 
siderable length of time. At one time he made his escape 
and was recaptured by Albert J. Ross, who had in the mean- 
time become Sheriff of the county. 

The Coroner, having empanelled a jury to hold an inquest 
over the dead body of Shoemaker, returned a verdict that he 
came to his death from a pistol shot inflicted by Stephen Met- 
calf , Deputy Sheriff of Madison county, in the discharge of 
his duty. A post-mortem exainination was also made, after 
which the remains of Shoemaker were transmitted to bis 
friends in Centerville, in charge of a man who had come froia 
that place to receive them. 

KILLING OF J. FRANK STANLEY. 

On the 22d of June, 1895, J. Frank Stanley, a blind fid- 
dler, a grandson of Jacob Stanley, an influential farmer living^ 
between Florida and Frankton, was killed on the Pan Handle 
railroad near the town of Frankton. He was seen along the 
track at the time, but as he was not conscious of the appoach- 
ing train, was run down and instantly killed. His remains 
were taken to the house of his grandfather. A coroner's 
inquest was held and a verdict returned in accordance with 
the foregoing facts. 

REMINISCENCES ONE OF GOd's NOBLEMEN. 

Among the old-timers of Madison county, none is more 
worthy of mention than Noah Waymire, late of Pipe Creek 
township. Noah formerly lived in Wayne county, from 
whence he moved to this county, in an early day, settling in 
the wilds of Pipe Creek township, ^vhere he cut out a large 
farm and made for himself and family a handsome fortune. 
He belonged to one of the largest families in the United 
States. 

Every year the ^Vaymire family, at some point in this 
great union of States, holds a reunion; at these meetings, 
nearly every .State is represented. Uncle Noah always 



■920 HISTORY OF MADISON COUN'TV, INDIANA. 

delighted in being on hand at tliese gatlierings. He was 
a man of commanding appearance and a fluent talker. Had 
he been educated and trained in politics in his younger 
•days, he would have been one of the political giants of the 
the times. He was large, portly and good-looking, and was 
a man w^hom one would turn around and look at if he passed 
him on the street. 

No old settlers' meeting was complete without the pres- 
ence of Noah Waymire ; he went far and near to all the gath- 
erings of old settlers. He was generally the orator of the 
occasion ; he could speak long and loud, never failing to inter- 
est his hearers. He was uneducated, but the good Lord 
endowed him with the gift of commanding an untold sup- 
ply of language, which seemed to roll out of him without 
effort. His greatest delight at an old settlers' picnic was to 
tell of the early trials of the pioneer settlers, and contrast the 
habits of the people then, with those of now, telling how the 
■early settlers lived, worked, loved and courted. He said at 
•one of these meetings at Perkinsville, a few years ago : 

" Why, girls, you are here today, with your bustles and 
hoop-skirts on, you don't know the real enjoyments of young 
and blooming womanhood. When I was a young man, when 
I went out walking with a girl I didn't encounter any such 
•obstacles as these contrivances you've got on ; when I walked 
with a girl I walked right up ' against ' her all the way up ; 
when you put them riggins on you disfigure the beautiful 
form that nature gave you; you deceive the one who adores 
you, by your false make-up." 

He said that " when he went sparkin' in them good old 
•days " they didn't have any parlor, nor any drawing-room. 
There was but one room in the house ; this room was used as 
a kitchen, parlor, bed-room and drawing-room ; there was an 
•old-fashioned fire-place in the house, where a big "back log " 
and a cord of wood made up the fire for warming the house. 
On Sunday nights, when he went to see his girl, he would 
have to sit and chat with the old folks until the girl got the 
supper dishes " done up." When bedtime came, he and 
the girl would shut their eyes until the old people got in 
bed. The smaller children were stored away in a trundle 
bed, and then business set in. He said he always took " shot 
pouch " holds on his girl, and never let go until daylight next 
rnorning. 

When he took his girl to church, or an entertainment. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 921 

she would always ride behind him on a horse, sometimes the 
distance being three or four miles. Uncle Noah was so enter- 
taining in his way of talking that his hearers always lost sight 
of many of his rude expressions and plain way of putting 
things, becoming so worked up in his stories that they were 
sorry when he stopped. The good old men of the Noah 
Waymire stripe are fast passing away, there being but few 
left who came with him to Madison county when it was a 
wilderness. David Waymire Wood is a near relative of Noah 
Waymire, and is, in fact, named for him and inherits much of 
his brilliant wit, humor and oratory. 

A WOMAN IN POLITICS. 

In the history of Madison county politics many women 
have cut a conspicuous figure, as well as the men. In many 
instances women who figure in politics become more active 
and shrewder than men, laying plans and making sugges- 
tions.' 

Among the women who have figured in the campaigns of 
Madison county, "Aunt Peggy Bowers," of Dundee, has cut 
quite a swath. Twenty years ago Dundee was known by the 
name of " Mudsock." There was no railroad there at that 
time, and Mudsock was away out in the woods, being the next 
thing to no place. The woods were so dense around its soli- 
tary precincts that the sun hardly ever peeped in. The place 
was rightfully named, from the fact that the mud was so deep 
the year round that it was almost impossible to get there with 
a wagon or carriage of any kind. Peggy Bowers kept a wet 
grocery, or liquor shop, in that isolated place for many years, 
Oliver Griflee officiating as her principal salesman. 

Riley Etchison kept a place of the same character near at 
hand. Etchison's farm was a great place for shooting- matches, 
while Peggy's place was the general rendezvous for local poli- 
ticians to congregate and fix up the slate for the county nomi- 
nations for the north part of the county. 

A candidate w^as not properly in the race until he had 
visited Peggy Bowers' ranch, and got the Mudsockers all in 
line. When solidly entrenched behind Peggy's works the 
candidate was pretty sure of victory. William Long was 
then a central figure in all campaigning. He was generally 
on hand at the gatherings at Peggy's place, taking a hand in 
the festivities and lending his advice to the candidates. Since 



922 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the days of railroads Bill has lost his grip and is considered a 
back number. 

In 1870, the Republicans, through a split in the Demo- 
cratic ranks, made a clean sweep and elected every officer in 
Madison county, except the Clerk of the Court. David K. 
Carver was the successful candidate for Sheriff, defeating John 
Little, of Pipe Creek township. 

This defeat had the effect to weld together the broken 
links in the Democratic ranks, and in the following election 
in 1872 every effort was made to bring about a Democratic 
victory. A. Ross, of Pipe Creek township, was placed in 
nomination for Sheriff against D. K. Carver, who was a can- 
didate for re-election. Every one conceded he had a hard 
race, as Carver was popular and had made a good Sheriff. 

Ross was then a young man, full of vim and made a hust- 
ling race. Many were afraid, on account of his being young 
and mischievous, the older and quieter element would not sup- 
port him. But as the fight went on, he grew in the race. 
One Sunday a crowd of politicians congregated at Peggy 
Bowers' to compare notes and lay plans. During the day, 
some of them got inside the house and closed the doors, shut- 
ting Ross and his friends out. He demanded entrance and, 
upon being refused, got a rail and battered the door down. It 
was soon heralded over the county, and it was thought he had 
put his foot so deep into it that he could not get through, but 
he only worked the harder. When the election came around 
he was the leader on the ticket. It was al%vays said afterwards 
that Ross beat his opponent and •' carried a rail." 

Peggy Bowers and Riley Etchison for years sold liquor in 
any quantity, without license, often figuring in the courts in 
prosecutions for violating the law, but it was cheaper to pay 
fines than to take out license. 

jSIudsock is now a beautiful, place, with the timber 
cleared away, and is one of the finest farming communities in 
the county. Peggy and her " pull " have given way to civil- 
ization and good society. Her days of usefulness as a local 
light in politics have gone glimmering, and the world moves 
on. 

PLAYED THE INSANITY DODGE. 

James Stilly, a rather worthless fellow, for many years 
lived in different parts of Madison county, and died in Ander- 
son, January, 1884. He at one time lived in Pipe Creek 
township, making his headquarters in the neighborhood of 



1 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 923 

Frankton. Stilly was once placed under arrest on suspicion 
of being accessory to some horse stealing in that neighborhood 
and was placed upon trial for the crime. He had a bad case 
against him and in order to avoid the clutches of the law he 
was advised, by his attorney, to play the insanity dodge. 

Stilly was a peculiar looking man, not being possessed of 
an over-bright intellect, and it was an easy thing for him to 
impress upon the jury that he was no>i compos mentis. The 
event of which we speak took place in the year 1851, when 
the late William Roach was Sherift" of Madison county. For 
several years prior to this time there had been a bad gang in 
Pipe Creek township, who had given the Sheriff and other 
officers a great deal of trouble. They were connected with 
similar organizations established in Wayne county, and to the 
west as far as the Wabash river. Horses were stolen along 
the eastern border of the State and run to this county, and 
after they had been rested up a little were taken to Logans- 
port and other towns along the Wabash river. There are yet 
living many citizens in Pipe Creek township who could sub- 
stantiate the e.xistence of such a band if they were placed upon 
the witness stand. They were generally desperate, reckless 
men such as are usually engaged in that calling, and the 
neighborhood was in great fear of them. Very often persons, 
whose horses had been stolen, would pursue the thieves 
through Anderson on towards the west, but generally with 
poor success, inasmuch as after they reached this neighbor- 
hood they would generally be lost sight of. 

The cause of Stilly 's incarceration was that a valuable 
horse had been stolen from a farmer in this county and run to 
the rendezvous near Frankton where Stilly at that time lived. 
It is said that one of the leaders of the band induced Stilly to 
take the horse to Logansport, where he sold it. The owner 
pursued him and arrived soon after Stilly did. He recognized 
his horse on seeing it and established its identity and secured 
it. He also caused Stilly to be arrested and brought back to 
Anderson for trial, while the man who had really stolen the horse 
escaped. Before the trial came on Stilly's attorney had a pri- 
vate interview with him in which he asked him if he could 
not play the insane act on the trial. The idea was favorable 
to Stilly, who answered that " he could try mighty hard and 
thought he could make it work." When the trial came off a 
large crowd was in attendance. From the very first Stilly 
played his part to perfection. He would look silly and indif- 



924 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ferent at every thing around him ; would twist up small bits 
of paper between his fingers and holding them up between 
himself and the light, would laugh like an idiot. He cried 
during the course of the trial and acted so strangely that he 
almost convinced the people and the jury that he was insane. 
When the argument began Stilly's attorney made a very elo- 
quent address to the jury in his behalf in which he pictured 
the great injustice that would be done to humanity by commit- 
ing to prison this unfortunate, insane youth. He spoke feel- 
ingly of the great wrong it would be to punish his client for 
committing an act that he did not know was wrong. When 
the jury retired for deliberation, they were very much divided 
on the question of his alleged insanity, and could not reach a 
verdict for several hours. However, a verdict was at last 
agreed upon and he received a sentence of two years in the 
penitentiary and was taken by the Sheriff and two other pris- 
oners overland in a wagon to Columbus, Indiana, and then by 
rail to JeflFersonville prison. The prisoner behaved very well 
during his confinement and learned the trade of a cooper, \vhich 
he for several years afterwards followed when he returned to 
Anderson. 

James Stilly was one of the greatest fishermen that ever 
lived in this county. During the summer season he would go 
along the banks of White river, month in and month out to 
indulge in his favorite sport and rarely ever returned without 
having a long string of fish. He never referred to his early 
life, and after his discharge from prison was always a quiet 
inoffensive citizen and lived a rather exemplary life. 

Stilly was the man who saved the old Baptist church from 
■fire, a circumstance we have already spoken of in another place 
in this volume. 

INCENDIARY FIRE. 

A destructive fire, which is supposed to have been the 
work of an incendiary, occurred on a Saturday night in 
November, 1857. The building burned was a new one just 
erected, and was owned by Qiiick & Murphy. It was a large 
structure containing a store, warehouse, railroad ticket office, 
and post-office, all under one roof. Nothing in the building 
was saved. The proprietors had just moved into their new 
headquarters, and had stored their warehouse with supplies, 
and had on hand a large stock of dry goods and groceries. 
The loss was estimated to be about $5,000, with no insurance. 
Suspicion rested on two parties who were engaged in keeping 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 925 

a saloon, or doggery, in Frankton, named Isaac Sigler and 
John Ravy. It is said that they had threatened Messrs. Qiiick 
& Murphy with their vengeance only a short time before this 
occurrence. Sigler and Ravy had both been previously 
arrested, charged with tearing up a railroad switch at Frank- 
ton. Sigler gave bail, and Ravy, in default of bail, was 
lodged in the county jail. This is said to have been the cause 
of their purpose to burn the building. Sigler and Ravy were 
both tried for the crime of arson, but in consequence of insuffi- 
cient evidence were acquitted. 

Sigler and Ravy were afterwards arrested for robbing 
Atherton's store at Frankton, and convicted. Sigler was sent 
to the State's prison, where he died, but Ravy made his escape 
and afterwards fell from a railroad bridge and was killed. 

In an issue of an Anderson paper of November 27, 1857, 
we find the following editorial : "The citizens of Frankton 
haviilg endured a low groggery, kept by an Italian by the 
name of John Ravy, until forbearance ceased to be a virtue, 
the ladies of that place a few days since boldly walked into 
his saloon and quietly poured out the disgusting compound." 
We are informed by a friend who chanced to be in Frankton 
at the time, that the act was done in a quiet and orderly man- 
ner, and that the ladies deserved credit for the manner in 
which it was performed. Ravy is the same person %vho was 
connected with the burning of Quick & Murphy's store. 

A BURGLARY. 

We find, in the Anderson Sta?!Jard, the following- 
account of a robbery committed at Frankton on August 12, 
1858: 

" On Tuesday night, last, the store of Messrs. Atherton 
was robbed of .$6.15 in cash and about sixty dollars worth of 
goods. On Wednesday James and Isaac Sigler, of that place, 
were arrested and the money found on their persons, and the 
goods were found secreted. They were detected by means of 
a plan laid by Officer Raney, of Cincinnati. Frankton had 
been for some time infested with housebreakers, and the citi- 
zens secured the services of this officer to ferret out the crime, 
which resulted in the capture of these two persons. Two 
other persons were suspected as being accessories to the lar- 
ceny, but made their escape. The two Siglers' were brought 
to Anderson, and tried before "Squire William H. Mershon 



926 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and were bound over to appear before the Circuit Court, and 
in default of bail were placed in jail." 

On the 2nd of September, following, James and Isaac 
Sigler were tried in court for the above robbery and \vere con- 
victed and sentenced to the State's prison for a term of two 
years each. They \vere safely lodged in the penitentiary at 
JefFersonville on the Saturday following their conviction. 
Isaac Sigler is the same person suspected of burning Murphy 
& Quick's store, referred to formerly. 



CHAPTER LXXVI. 



Richland Township. 



This township contains an area of twenty-eight and one- 
half square miles and is situated in the eastern central part of 
the county. It is bounded on the north by Monroe township, 
on the east by Delaware county, on the south by Anderson and 
Union townships, and on the west by La Fayette township. 
The land is as rich and productive as can be found in Central 
Indiana, and hence the township was christened " Richland." 
It was organized in 1884, or about four years after William 
Curtis entered and settled on the east half of the southwest 
quarter of Section 31, where he built a log cabin — the first 
erected by a white man in the township. Soon after Mr. Cur- 
tis located in the township, David Penisten entered a part of 
what is now known as the David Croan farm. John Shinkle 
was the next settler. Following these two early settlers came 
John Beal, William McClosky, James and William Maynard, 
Adam Pence, Joseph Brown, Joseph Bennett, Peter Keicher, 
Samuel Stephens, J. W. Westerfield, John Hunt, Christian 
Lower, J. R. Holston, Thomas Thornburg, Michael Bronnen- 
berg, Randolph Chambers, Jonathan Dillon, John Coburn, 
Weems Heagy, Jacob and Michael Bronnenberg, Jesse Fork- 
ner, Jacob Stover and others. The first settlers were com- 
pelled to cut their way through a dense forest as the township 
was heavily timbered and the underbrush so thick that travel 
on horseback or in wagons was impossible. In the fall of 1830 
the State road from Shelby vi lie to Fort Wayne was laid out 
and, as it passed through this township, the settlers soon had 
an outlet to Anderson. 

Big and Little Killbuck flow through the township and 
are its only streams. The former in an early day furnished 
water power for several mills, all of which have disappeared 
save one, the Broadbent Woolen Factory. Among the mills 
that once stood on the banks of this unpretending, but impor- 
tant stream was a saw-mill built in 1838 by Matthew Feni- 
more in the extreme south-west corner of the township. Soon 



928 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

after this mill was built, William Curtis and James Barnes 
erected a small grist-mill near by it. These mills both used 
the same dam, but divided the water until the saw-mill was 
abandoned. The grist-mill was afterward purchased by Rob- 
ert Adams, an Englishman, who, in 1850, converted it into a 
woolen-mill, which he operated successfully for many years. 
This mill was situated at the intersection of the road now 
known as the Alexandria pike and the road running east and 
west along the south line of the township. It was destroyed 
by fire in 1876. It was thought at the time that the fire was 
the work of incendiaries, and a number of the employes at the 
factory were arrested on the charge of arson, but nothing 
could be proved against them and they were acquitted. Ben- 
jamin Walker built a saw-mill on Killbuck on Section 28 at 
an early day, and in 1840 added a carding machine, which he 
operated with indifferent success for a few years. Not long 
after this John B. Purcell built a woolen factory near the same 
site, which he operated for several years, when he sold the 
property to Stephen Broadbent. 

CHURCHES. 

A small class of Methodists was organized at an early day 
in the edge of Monroe township and their meetings were held 
for several years in private houses. The class or society after- 
ward held its meetings in the Holston school house for a num- 
ber of years and in 1860 erected a neat place of worship on 
Section 8 at a cost of |I,200. This church was christened 
"Wesley Chapel," and is as widely known as any place of 
worship in the county. The membership at the present time is 
about thirty. Among the early ministers who held services 
regularly every two weeks at this church were Revs. B. H. 
Bradley, Isaac King, H. Smith, Joseph Marsee, J. H. Hall, 
J. R. Lacey and J. H. Jackson. 

In 1882 the Asbury M. E. Church was organized by Elias 
Hollingsworth and Joseph Barnes near the Union township 
line, and in 1883 Elias Hollingsworth, Samuel Shinkle and 
Joseph Barnes were selected as a Board of Trustees for the 
purpose of erecting a permanent place of worship. On the 
28th of December, 1883, Joseph Barnes and wife deeded to 
the trustees one and a half acres in Section 28, on what is still 
known as the John Nelson farm, where a log church was sub- 
sequently erected. Meetings were held here for many years, 
Elias Hollingsworth officiating. In 1870 the society built a 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 92^ 

new place of worship on the bank of Killbuck, a short dis- 
tance west of the old meeting-house. This building cost 
about .'fl, 500, and was dedicated September 13, 1870, by Rev. 
Dr. Bowman, President of Asbury, now DePauw, University. 
Among the early members of this church siiould be mentioned 
the names of Samuel Shinkle, Joseph Barnes, Daniel Goody- 
koontz, David Tappan, and their wives. The church main- 
tained a flourishing Sunday school for many years. 

In 1854: Hiram Chambers and wife, John Chambers and 
wife, Susan Chambers, Mary Chambers and Nancy Scott 
organized what has since been known as the Chambers Chris- 
tian Church. Hiram Chambers deeded the society a small 
piece of land on Section 27, and in 18(39 a place of worship 
was erected there at a cost of about $1,500. 

What was known as the Wesleyan Camp Meeting Asso- 
ciation flourished at one time in this township, and meet- 
ings were held annually for many years and were largely 
attended by people from all over the country. Meetings have 
not been held for several years past. The camp grounds were 
situated on the old J. R. Holsten farm near Wesley Chapel. 

THE SCHOOLS. 

In 1858 the township had 401 children of legal school age; 
in 1868 it had 398 ; in 1872 it had 386, and in 1896 it had 239,. 
or a decrease of forty-three percent in thirty-eight years. The 
township has seven school buildings, five of which are brick 
and two frame, and employs seven teachers. Mr. Joseph 
Keicher is the present trustee of the township. 

OTHER STATISTICAL MATTERS. 

The population of the township in 1850 was 850 ; in 1860 
it was 926; in 1870 it was 1,056; in 1880 it was 985; and in 
1890 it was 891. 

The value of lands in the township in 1896 was $524,865 ; 
value of lands and improvements $555,085; total value of tax- 
ables $663,605. 

\ILLAGES. 

In 1835 Zimri Moon laid out a town on Section 15, which 
was afterwards known as " Moonville." From 1838 to 1840, 
or during the time of the construction of the Indiana Central 
Canal, considerable business was done here, but with the col- 
lapse of that enterprise Moonville began to decline and is today 

a village of memory, as its houses long since disappeared and 
59 



■930 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

its site is now devoted to agriculture. The farm where the 
village stood is owned by Joseph Hancock, of Anderson, and 
his son, William H. Hancock, cultivates it. Among those 
who did business in Moonville were Abraham Adamson, 
Nathan Williams, James Trimble, and James Swaar, Riley 
Moore, Samuel and Joseph Pence, John C. Gustin, and John 
Winslow. The late John W. Westfield was the only resident 
physician the village ever had. He practiced his profession 
here in the latter '80s. At that time the locality of the village 
was very unhealthy, but it is now one of the healthiest sections 
in the country. 

One of the noted characters of Moonville was a man of 
the name of Zachariah Cook who kept a lodging house on his 
farm near the village. Mr. Cook had a handsome daughter, 
Eliza, who was a general favorite and is still well remembered 
'by the old-timers in that and other parts of the county. She 
was a fearless horsewoman and won many premiums for superior 
riding at county fairs. 

The authors are indebted to Joseph Hancock and Wesley 
Dunham, of Anderson, for information concerning this once 
interesting village. 

PITTSBORROUGH, A ONCE THRIVING VILLAGE, NOW OBLIT- 
ERATED. 

Pittsborrough was a village situated on the Alexandria 
turnpike, just north of the present site of the village of Pros- 
perity, in Richmond township, on the old Beal farm. John 
Beal was one of the founders and sold considerable real estate 
in the town. It was in the days of the building of the canals 
through the country, and towns sprang up all over the county 
near the scene of the works. Pittsborrough contained several 
houses, stores and a " tavern." Of course it had its place 
where liquors could be had by the small, and Jeremiah Judd 
was the man who dealt it out to the thirsty laborers on the 
public works. At the March session, 1839, he was granted a 
license by the Board of Commissioners, as follows : 

"On petition presented and duly supported by a com- 
petent number of freeholders, it is ordered that Jeremiah 
Judd be allowed a license to vend groceries and liquors by 
the small in the town of Pittsborrough, in said county, for the 
term of one year from this date." 

It is said that Sims Garrison also kept a place there, but 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 981 

there is no record of his having obtained a license in the 
courts. 

Among those wlio once owned real estate in this village 
were William Coburn, John Beal, Ninevah Berry, Sims Gar- 
rison, James Carroll, Martha Shinn, Lewis Maynard and 
Isaac Snelson. Many others held lots there whose names do 
not now come to mind. 

James Hollingsworth, an old resident, says many fights 
occurred in this place during the construction of the canal 
between the different sets of hands employed, generally hap- 
pening on pay day. The stores and business houses were log 
cabins, such as were common in that day. There is nothing 
now left, save tradition, to tell where Pittsborrough once 
stood. 

MOUNT PLEASANT. 

Among the many towns and villages that sprang up along 
the route of the projected canal that passed through the county. 
Mount Pleasant, in Richland township, is one that is almost 
forgotten. It was situated in the neighborhood of the Dillon 
and Thornburg farm, adjoining the Jacob Bronnenberg land. 
Joshua Shinkle, who is yet living in Anderson, owned the 
land prior to the laying out of the village. It was not a suc- 
cess as a business venture, as but few lots were disposed of. 
It came too late in the days of canal fever, as the work had 
been abandoned in 1839, the year it was laid out, and the enter- 
prise was never resumed. John Thornburg purchased a lot 
and built a house there, which was the only residence in the 
town. All traces of the place as a town have long ago been 
obliterated, and it is only now and then that an old settler 
calls to mind that there was ever such a place in the county. 

PROSPERITY. 

Prosperity, the only village now in the township, was 
founded by John Beal and Hiram Louder, who opened up a 
small general store there at an early day. The place pros- 
pered for a time and a postoffice was established for the con- 
venience of the inhabitants and the farmers of the surrounding 
country. In the course of a few years, however, the postoffice 
was removed, and the place went into a decline, from which 
it has never recovered. The individual who gave the place 
its name is not known, but it has been suspected that he was 
something of a wag. 

The township has furnished a number of county officials 



932 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

since its organization, as follows : Dr. John Hunt, State Sen- 
ator and Treasurer of the county ; Hon. David Croan, Repre- 
sentative ; John Coburn, County Commissioner ; Weems 
Heagy, County Treasurer, and Jacob Bronnenberg, County 
Commissioner. 

Among other citizens of the township who were well 
known and highly respected in their time were B. F. Walker, 
Dr. William Parris, Samuel and Madison Forkner, Peter 
Keicher, Isaac Sellars, John Nelson (known throughout the 
county as "Hog" John on account of his extensive dealings 
for many years in hogs), John Matthew, Staman Croan and 
Joseph Pence. The late Dr. William A. Hunt was also a 
resident of the to\vnship for many years. Of the old-timers 
who are still living may be mentioned John and James Black- 
lidge, Curran Beall, Chauncy Vermillion. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The first schoolhouse in the township was erected in the 
fall of 1831 on the Harrison Canaday farm, and the first school 
was taught by an Irishman in the spring of 1832, John Tread- 
way taught school here in 1834. 

The first birth in the township occurred in 1832, a daugh- 
ter being born to Mr. and Mrs. John Parker. 

The Nelson graveyard, on Section 15, was the first in the 
township. 

The first graded country school in Madison county was 
taught by W. M. Croan at " College Corner" schoolhouse, in 
which the first graduating exercises in the country schools of 
Madison county took place. 

The first house erected in the township was built by James 
Curtis, and stood where the barn on the old Robert Adams 
farm now stands. 

At the March session, 1834, Richland township was 
formed and bounded by the Board of Commissioners as 
follows : 

" It is ordered by this board that a new township be 
organized in the county, to be known as Richland township, 
to be bounded as follows, to-wit : Beginning at the southeast 
corner of Section §3, Town 20, Range 8 east, running thence 
east with the line dividing Townships 19 and 20, north to the 
east line of said county, thence north, with the county line, to 
the northeast corner of Town 21, on said line, thence west to 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 933 

the northeast corner of Section 4, Township 21 north, Range 7 
east, thence south to the place of beginning. 

"And all elections held in said township shall be held 
at the house of Peter Ehrhart, until otherwise ordered and 
directed." 

THE OLD KILLBUCK WOOLEN MILLS ONE OF THE 

LANDMARKS. 

Away back, perhaps as far as 1838, Benjamin Walker, an 
old citizen of Madison county, who in an early day lived in 
Richland township, but who ended his days in Anderson a 
few years since, erected a dam across Killbuck and built a 
small saw-mill for the purpose of doing the neighborhood saw- 
ing. It was a rude affair, but served well the purpose in its 
day. After running it for several years he sold the mill and 
site to .John Purcell, who, about the year 1840, transformed it 
into a woolen-mill and '• carding machine," where he did 
business of that kind for several years. He afterward sold the 
mill to Stephen Broadbent, who has for forty years done the 
carding, spinning and weaving for the north part of the 
count)-. It is the only factory of this kind now in Madison 
county. 

Mr. Broadbent has, in a quiet way, made a handsome for- 
tune by operating it. 

It is known far and wide as one of the best mills of its 
kind in the country. Mr. Broadbent not only does a local 
trade, but is a large buyer and seller of wool in season. 

Mr. Benjamin Walker, the first owner of the property, 
was the father of Mrs. Nathan Armstrong and Mrs. J. E. D. 
Smith, well known in Anderson and vicinity. 

The scenery surrounding this old mill is one of varied 
beauty. In the summer time, when the trees are bearing their 
foliage and the fields are carpeted with their green coverings 
of grass and growing grain, the little mill situated on the rip- 
pling stream would be a subject for the artist's hand that could 
not be surpassed in Madison county. 

Richland township, besides being one of the wealthiest, 
can also boast of having the only woolen-mill in the county. 

This mill is spoken of in the general historj' of Richland 
township. 



934 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS FATAL ACCIDENT TO SAMUEIi 

EPPARD, ONE OF MADISON COUNTy's OLD AND RESPECTED 
CITIZENS. 

Near Little Killbuck lived Samuel Eppard, an old and 
respected citizen. He was one of the oldest inhabitants of the 
neighborhood, and was generally liked by all. On the 20th 
day of August, 1887, Mr. Eppard had gone down the road 
from his residence, and was about to cross the iron bridge that 
crosses the stream at that point, where he met Wilson Heagy 
and John Staggs, with whom he indulged in a pleasant chat. 
During the conversation Mr. Eppard took his seat on the rail- 
ing of the bridge, and in some manner lost his balance and fell 
over. The descent was about twelve feet to the ground, where 
he struck his head on a stone, killing him almost instantly. He 
breathed but two or three times when he was picked up by 
Wilson Heagy. 

He was a widower, and left two sons to inherit his pos- 
sessions. He was seventy-two years old, a native of Virginia, 
but had lived in Madison county for nearly forty years. 

Coroner William Hunt held an inquest, and a verdict of 
accidental death was returned. Samuel Eppard will be remem- 
bered by the older citizens of Madison county as an honest, 
upright business man, and one who attended strictly to his own 
affairs. He was a good neighbor, and was generally beloved 
by his acquaintances. 

MYSTERIOUS DEATH MISS EMMA THORNBURG TAKES HER 

LIFE WITH A PISTOL. 

For many years the family of Thomas Thornburg resided 
on a farm on the Killbuck turnpike road in Richland town- 
ship, being one of the wealthy and highly respected families 
in that locality. They reared a large family of children \vho 
were most genial in their associations with one another, and 
kind and generous to others. The Thornburg home was in 
all respects a model one. 

Several years ago a mysterious package was left on the 
door step of the Thornburg residence which, on investigation, 
was found to contain a newly born infant. The particulars 
of the life and death of this unfortunate child can best be 
given in this volume by qtioting an article on this subject 
which appeared in the Democrat of the 14th of March, 1879 : 

" On a beautiful winter night on the 10th of December, 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 935, 

1862, the family of Thomas Thornburg, residing three miles 
north-east of Anderson, were awakened from their repose by 
a violent shaking of the front door. On going to ascertain 
the cause of the disturbance, Mr. Thornburg found on his 
door-step a little baby warmly clad and sleeping quietly in a 
little basket, which also contained a fifty-dollar gold piece 
wrapped in the following note : 

" ' This child is named Emma, and is of respectable parents, 
but was left to the mother to care for. Knowing that you 
are "Quakers"' who would take good care of her, we leave 
her to your charity, and may God bless her. 

" ' Wm. Lawrence.' 

" No second appeal to the kind-hearted Mrs. Thornburg 
was necessary, for she at once took the little homeless waif 
into her motherly arms and heart, and from that day to the 
day of its death was to it all that a kind, loving, and indul- 
gent mother could be. As the little one grew in years she 
twined herself so closely about the hearts of the kind family 
that she became to them an idolized child, and her sudden, 
death cast them all into the greatest sorrow. 

" Mr. and Mrs. Thornburg desired to keep the mystery 
of her birth a secret from her, but as she grew into woman- 
hood, this could no longer be done, and they were forced to 
tell her that she was the child of unknown parents. This 
was some time prior to her death, but it is believed to have had 
nothing to do with it. A letter came to the house regularly 
for four years after the little one had been left there, containing- 
money and a request that they should still care for the child^ 
The letters were always mailed from different States. They 
were invariably answered by the members of the Thornburg 
family, giving a full account of the life of the little girL 
Finally letters ceased and no tidings came to say that the little 
one was not forgotten. So year after year rolled on until she 
had reached her seventeenth year, but still no news of the 
unknown parents, and then the life which began in mystery 
ended in mystery. 

" On the morning of the 11th day of March, 1879, she 
was found dead in a room in an upper story of the house. A 
short time before, she was in conversation with Mrs. Thorn- 
burg and told her she intended to go up stairs and get some 
writing paper from her brother John's trunk, as she wanted 
to answer a letter which she had received the previous evenr 
ing. Mrs. Thornburg afterward said that she never saw her 



■936 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY. INDIANA. 

in a happier or more joyous mood than she was then. Yoimg 
Thornburg had in his trunk a revolver, which he had received 
a few days previous from a friend, and had placed it there for 
safe-keeping. The young lady remained a long time, and 
Mrs. Thornburg stepped to the door and called her. Receiv- 
ing no reply, she waited a moment and then called her by 
name again, and still receiving no response, she stepped up 
stairs and found that the young w^oman was dead, and at the 
same time discovered a revolver lying in her lap, and noticed 
a bullet wound just above her right eye. The neighbors were 
notified and the Coroner summoned, who held an inquest and 
returned a verdict of suicide. Many strange rumors were put 
afloat as to the cause of her death, some attributing it to sui- 
cide, while others claimed that it was accidental ; some sup- 
posing that she was merely handling the revolver and examin- 
ing it when it was accidentally discharged. It was also said 
that the young lady had been informed by school-mates of her 
mysterious origin, and that it had preyed upon her mind so 
that she temporarily lost her reason, and that this was the 
-cause of her taking her life. It was generallv believed, how- 
ever, by the Thornburgs and others, that her sad death was 
the result of an accident. Who the parents of this unfortu- 
nate girl were, is still an undeveloped mystery, and will prob- 
ably never be known." 

TWO MADISON COUNTY SOLDIERS DROWNED IN THE MISSIS- 
SIPPI RIVER. 

On the 22d day of August, 1862, Cliiiton Gutherie, of 
Lafayette township, and Wilson Relf, of Richland township, 
were drowned in the Mississippi river while on their return to 
their command in the army. They had been home on veteran 
furlough and were on their way back to the front, when the 
boat upon which they had taken passage sank, losing many 
who were on board. 

These young men were well known by the people of Mad- 
ison county and the event was severely felt by the community 
in which they lived. They were neighbor boys and comrades 
in the same department in the army. 

Relf's father, Malichi Relf, lived in Richland township 
and Gutherie's folks lived where Linwood now stands, in 
Lafayette township. The father of Gutherie was at one time 
a. resident of Anderson and operated a tannery there. 

" Al" Lemon, son of Peter H. Lemon, ex-Clerk of Mad- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 937 

ison county, was a passenger on the ill-fated boat, but got off 
without harm to himself. He is yet living and is a resident of 
Indianapolis. 

Gutherie had been previously wounded at the battle of 
Pea Ridge. He was a member of Company B, Eighth Indiana 
Volunteers. Relf was a member of Company G, Forty-sev- 
enth Indiana. 

FINDING OF THE SKELETONS OF ABORIGINES. 

In the month of June, 1S89, while some workmen were 
opening a gravel pit on the farm of Simms Garretson, in Rich- 
land township, they unearthed fourteen human skeletons. 
They were all in a remarkable state of preservation, but when 
exposed to the air immediately crumbled to dust. All appear- 
ances indicated that they were aborigines, the skeletons being 
quite large. They were buried in the earth to a depth of about 
five feet, huddled close together. The people of that vicinity 
did not remember that there had ever been a cemetery located 
in that neighborhood, but it is supposed that the skeletons 
were the remains of Indians, a tribe of which had at one time 
settled there. The remains were gathered up and re-interred 
in the locality where they were found. 

A LARGE BARN AND VALUABLE HORSES BURNED. 

Silas Jones, one of the oldest and most influential farm- 
ers of Richland township, met with a severe misfortune on the 
28th of May, 1889, in having a large barn, which he had just 
completed, destroyed by fire, entailing a loss upon him of all 
his hay, corn and oats ; also vehicles, harness, horses and 
farming implements. The loss amounted to nearly !i!8,000. 
There were six horses in the stable at the time, all of which 
were cremated, among which was a fine stallion valued 
at $500. 

The origin of the fire was not known, but was supposed 
to have been the act of an incendiary. When the fire was 
first discovered the entire building was wrapped in flames 
and almost ready to fall in. Mr. Jones was only partially 
insured, carrying policies to the amount of !j>l,200. Immedi- 
ately after the destruction of his property he rebuilt the barn, 
which can be seen from the Anderson turnpike road by the 
passer-by on his way north, and is one of the finest structures 
of its kind in Madison county. 



II 



938 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA 

MADISON PENCE, AN OLD CITIZEN OF MADISON COUNTY, KILLED 
AT INDIANAPOLIS. 

Madison Pence was born and reared in Madison county, 
and was well known to all the older citizens in the neighbor- 
hood of Anderson, Richland, and Monroe townships. He 
was considered a harmless, inoffensive man, and was afflicted 
with epilepsy, which on certain occasions, rendered him non 
compos mentis. He would often go from place to place, being 
from home for weeks and months at a time. 

On Friday, the 27th day of September, 1889, a man was 
shot and instantly killed by Emsly Wright, living near Indian- 
apolis ; the man was supposed at the time to be a tramp, and 
having been seen in the neighborhood, had been directed to 
Wright as a man who would probably employ him. When he 
reached Wright's place it was dark, and being very cold, he 
started a fire in the barn -yard some distance from the build- 
ing. Wright noticed the fire and seizing a gun went out with 
two other men to ascertain what was the cause of the fire. In 
his testimony at the Coroner's inquest, Wright stated that he 
had ordered the man off the premises, who refused to go, and 
taking a club the man started at him as if he would strike him, 
at this Wright fired upon his assailant, killing him. It was 
some time before the body could be identified, as no clew as 
to who he was could be had in the neighborhood. When the 
Coroner of Madison county was called a scrap of paper was 
found upon his person which had the advertisement of L. M. 
Cox, of Anderson, printed upon it. Mr. Cox was notified, 
and parties from Anderson went to the scene of the tragedy 
in order to determine who the dead man might be. Upon 
examination he was identified as Madison Pence, half brother 
of Frank Pence, ex-Commissioner of this county. 

His friends in Anderson were notified and his remains 
were interred by them. Pence had at one time been married, 
but his domestic life was a very unhappy one, and his wife 
obtained a divorce from him. At one time he was the owner 
of considerable real estate, but by bad trades and the intrigues 
of designing men, he was left a penniless wanderer. 

KILLED WHILE RAISING A BARN. 

In the summer of 1870, Joseph McKinnon was killed on 
the farm of Madison Forkner while raising a barn with "block 
and tackle." He was in the act of placing a large timber in 
position on the building, when in some manner it swung 



1 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 939 

around out of its proper position, and caught him, throwing 
him to the ground, killing him instantly. 

He was well known in Anderson, where he lived. His 
widow is still living there. He was the father of William 
McKinnon, the well known "sport," who has given the 
Anderson police much anxiety in looking after his " wellbe- 
ing." McKinnon was a hard working man, and was not con- 
sidered a bad fellow, only for the fact that he was a little too 
fond of his " tea." He was a soldier in the war of the Rebel- 
lion and was said to have been a brave and courageous one. 

His occupation was that of a house mover. He also 
raised large buildings with machinery, being efKcient in that 
business. 

A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. 

A very distressing accident occurred on the farm of Jos- 
eph Dillon in the year 1859, in which young Jesse Dillon was 
killed, his body being horribly mangled and cut by a reaping 
machine. Young Dillon was helping to cut the harvest on 
his father's farm, his part being to drive the horses attached to 
a McCormick reaper. In some manner one of the horses 
became tangled up in the harness and began kicking. This 
frightened the other horse hitched by his side and resulted in 
the team running away. Young Dillon held to the lines and 
made every effort in his power to stop them in their mad 
career, but to no avail. They swept on until finally Dillon 
was thrown forward, falling in front of the machine, cutting 
him in a frightful manner, from the effects of which he died 
in a short tinie. Jesse Dillon was a bright young lad of about 
seventeen years ; universally liked by all the neighbors, and 
his taking off caused a gloom over the whole community for a 
long while after the occurrence. 

The farm on which this accident occurred is situated near 
the old Thornburg place in Richland township, being directly 
across the turn-pike road from the Thornburg home. The 
Dillons are highly respected people in that neighborhood and 
the news of this shocking accident soon spread over the town- 
ship, causing much excitement and great sympathy for the 
family. It was the talk of the neighborhood for years after- 
ward. The field in which it occurred being along the Kill- 
buck pike it was often pointed out to the traveler, and the sad 
affair told to him by the people living along that highway. 

The young man was a brother of Jonathan Dillon, who 
yet lives in Richland township, and also of Dr. Jeptha Dillon, 



940 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

late a resident of this count}'. Mrs. Joseph Croan and several 
other sisters and brothers are still living, whose names do not 
now occur. 

Every neighborhood has its incidents and accidents. But 
this one will always hang like a pall over the surroundings of 
its occurrence so long as any one who lived in that locality 
survives. 

Among those who witnessed the accident, besides the 
immediate family of the deceased, was Curren Beall, a neigh- 
boring farmer who was assisting in the work of harvesting. 
It made an impression on his mind never to be erased. 

The Dillons and Thornburgs were very close neighbors, 
and the families were so nearly related that it was almost as 
severe a blow to the Thornburgs as to the Dillons. Mrs. Dil- 
lon, the mother of the unfortunate young man, was a sister of 
Mrs. Thomas Thornburg. They settled together in an early 
day in Richland township on three hundred and twenty acres 
of land along a country road dividing their possessions, and so 
well did they get along that for many years they held their 
lands in common. In the latter days of their life they finally 
divided the lands and the older members of the family have 
now nearly all passed away. 

MICHAEL .m'gUIRE THROWN FROM THE REAR END OF A WAGON 
AND HIS NECK BROKEN. 

On the 4th day of March, 1871, John Nelson, Michael 
McGuire, Samuel Fossett and a man by the name of Trudelle 
had been in Anderson and in the evening started home — Nel- 
son in one wagon and the others named in another. They 
were all friendly and having a good time, going up the Kill- 
buck turnpike. They had been drinking somewhat in Ander- 
son, and had supplied themselves with a bottle of whisky to 
take home with them. 

McGuire had the bottle, and he would occasionally take 
a drink from it and finally offered Trudelle a drink, which he 
accepted. Fossett was driving the team and noticed McGuire 
and Trudelle drinking, when he asked McGuire " why he did 
not pass the bottle to him." McGuire, in a rather insulting 
manner, replied, "Drive on your cart," but did not offer Fos- 
sett a drink. This angered Fossett, and he dropped the lines 
and grappled with McGuire, and, it is said, hit him once or 
twice. After considerable of a tussle, while the wagon was 
moving, McGuire was thrown from the rear of the vehicle, 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 941 

and in the fall had his neck broken. He died very soon, with- 
out uttering a word. Trudelle jumped from the wagon and 
hastened to McGuire's side, but found that life had left his 
body. He immediately called Nelson, who was in the other 
wagon, and they took his body to the roadside and laid it out 
on the ground for awhile, when it was placed in Nelson's 
wagon and taken to the Nelson home, which was but a short 
distance away. 

The Coroner of the county was notified, and on the fol- 
lowing day, March 5th, John J. Sims, who was then Coroner, 
impaneled the following jury, which proceeded to investigate 
the cause of McGuire's death : 

J. L. Shawhan, D. Furgeson, Bazil Neeley, Samuel Bodle, 
Isaac Scott, Calvin Thornburg, Fred Bodle. 

After a full investigation the jury found that Michael 
McGuire came to his death in an unlawful manner at the 
hands of Samuel Fossett. 

The following day Fossett was placed under arrest for 
manslaughter and taken before William Roach, a Justice of 
the Peace of Anderson township, and a hearing had. the result 
of which was that Fossett was bound over to the Circuit Court 
in the sum of $1,000, which bond he at once gave and was set 
at liberty until the next term of court, at which time a true 
bill of indictment was returned against him. 

He was subsequently tried, and a jury in the Circuit Court 
acquitted him, on what ground it seems hard to tell, as all the 
circumstances appeared to be against him. 

This occurrence took place near the iron bridge that crosses 
Killbuck at the old Sam Forkner ford, in the neighborhood of 
the farm that was so long owned by John Nelson and was for 
many years used by Madison county for a poor farm. 

Mr. Fossett is yet living some place in Madison county. 
John Nelson died at Daleville a few years ago, and the where- 
abouts of Trudelle is now unknown. Trudelle and McGuire 
were old cronies and were nearly always together, spending 
much of their time about Anderson, when not at work in the 
country. 

Fossett was an inoffensive sort of man, with no murder in 
his make-up, and this affair was in no way premeditated on 
his part. It was one of those occurrences that often happen 
when a man is in his cups, that cause remorse and regrets as 
long as life lasts. 



942 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

John J. .Sims, who held the inquest, is now a resident of 
Anderson, and has a grocery store on Brown street. 

It was in the trial of this case in the Circuit Court, before 
the Hon. James O'Brien, Judge, that John Nelson got in his 
quaint answer to a question propounded to him. 

There was some sparring among the attorneys and wit- 
nesses. Nelson was being cross-questioned pretty severely, 
when the Judge broke in : " Mr. Nelson, you mean to say to 
the jury that the man was dead when you got there?" 
"Dead; he was deader ne'r hell," John replied, without 
noticing that he had broken or transgressed the rules or eti- 
quette of court. Nelson's earnest manner convinced the Court 
that he meant no harm, and was not fined for his rudeness. 

BURNING OF JACOB BRONNENBERg's HOUSE. 

In the earlier days of Richland township the people who 
lived in frame houses were few and far between ; in fact, there 
were but very few who made such pretensions. Jacob Bron- 
nenberg was one of the prosperous farmers who had grown 
rich enough to abandon his log cabin and build for himself 
what was then considered a very fine frame residence, into 
which he moved his family and had just begun to enjoy life, 
when, on the 16th of November, 1857, it was swept away in 
a jiff'y. Fire having caught through a defective flue in the 
rear of the house, and there being no way to fight the flames, 
it was soon laid in ashes, and Mr. Bronnenberg and his family 
were homeless. He had, fortunately, left standing the old 
Indian cabin that he vacated when he moved into his new 
home, and he removed the remnants of his household goods 
saved from the ruins, into it, where he remained that winter. 
The house that burned was a large two story frame and stood 
on or near the site of the brick residence now standing on the 
farm, owned and occupied by Benton Bronnenberg. As soon 
as spring-time came Mr. Bronnenberg commenced the making 
and burning of a kiln of brick and erected the handsome brick 
house that he so long occupied prior to moving to Anderson. 
The brick residence built by him was by far the largest and 
handsomest in Richland township at that time; and, in fact, 
it was with scarcely a rival in the county. The loss to 
Mr. Bronnenberg was about $2,000. He lost many of his 
household goods and valuables that he could not replace. He 
was a man to easily overcome such a disaster, and in a very 
few Years he was so well and comfortablv fixed that it was 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 943 

not noticeable, even to himself. This fire was the largest that 
that locality had witnessed up to that date and of course was 
talked of for a long while in the community. 

JAMES W. HOLSTEN ACCIDENTALLY KILLED. 

On Sunday morning, September 9th, 1894, a most dis- 
tressing accident took place at the residence of J. A. Holsten, 
of Richland township, in which James W. Holsten lost his life. 

He and a young man by the name of William Kinyoun, 
who was employed by Mr. Holsten as a farm-hand, roomed 
together, and had gotten up in the morning and gone to the 
barn to feed the stock while the family were preparing the 
morning meal. In a short time they were followed by Mr. 
Holsten, who chatted with the two companions for a few min- 
utes and then went about his work. 

After the young men had completed their labor they begun 
scuffling, and had taken out their revolvers and were flourish- 
ing them in a friendly manner, when in some way the pistol 
in Kinyoun 's hand was discharged, taking eflect in young 
Holsten's heart, killing him instantly. 

Mr. J. A. Holsten heard the shot and hastened to the 
scene to see what was the cause, when, to his horror, he found 
the victim in the last agonies of death. 

The neighbors were aroused by the ringing of the farm 
bell, and soon two hundred people had assembled at the place 
of the accident. The Coroner, Dr, C. L. Armington, was 
notified and an inquest held. It was shown that young Hol- 
sten and Kinyoun were the warmest of friends, and that the 
fatal shot was purely accidental. Kinyoun was acquitted of 
any criminal intent by the Coroner, and no arrest was made. 

Young Holsten was the son of ex-SherifT David H. Wat- 
son, of Anderson, who was killed February 2, 1862, and was 
adopted by J. A. Holsten when a small child and took his 
name. He was a brother of Mrs. John L. Forkner, of Anderson. 
He was a popular young man among his associates, and had 
no bad habits. He was devotedly fond of his adopted parents, 
Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Holsten, and always made his home with 
them, never having married. He was thirty-five years old 
when the accident occurred. He was a member of the Alex- 
andria Tribe of Red Men, and was buried by that order in the 
Anderson cemetery. 

Mr. and Mrs. Holsten, the adopted father and mother of 



944 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the unfortunate young man, deeply mourned his death, and as 
long as they live they will not fully recover from the shock. 

CONFIRMED HYPOCHONDRIAC. 

On the 25th day of October, 1883, a most distressing 
occurrence took place in the quiet precincts of Richland town- 
ship, which shocked the citizens of that locality. Mattison 
Hitt. a young man of that neighborhood, who had been an 
invalid for a long time, committed suicide bv shooting himself. 
He lived with his mother, Mrs. Mary J. Hitt, a widow. He 
was about thirty years old when he committed the deed, and 
no reason could be given for his actions other than dispondency. 
He at one time had a severe spell of sickness and to all out- 
ward appearances had recovered, but would never have it that 
he was well. He kept his room constantly for seven years 
previous to his suicide ; although he seemed at all times quite 
sane, it is quite certain that he was not. When he first took 
to his room he was only a medium sized youth, but grew so 
fleshy in his self imposed confinement that he weighed about 
200 pounds at tlie time of his death. 

HURT IN A HORSE RACE. 

In speaking about Madison county's old-timers, there are 
few who date back much farther or who are more worthy of 
notice than Michael Bronnenberg. Michael now lives in 
peaceful retirement in the refreshing shades of the classic 
stream of Killbuck, where he can sit in the twilight of a sum- 
mer's evening, as the sun hides itself behind the western skies, 
and look upon his 1,000 acres of Killbuck bottom, the best 
land in Madison county's borders, nearly all of which he has 
accumulated with his own hands. Michael has worked hard 
in his lifetime, but has had lots of fun. The world has but 
few cares for him. His motto is, 

" Let the wide world wag as she will, 
I'll be gay and happy still." 

Michael's residence in Madison county dates away back to 
the early '20s, when his father, Frederick Bronnenberg, Sr. , 
camped upon the banks of White river, near what is now the 
town of Chesterfield, upon the land owned by Carroll Bron- 
nenberg. It is said that while there in camp a child of the 
Bronnenbergs took sick and died and was buried in that then 
dismal locality. The family could not reconcile themselves to 






HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 945 

moving farther on and leaving the child in the wilderness, so 
they permanently located on the spot, purchased the land and 
made it the future home of the Bronnenbergs. 

The father of the Bronnenberg family built a mill on 
White river, near the original camp, which served for years to 
furnish corn-meal and other feed for the early settlers of that 
neighborhood. There he reared a large and respectable fam- 
ily, obtained a goodly store of riches for himself, and finally 
ending his life, at a ripe old age, on that camping ground. 
Michael Bronnenberg was one of the best boys the old man 
had. That is, he had lots of " git up and git." He never let the 
grass gro^v under his feet. He loved recreation and amusement 
as well as hard labor. While he was piling up his riches he 
was also having good times and laying up treasures in 
Heaven. One of Michael's early pastimes and enjoyments 
was horse racing. It is one of the traits of the Bronnenberg 
family to love a good horse. Some of the fastest running 
horses of this country have been bred by the Bronnenbergs. 
Michael, when young and active, would rather straddle a 
horse and ride a race than to eat a meal when hungry. But 
horse racing, like all other sports, sometimes has a serious 
ending. So it did in his case. He nearly always had a good 
horse and never allowed any one to ride the length of a 
"neck" ahead of him. 

One cold wintry day, away back in 1852 or' 53, Mike and 
Wm. Nelson, had been to Anderson together. After spend- 
ing the day together in town they took up their journey for 
home. They being neighbors they had to travel over the same 
road together. There had been a big rain, after which it had 
turned cold, the ground freezing up suddenly, but in many 
places there were holes in the road that were not solidly closed 
up. The two rode and chatted along together until they came 
to a nice, straight stretch in the road when one of them ban- 
tered the other for a chase of a " quarter." No sooner said 
than off went hats, spurs applied, and away they went up the 
road neck and neck at a mile a minute gait. Each rider plied 
the bud, whooped and hallowed, their horses with nostrils 
spread and leaping for life. The end of the stretch was near 
at hand when in an instant Bronnenberg's horse plunged head- 
long upon his fore (juarters, plowing his head along the ground 
catching for a new footing. At last regaining himself he sped 
on, dragging his rider at his side with foot fast iield in the 
stirr'up until his almost lifeless form released itself in some waj' 

60 



^6 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

from the saddle and lay upon the ground in a badly mangled 
condition. His companion by this time had reined up his 
horse, dismounted, and picking Bronnenberg up discovered 
that he was still alive, but unable to speak or move. He was 
taken to his home but a short distance oft' and medical aid 
immediately summoned. It was ascertained that he was most 
frightfully battered and bruised. His jaw was broken and 
other serious injuries sustained. It was thought for a while 
that he could not recover. His jaw was set in shape and a 
modern appliance placed in his mouth liolding it in position 
until the bones knitted together, during all of which time Mike 
had to be fed through a hole in the wooden bandage. 

After his recovery he sold his racers and has never done 
much in that line since. 

Mike is now away up in his seventies. His jaw is a little 
crooked from the mishap in the horse race, but his tongue and 
faculties are all right, and there is not a livelier old man 
in the United States or one \vho enjoys himself better than 
he does. Since writing the above Mr. Bronnenberg died, on 
the 22nd of October, 1896. 

BURNING OF SIMS GARRETSOn's BARN. 

One dark night away back during the days of the Rebel- 
lion, when party strife ran high; when one neighbor eyed and 
scrutinized every act of another ; when to do a crime was 
more lightly thought of than now, on account of the turmoil 
and strife going on throughout the countrj', it was, perhaps, 
the year 1863, the heavens became aglow with the flash of fire 
north of Anderson. An investigation of the matter disclosed 
the fact that the large barn owned by Sims Garretson, upon 
Killbuck, on the Alexandria pike, was on fire. How did it get 
on fire? Was it the work of an incendiary? If so, what 
could be the cause of it? Sims Garretson was an honest, 
upright citizen, without a known enemy in the world. The 
neighborhood was soon aroused and came to the scene of the 
conflagration, but no aid on earth could save the barn and 
its contents from destruction. As the cro\vd gathered two 
dark objects, supposed to be men, wSre seen to disappear 
across the small swamp or low grounds in front of the Garretson 
homestead toward the old canal that ran toward Alexandria. 
Pursuit was made and in due time the persons were captured. 
They proved to be Saul Nelson and William Howard, who 
lived farther north in this county. They were placed under 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 947 

arrest with the charge of arson against them. The grand jurj' 
indicted them and they were tried in the Madi.son Circuit 
Court. Howard, before the trial was ended, weakened and 
"turned State's evidence," thereby saving himself, but let 
Nelson go over the road. He was convicted and served a long 
term in the State's prison, while Howard escaped. 

It was shown at the trial that they had been to Anderson 
together and got drunk. Going home that night they reached 
Garretson's place, and, without any cause whatever, touched 
a torch to the barn that soon doomed it to the flames. 

They never had any grievance against Garretson, and 
why they should burn his property was a mystery to all at 
that time. Many tried to make politics out of it, attributing 
the cause to that, since Garretson was an open-out Republi- 
can, an old-time Abolitionist and a strong war man, and not 
in the least reserved about making his views known to his 
political opponents. But the men who did the burning were 
not men who took stock in the politics of the country and 
were not in the least interested in that way. It was urged at 
the time that they were put up to it by the Democrats, but 
that was evidently a mistake as no such things were developed 
on the trial, and had not the fever of war been ripe 'in the 
country and friends and neighbors arrayed against each other 
through political excitement, no such thought would have 
entered people's heads. It was purely a drunken freak that 
took possession of the men, who would in sober moments never 
have dreamed of such an act. 

Time has eflfaced and obliterated all hatred and ill-feel- 
ing between people who lived in those stormy times, and 
now those who were deadly enemies for political causes are 
the best of friends. 

REMINISCENCES WHERE DAVID T. THOMPSON THREW HIS 

QUID OF TOBACCO. 

David Thompson, Marshal of Anderson in 1872-3, was 
one of the boys. He was what might properly be called "a 
rough diamond." A better heart never beat within a human 
breast. He would get up at the dead of night to attend a sick 
friend, and would do anything in his power to relieve distress 
or help his fellowman. He was rough in his manners and 
seemed to take delight in his uncouth way of addressing peo- 
ple, but that was all that was bad about him. The writer has 
seen him stand beside a dead friend and weep like a child, his 



948 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

tears coming from real sorrow and not for show. He was 
raised near Prosperity, in Richland township, near where 
Uncle Sims Garretson lived. Uncle Sims was a local preacher 
and a great success at a prayer meeting. A protracted meet- 
ing was being held in the neighborhood. Uncle Sims was one 
of the leading spirits. One night the house was crowded to 
suffocation. Uncle Sims was leading in prayer. He had a 
habit of swaying to and fro when praying. On this occasion 
he was rolling from side to side, his voice was at its highest 
pitch, and the deacons and elders were chiming in with loud 
amens ; his mouth was wide open and he was just uttering the 
words, " beyant the grave, ah," when David Thompson, who 
was present, could not stand the temptation, took a large quid 
of tobacco and tossed it down Uncle Sim's throat. This 
stopped the prayer, as well as the meeting. Uncle Sims 
coughed and sneezed, and rocked and tossed, but prayed no 
more. Many of those present saw Dave throw the tobacco, 
and he was now in the closest place of his life. A prosecu- 
tion was commenced against him. His only way out was 
through mercy. The next night he attended church again, 
was converted and joined the congregation, got happy and 
became one of the leading members. He was diligent in his 
devotions to the church for a period of two years, when he 
publicly informed the brethren that two years had now elapsed, 
the statute of limitations barred any action against him and 
he would now bid them good-bye. Dave stepped out into 
the cold world and never afterward belonged to any church, 
but in his goodness of heart and kindness to the sick and dis- 
tressed, did many acts that would be a credit to any Christian. 

THOMAS THORNBURG AND THE LIGHTNING ROD PEDDLER. 

Old Uncle Tommy Thornburg, who recently died in 
Anderson, was one of God's noblemen. He was honest as the 
day is long, lived for what life was worth, was cheerful ^vith 
his family, and hospitable to the outside world. The writer 
has many times gone out to Uncle Tommy's on Sunday, for the 
sole purpose of getting a good dinner and a whiff of his hard 
cider. He was droll in his ways and at all times " up to snuff." 
It was a very slick citizen that took him in on a wild scheme. 
One time a lightning rod peddler called-at his house. He por- 
trayed all the good qualities of his rod, and explained its 
superiority over all others. Uncle Tommj' listened very atten- 
tively, with an occasional "yes, yes." The peddler said he 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 949 

had put one on the court house and many private houses in 
Anderson. While explaining the benefits of lightning rods, 
he said they would protect buildings for three miles around. 
About this time the dinner bell rang. Uncle Tommy kindly 
invited the peddler to dine with him, and had his horse put up 
and fed. After eating a good dinner and smoking a cigar, the 
peddler thought he had Uncle Tommy solid. " Well, Mr. 
Thornburg, I guess we might as well put up this rod, had we 
not.'" " Let me see, how far did 3'ou say it would draw the 
lightning.?" " Three miles," said the peddler. " W^ell, I guess 
that one you put on the court house will do for me, as it is only 
two miles and a half from here," chimed Uncle Tommy. This 
settled the whole business, and Uncle Tommy went on through 
the journey of life without any lightning rods on his house. 

Among the many old-time people produced by Madison 
county, William Shelly, who used to live at Prosperity, the 
capital of Richland township, was as good as the best of them. 
William was " an old soldier with a wooden leg," but he could 
run, jump and hop in about as lively a manner as though both 
his legs were flesh and blood. William's great forte was horse 
trading. The man who traded horses with Bill Shelly never 
died rich, especially if he kept it up any length of time. 

Bill had many odd ways about him, but was, on all occa- 
sions, equal to the emergency. After " doing " every one in 
his own county in the horse trading line, he sought other fields 
and pastures green — other foes to conquer, being for a long 
while absent, as you might say, without leave. His neigh- 
bors did not know where he was. Many supposed he had 
mounted the pale steed and flown to the fields of the long here- 
after, until some one from Madison county happened in Wash- 
ington City, and was looking through the capitol building, 
when who should he run across but Bill Shelly, standing guard 
in the treasury department. 

The meeting of the two old Madison county acquaintances, 
of course, was very cordial. Bill told his story of how he got 
there about as follows : 

" I was roving around, out of a job. I came to Wash- 
ington as a matter of sight-seeing, raore'n'any thing else. I, 
of course, took in all the sights. I strolled into the depart- 
ments looking around. I concluded I would like a job as one 
of the guards. I tackled our Indiana congressmen, but did 
not seem to do much good. They put me off from time to 



950 HISTORY OF iMADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

time, giving me taffy, until I was disgusted with congressmen 
as well as myself. 

"Hon. John Sherman was Secretary of the Treasury. One 
day I saw him coming down the hall and I thought I'd tackle 
him, ' make or break.' I hustled up to him; saluting him, 
I tackled him for a job. He looked at me and wanted to know 
what I could do. 

"I said, 'turn that big two-legged loafer over there out and 
let me have his place. I can do that job as good as he can,' 
pointing to a two-hundred pounder standing guard at the 
treasury department. My manner seemed to strike him. 

" 'What's your name?' 

"'Bill Shelly.' 

'' 'Where do you live?' 

" '(Jut in Indiana.' 

"Looking me all over he took my address. In a day or 
two Sherman sent for me to come to his office. He gave me 
this job and I've been holding it down ever since. I've wit- 
nessed the count of the money in the treasurer's vaults several 
times since I've been here. Once when Arthur put in a new 
man, and when Cleveland changed the treasurership, and it all 
came up to a cent, I guess they run it pretty near on the 
square in there." 

Bill was still on duty the last heard of him. His ever- 
lasting self-assurance and general good knack of getting at a 
man " soaked in" whenever he applied it. His good luck in 
getting this place was his own exertion. Well, why not let 
Bill Shelly, with one leg off, stand guard over Uncle Sam's 
money bags as well as any one else? He'll be as faithful as 
old dog Tray, and nothing will ever be missed by any of his 
connivance or neglect. This is a lesson for all horse traders. 
No telling what they may come to if they try. 

WHITMILL STOKES AND HIS DITCH ASSESSMENT. 

When Jacob Bronnenberg was County Commissioner, he 
was always on the alert as to county expenses. If anything 
ever went through the Commissioners' court that was against 
the interests of the tax-payers, if he knew it, it was done over 
his protest. His eye and ear were always open to "catch on" 
to all that was going on around him. During his term, nearly 
every free pike in the county and a great many of the public 
ditches were made. Mr. Bronnenberg was opposed to the 
law on general principles, because he thought it was a burden 



HISTORY OF MADISSON COUNTY. INDIANA. 951 

upon the people ; that it was severe in its mode of taking from 
the tax-payers, the assessments, without a sufficient scope for 
redress. The people, generally, understood his position on the 
question, and looked to him to help them out. One of his 
neighbors, Whitmill Stokes, an old man with only forty acres 
of ground, had two assessments against him at the same time — 
one for a pike and the other for a ditch; both were up for 
hearing. The old man was the picture of despair, when the 
lawyers brought the case up. His heart sank within him when 
he thought of the monstrous bills he would have to pay on his 
little farm. He took his place beside Mr. Bronnenberg, sit- 
ting as close as he could get to him, from the time the case was 
commenced until it ended. He watched every move that 
was made. The pike assessment was finally passed upon, Mr. 
Bronnenberg took exceptions as to the amount against Stoke's 
land. " That's right, 'Squire ," chimed in Whitmill. Finally 
the ditch case came up. Stokes kept his seat as close as he 
could, keeping an eye on every move that was made. The 
assessment was duly fastened onto Stokes, whereupon he 
raised up in open court, with fire in his eyes, and clinched 
fists, and proceeded to lacerate every one in the whole outfit, 
from petitioners down to court and attorneys, winding up by 
saying : "If you d — d rascals take my land for that infernal 
pike assessment, I'll be damned if ever I'll ditch it. Would 
you, 'Squire.'" He looked at Bronnenberg and brought his 
fist down on the table, upsetting a large bottle of ink in Uncle 
Jake's lap. The assessments, however, were made just the 
same. While it was a hardship at the time, it has added 
many hundred dollars to the little farm in value. 

MURDER AND SUICIDE. 

One of the most horrible murders and suicides that has 
ever taken place in Madison county occurred in Richland 
township on Monday, the 22d day of November, 1886, in 
which Ethan A. Maynard was the principal actor, William H. 
Biddle being his victim. Maynard, after shooting Biddle four 
times, left him in a field to die, and returned to his own home, 
where he was met by his wife, who had heard the pistol shots, 
and after embracing her told her to give the alarm by ringing 
the bell, after which he bade her good-bye, saying that he was 
going to Anderson. He went to the barn as though he was 
getting his horse, but instead of that he was on altogether a 
different mission. Mrs. Maynard had hardly time to gather 



SSS HISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

'her wits, after the first shock of the shooting, until a sharp re- 
port rang out from the stable. She knew too well what it 
meant, and hastened to the spot, where her fears were real- 
ized. There, weltering in his own blood, was the lifeless 
body of her husband. She hastened to the house and rang the 
farm bell, and in a short time the whole community was 
aroused. The news soon spread, and it was but a short time 
■until newspaper reporters, doctors, lawyers and business men 
from Anderson were on the scene of the crime. The Coroner, 
Dr. William A. Hunt, was soon on the ground, and an inquest 
was held. Biddle was very poor, and his wife had left him 
through the connivance of Maynard, and the sight that met the 
view of those who beheld the scene will never be forgotten by 
them. Biddle was lying on the bare floor with his little 
orphaned children surrounding him, they being only half clad, 
and with the appearance of being poorly fed, some of them 
too young to realize their condition. This atrocious crime 
was the result of an illicit love affair between Maynard and 
Mrs. Biddle that had been going on for some time before the 
crisis came. Maynard left a young and handsome wife, who 
is yet living, but has since remarried. This is another instance 
■of there being "no telling for taste," as there was absolutely 
nothing prepossessing about the Biddle woman, while Mrs. 
Maynard was rather handsome, and is said to have been very 
kind to her husband. Biddle's children were taken to the Or- 
phans' Home, and afterwards provided with homes. Biddle 
■was forty-two years old. His remains were buried at Wesley 
chapel. Maj'nard was buried in the Anderson cemetery. 



CHAPTER LXXVII. 



Stony Creek Township. 



This township derives it name from Stony creek, a small 
stream that flows through the north-west part of the town- 
ship. It has an area of twenty-eight square miles, and, not- 
withstanding the axe and saw have been busy in the for- 
ests since its first settlement in 1823, there is yet considerable 
timber left, more, perhaps, than in any other township in the 
eounty. The township is bounded on the north by Jackson 
town,ship, on the east by Anderson township, on the south by 
Fall Creek and Green townships, and on the west by Hamil- 
ton county. 

In 1823 D. E. Studley, Thomas Busby, John Ander- 
son, George Reddick and two or three others settled along 
Stony creek, near the present site of Fishersburg. They 
were followed by Benoni Freel and Henry Studley, the former 
settling on Section 21, near the present home of David Con- 
rad, and the latter on Section 28, on what has since been 
known as the Hoffman farm. Each built a log cabin and 
began the arduous task of clearing up a farm. Mr. Freel 
came from Ohio and first settled in Jackson township, oppo- 
site the present site of Ferkinsville, in 1828, when he moved 
to the vicinity of the present site of Lapel. He had in the 
meantime married the widow of Benjamin Fisher, who had 
been killed by the Indians, while chopping down a tree, near 
where Strawtown now stands. Besides his wife, he left sev- 
eral children, among whom was Charlefe Fisher, who is still 
living and a resident of Lapel. Mr. Fisher is the oldest resi- 
dent of the township and one of the oldest in the county, hav- 
ing been born in Ohio in 1819. 

In 1831 John Fisher, of Clermont county, Ohio, settled 
on the tract of land lying between Fishersburg and Lapel, 
that is now owned by Charles Fisher. About the year 1835 
James and Jesse Gwinn, of Virginia, settled on section 23, 
and in 1836 W. A. Aldred located in the same neighborhood. 
About this time Arbuckle Nelson located on what is now 



954 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

known as the Bodenhorn farm. Other early pioneers were 
Peter Ellis, Newton Webb, Isaac Milburn and Noah Hunt- 
zinger. Many of the descendants of these men reside in the 
township and cultivate large farms. 

THE FIRST ROAD. 

The first public road through the township was laid out 
in 1832. This road was laid out from Strawtown to Pendle- 
ton, and that portion of it passing through the township after- 
wards (1865) became the Fishersburg and Pendleton pike. It 
was purchased by the county in 1888, and is now a free gravel 
road. 

CHURCHES. 

The Methodists in this, as in the other townships of the 
county, were the first to organize a society. It is thought that 
the first religious society in the township was organized about 
the year 1836, and afterwards became a part of the Noblesville 
circuit. The first meetings were held at the homes of the 
membership, but after the erection of a school house at Fish- 
ersburg the meetings were held there until 1843, when the 
society built a small building. This place of worship was 
occupied for about thirteen years, when a more pretentious 
building was erected and dedicated, free from debt. Among 
the early ministers were Mr. Miller in 1838, Lucien Berry in 
1840, W. Smith in 1842, and James Scott in 1846. This 
church is in a prosperous condition. 

Rev. Nathaniel Richmond organized a Baptist society 
here in 1843 and a year afterwards built a small house of wor- 
ship in Fishersburg. The society was never strong in num- 
bers and after a period of about twenty years passed out of 
existence. 

In 1860 Forest Chapel Christian church was organized 
with a membership of sixteen and in the following year a neat 
little place of worship was erected on Section 32. Rev. B. 
F. Gregory was pastor here for sometime, but the socictj- did 
not prosper and regular services were discontinued. 

THE SCHOOLS. 

• 

The first schoolhouse in the township was built in 1835, 
and was situated near Stony creek, a short distance southeast 
of the present site of Fishersburg. There are at the present 
time nine schoolhouses in the township, including Lapel, and 
a total school enumeration of 633. The school at Lapel is 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 955 

graded, and three teachers are employed. The principal of 
the school is Absalom Knight. 

TOWNS AND VILLAGES FISHERSBURG. 

This village was laid out in May, 1837, by Rev Fletcher 
Tivis. It is situated on Section 28, on the west bank of Stony 
creek and near the Hamilton county line. Z. Rogers built 
the first house in the village. It was constructed of logs and 
stood near the point where the Anderson road joined the Pen- 
dleton and Fishersburg pike. William and Benjamin Sylves- 
ter were the first merchants in the place, having brought a 
stock of goods here in 1844. They afterwards sold out the 
stock to Charles Fisher, who increased it and conducted a gen- 
eral merchandise business for about ten years. In 1858 a post- 
office was established here and Charles Fisher was appointed 
postmaster. He was succeeded by W. A. Fisher; he by J. 
W. Fisher; he in turn by J. W. Taylor and he by George 
Dunham in 1867, ^vho held the office for a number of years. 
Christopher Bodenhorn is the present postmaster. Considera- 
ble business was done here previous to the completion of the 
Chicago & Southeastern railroad to Lapel in 1876, since which 
time its trade has been absorbed by the latter place. At this 
time there is but one store in the village, that of Bodenhorn 
& Son. Ainong the professional men who have lived here 
have been Drs. Daniel Cook, J. M. Fisher, J. A. Aldred and 
L. P. Ballinger. Dr. Cook is the only physician now in the 
village. Dr. Fisher resides between Fishersburg and Lapel 
and cannot be said to be a resident of either place. 

LAPEL. 

This town was laid out April 27, 1876, by David Conrad 
and Samuel E. Busby, and incorporated January, 1893, the 
first officers being O. C. Shetterly, James Armstrong, E. R. 
Rambo, Trustees, and J. C. McCarty, Clerk. It is situated 
three-fourths of a mile southeast of Fishersburg, on the Chicago 
& Southeastern Railroad, and is one of the prettiest towns in 
the county, the residences of a number of its citizens being as 
fine and neat as can be found on the fashionable thoroughfares 
of any of the cities in the county. For several years after it 
was laid out the town consisted of a few scattering houses, but 
since the discovery of natural gas it has grown rapidly, having 
an estimated population at the present time of 1200. 



956 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Lapel is supplied with two large flouring mills, a flint 
bottle factory, planing mill, tile works, pump and gas regula- 
tor factory, and several other industries of minor importance. 
These manufactories give an air of thrift and enterprise to the 
little city such as but few places of equal population can 
boast. It is surrounded by a fertile country, its people are 
moral and industrious, and there is no reason why the place 
should not continue to grow and prosper. 

RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 

There are three churches in Lapel, the Methodist, Lmited 
Brethren, and Friends. The Methodists have a large congre- 
gation and a handsome place of worship. The membership is 
growing and the church is in a prosperous condition. This 
may also be said of the United Brethren society. 

FRATERNAL ORDERS. 

The following fraternal societies have been instituted at 
Lapel : White Oak Camp, No. 29, Woodmen of the W^orld ; 
Knights of Pythias ; Onaway Tribe, No. 50, 1. O. R. M. ; also 
a Pocahontas Council. Besides these orders there is Hiram 
G. Fisher Post, G. A. R., with a membership, at this time, of 
twenty-five. 

Among the leading professional and business men are 
Drs. Jones and Moore ; Woodward & Woodward, millers ; G. 
E. Bird & W. J. Huffman, hardware; Oliver, Thomas & 
Shetterly, millers ; David Conrad, general business; N. W. 
Clepfer, grocer and postmaster. 

STATISTICAL MATTERS. 

The population of Stony Creek township in 1850 was 
291 ; in 1860 it was 597 ; in 1870 it was 1,082 ; in 1880 it was 
1,483, and in 1890 (including Fisherburg and Lapel) it was 
1,483. The last assessment made for taxes shows the value of 
lands to be $527,880; lands and improvements, $588,995; 
total amount of taxables, $798,495. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The first marriage in the township was that of Samuel 
Shetterly and Jane Freel. The event occurred on the 8th of 
July, 1834, and was solemnized by Ancil Beach at the resi- 
dence of the bride's father, Benoni Freel. The first death in 



4 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 957 

the township was that of George Shetterly, who died about the 
year 1830. 

A TRADITION. 

There is a tradition that the lands of vStony Creek town- 
ship were once the favorite hunting grounds of the Indians, 
not only of the county, but of the tribes living to the north 
along the Mississinewa, Wabash and Eel rivers. Excavations 
made in recent years have discovered bones and other remains 
indicating that the red men were at one time numerous in this 
part of the county. It was in this township that the " Dis- 
mal " was situated, a tract of land several miles in extent that 
was noted for its dense underbrush and dark, dismal appear- 
ance. During the early settlement of the county and for many 
years after Anderson had become a town of considerable im- 
portance, the " Dismal " was esteemed the best hunting 
ground in this part of the county. This locality that was once 
so forbidding is now one of the fairest and most productive 
portions of the county. 

BURNING OF WOODWARD'S MILL. 

On Tuesday morning, the 16th day of August, 1886, the 
large flouring mill owned by Woodward Brothers, of Lapel, 
was discovered to be on fire, and before assistance of any kind 
could be rendered was entirely burned to the ground. The 
fire was discovered by Mrs. Margaret Woodward, wife of 
William Woodward, ^vho alarmed her husband and he sprang 
to the window in time to see one of the incendiaries calmly 
standing by watching the result of his work. 

Upon examination a one-gallon stone jug was found near 
the mill, which contained about a quart of coal oil that had 
been left after the remainder had been used to pour on the 
building before applying the match. The loss on the mill and 
its contents was estimated to be .$15,000, covered by !}!3,(KK) 
insurance. There were nearly five thousand bushels of wheat 
in store, one car load of bran and five hundred bushels of flour; 
in the cribs were about one thousand bushels of corn that 
belonged to the owners of the mill. 

Soon after the fire the Woodwards commenced a system- 
atic effort to ferret out and convict the parties guilty of the 
crime. They employed a detective by the name of Thomas 
McMillan, of Indianapolis, who called to his assistance a man 
by the name of Lloyd, and also one by the name of P. A. 
Randall. After the detectives had examined the premises 



958 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

thoroughly they started on their trail. The first place they 
visited was Pendleton. Here they learned that John Cottrell, 
who was under suspicion, was stoppino; there in the house of 
a friend. Cottrell was found, placed under arrest, brought to 
Anderson and lodged in jail. Suspicion also pointed to 
Thomas Ford, son of James Ford, and to George Ford, his 
nephew. James Ford was a very prominent farmer in that 
neighborhood. A warrant was sworn out for the arrest of 
Thomas Ford and Detective Randall went to the residence of 
James Ford, on the Anderson and Fishersburg turnpike, and 
arrested Thomas Ford. In the meantime a warrant had also 
been sworn out for the arrest of George Ford and it was put 
in the hands of another officer, and his arrest was effected. 
Thomas ford was released on .$1,000 bail the next day; his 
father, James Ford, went security for his appearance at the 
preliminary trial. George was released on the evening of the 
following day. James Ford and William Ford became his 
sureties to appear before 'Squire E. M. Jackson the next day 
in a preliminary examination. 

Young Cottrell was taken before 'Squire Jackson Tues- 
day morning and a court of inquiry was held, which resulted 
in binding him over to the Madison Circuit Court. 

At the preliminary trial of George and Thomas Ford 
much interest was manifested in the proceedings, there being 
a large number of witnesses present from all over the western 
section of the county. The defense offered no testimonj', and 
there was no argument made in the case. 'Squire Jackson 
rendered a decision of guilty, and, in accordance with the tes- 
timony and with the law in such cases, bound them over to 
the Circuit Court at the October term in the sum of $2,500. 
Thomas Ford gave bail, while George, failing to give the 
necessary security, was returned to jail. A change of venue 
was taken to Hamilton county, and at the December term, 
1886, of the Hamilton Circuit Court, these cases came up for 
trial and held the attention of the court for one week. The}- 
were hotly contested on both sides. Judge Winburn R. 
Pierse, Hon. Charles L. Henry and Hon. D. C. Chipman 
appeared for the defense, while Colonel M. S. Robinson and 
J. F. Neal, the Prosecuting Attornej-, conducted the State's 
side of the case. After a hard legal fought battle it was given 
to the jurj', and after a few hours deliberation they found a 
verdict of guilty against the prisoner, George Ford. His sen- 
tence was fixed at nine years in the State's prison, and he 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 959 

was fined $1,000. One incident of the trial was that young 
Cottrell swore that he had burned the mill himself, turning 
State's witness and testifying against the Fords. This testi- 
mony created considerable doubt in the minds of the people 
as to the guilt of the Fords, and many doubted their connec- 
tion in any way with the crime. 

James Ford was an old and respected citizen of the coun- 
ty., and he spent almost his entire fortune in the defense of this 
case. He had the sympathy of a large portion of the com- 
munity. The Woodwards, who owned the mill, were also 
residents of the county. They are yet living at Lapel and are 
engaged in business there. Their uprightness and honesty 
has never been brought into question. 

The only incentive that could probably be assigned as 
the cause of this incendiary fire was a rivalr3' in business. 
There were two mills in the village, one of which was owned 
b}' the Woodwards, and the other by James Ford. And as 
a result, the mills were both desirous of doing a large business 
and became active competitors. Nothing, however, occurred 
to arouse any suspicion, nor had there been any such feeling 
between the proprietors of the two mills. The Woodwards 
continued to do business and had the confidence and respect 
of their patrons, and had secured some customers from the 
other mill. This fact is said to have caused some ill-feeling on 
the part of Thomas Ford, but this did not come to light until 
after the burning of the mill. 

At the March term, in the Hamilton Circuit Court, at 
Noblesville, Thomas Ford was convicted as an accessory to the 
crime and sentenced to four years in the State's prison, he 
having taken a change of venue from this county. Hon. 
David W. Wood was the Prosecuting Attorney who conducted 
the case for the State, and gained for himself quite a reputa- 
tion as a lawyer. He was ablj' assisted by Colonel M. S. 
Robinson. 

Young Cottrell having been promised immunity in con- 
sideration of " turning State's evidence," was not tried or con- 
victed for his connection with the crime. 

Cottrell testified that at a meeting between him and the 
Fords, a conspiracy was formed whereby he was to fire the 
mill ; that he was merely a tool of the Fords. 

P. A. Randall, who acted as a detective and did some 
very fine work in this case, is yet a resident of Lapel, and 
was formerly a grain merchant of Anderson. He has almost 



960 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

a national reputation from the fact that he publicly denied the 
statement made by General Abel D. Straight that he (Straight) 
was the moving spirit in the escape of the prisoners from 
Libby prison during the war. He wrote many newspaper 
articles on this question that were copied and commented on 
from Maine to Mexico. 

THE KILLING OF YOUNG HERSHBERGER. 

A most distressing accident occurred on the Bee Line 
Railway about four miles south of Anderson, at the crossing of 
the railroad and the Pendleton and Anderson State pike, 
whereby a boy by the name of Hershberger, son of J. W. 
Hershberger, of Stony Creek township, was instantly killed, 
on the 1st of October, 1887, particulars of which are about as 
lows : The young man was, in company with his father, 
employed in hauling heading to a factory in Anderson, and 
they were on their way home when the accident occurred. 
The father was driving the foremost team and w^s somewhat 
in advance of his son, and had succeeded in passing the cross- 
ing in safety, but the son, however, owing to the growing dark- 
ness and the woodland that fringed the track at that point, 
was not aware of his peril until the team was on the track and 
the engine was within a few feet of him. Before he could think, 
the team was struck by the pilot of the locomotive and scat- 
tered on either side of the track. One of the horses was 
instantly killed. The wagon was shattered into fragments, 
and the other horse was stripped of his harness, though unhurt. 
The train was stopped as soon as possible, and the passengers 
got off to render such assistance as they could. A search for 
the body of the driver was instituted along the track, but no 
sight of it could be had for some time. At last one of the 
passengers found the boy lying upon the pilot of the engine, 
dead. The position in which the body was found was an easy 
and natural one. But for a small pool of blood on the iron, 
he might have been thought to have been asleep. The lad 
was evidently struck on the head, thrown onto the pilot, and 
met instant death. His remains were brought to Anderson 
on the fatal train and sent to Pendleton on the next train. 
This was a great blow to the father, who suffered great dis- 
tress, but bore up under it like a philosopher. 

Mr. J. W. Hershberger is yet living in Madison county, 
and is now one of the most prosperous and highly respected 
men in Stony Creek township. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 961 

SHOOTING A BURGLAR. 

Mr. C. C. Bodenhorn has been for many years operating a 
country store at the vilhifre of Fishersburg, and in a quiet way 
has gained for liim;elf a snug competency, and has become 
one of the leading mercliants in that locality. 

On the 11th day of May, 1885, a bloody tragedy took place 
in his store that will be remembered by the participants therein, 
as well as by the people in the immediate vicinity. 

In the month of September prior to this occurrence, Mr. 
Bodenhorn's store was broken into, the safe blown open and 
rifled, several hundred dollars in money and notes taken, and a 
• considerable amount of clothing was stolen from the stock. 
After that time, Mr. Bodenhorn employed a night watchman, 
a young man by the name of William Stanford, who, in com- 
pany with the clerk, James A. McCarty, slept in the store. 

On the night above referred to, a party of three men made 
a descent upon the store. They effected an entrance by taking 
out the west front window of the building, removing both sash 
and glass. The store consisted of two apartments connected 
by a wide doorway. The west room was filled mostly with 
clothing, boots and shoes, the east room with dry goods and 
groceries. Stanford and McCarty slept on a cot in the east 
room, and were both armed, one with a shot gun and the other 
with two revolvers. The burglars after effecting an entrance 
had stacked up nearly two hundred dollars worth of clothing, 
and carried it to the front part of the store, and piled it up 
ready to take away. There was but one man at \vork on the 
inside of the store, the other two stood guard on the out- 
side. After the clothing had been carried into the room, 
the burglars started into the east room, and stopping at 
the doorway they struck a match, by the light of which 
they distinguished Stanford and McCarty, who were aroused 
by his light. The burglars immediately opened fire upon 
them. One ball passed through the sleeve of Stanford's 
coat, and burned his arm, another buried itself in the walls of 
the building. McCarty immediately responded with two shots, 
but neither of them took effect. About this time Stanford, 
who had secured his shot gun, took deliberate aim and fired 
with the result that about seventy-five number three shot took 
effect in the burglar's head and face. After receiving the injury 
he walked to the center of the store room and fell. He soon 

recovered his footing, and then in a dazed condition walked to 
61 



962 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA 

the rear of the store, climbing over on the inside of a counter 
that stood there, and then walked back the full length of the 
room to the front of the store, where he was dragged through 
the door by his confederates. They helped him across the 
street north to an alley, about two hundred feet from the store, 
where he was deserted and probably left for dead. He lay in 
this condition until near daybreak, when he was discovered 
by some passers-by. The condition of the ground indicated 
that there had been a fierce struggle during the night. The 
wounded burglar was carried into Searle's drug store near by, 
and Dr. George N. Hilligoss, who was then a resident physi- 
cian of the village, dressed his wounds. 

Sheriff Thomas Moore and Marshal Coburn were notified 
of the affair by telephone, and immediatelj' left for Fishers- 
burg. 

The burglar was placed in care of the ofHcers and taken 
to Anderson, where he was placed in the hospital cell of the 
county jail. Dr. Charles Diven, county physician, was called 
to make an examination, and found that his forehead had been 
filled with shot, some of which had penetrated to the top of 
the skull. The sight of both of his eyes was permanently 
destroyed. It was thought that the wounded man could not 
possibly recover; his left arm was paralyzed, and hung limp 
at his side. No clue could be obtained for a time as to his 
name, or whence he came. The only thing found upon his 
person in the shape of writing was a song that had been writ- 
ten upon a piece of foolscap paper in lead pencil, on the back 
of which was the name of Walter Ellston. He, however, sub- 
sequently revealed his real name, and gave it as John Kath- 
nian, and requested that his mother, who resided in Cincin- 
nati, be notified of his condition. 

On the Sunday following the occurrence, Mrs. Kathman, 
the mother of the wounded man, came to Anderson to visit her 
son, in obedience to the summons of the .Sheriff of Madison 
county, who had notified her of the happening. The meeting 
between the mother and her wounded boy was affecting in 
the extreme. After Mrs. Kathman had recovered her strength 
sufficiently she related her story. She attributed her son's 
recklessness largely to the fact that her husband, an ill-natured 
and vicious man, would not allow him to remain at home with 
any satisfaction, and thus compelled him to abandon the 
paternal roof. She seemed to know but little of her son's 






HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY', INDIANA. 968 

whereabouts or his doings after he had left home about two 
years before this occurrence. 

In another interview young Kathman related to his mother 
in the presence of the officers a brief history of his wander- 
ings and some of the thrilling incidents in connection there- 
with, in which he stated that after he had left his home in 
Cincinnati he started out to peddle trinkets with a partner by 
the name of Shive, near the city. They made considerable 
money, frequently as much as five dollars a day. One day 
when they were at a place called "Devil's Gulch," a woods 
about three miles from Cincinnati, they had a dispute over the 
division of some money, when he (Kathman) drew a revolver 
and shot his companion twice in the head, killing him 
instantly. He said he left his body where it fell, and three 
days afterwards it was found. No one had seen the murder 
committed, and no one had suspected him. After this he 
went to Louisville, Ky., and engaged to work on a farm. He 
subsequently stole $3(J0 from his employer. He was shortly 
after that placed under arrest on suspicion, and was placed 
in the House of Refuge. 

An affidavit was filed before the Mayor of Anderson, 
charging Kathman with burglary, but was withdrawn, with 
the consent of the Prosecuting Attorney, D. W. Wood, based 
upon a certificate of Drs. C. E. Diven and B. F. Spann, who 
stated it as their opinion that the prisoner could not recover 
from the effects of his wounds. Upon this Sheriff Moore gave 
his consent to have the young man removed to his home, for 
which they started on the following Monday night. 

Rev. Father Weichman visited the wounded man and his 
mother at the county jail, and gave them such consolation as 
was in his power. 

It has been reported with some authority that after being 
taken to his home he recovered sufficiently to be able to travel 
about, and that he is yet living, for the accuracy of which 
statement the writers do not vouch. 

C. C. Bodenhorn is yet a merchant in Fishersburg. The 
whereabouts of the two young men who were in the store at 
the time of this event is unknown. 

A GAS EXPLOSION. 

On the 3d of January, 1895, an explosion of natural gas 
took place in the extensive tile works of D. B. Davis, situated 
in Stony Creek township, whereby the kilns were destroyed 



964 HISTORY OF MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 

and Davis narrowly escaped losing his life. It seems that the 
fire had been turned out in the kilns and that the gas was 
escaping through some broken joint or valve unknown to Mr. 
Davis, who was in the factory at work. Being used to the 
odor of the fluid, which escaped about the place, he went 
about his work not noticing the danger he was in. After a 
sufficient amount of gas had accumulated in the furnace it 
came in contact with a lighted burner and in an instant the 
whole structure was blovv'n to pieces. Mr. Davis was hurled 
a considerable distance through the flying debris and was 
badly burned about the head and face, but fortunately received 
no fatal injuries. 

The explosion was heard for quite a distance in the neigh- 
borhood, and large crowds of people from the surrounding 
country hastened to the scene expecting to find Mr. Davis 
killed. This unfortunate affair worked quite a hardship on 
Davis financially. But, like the brave man that he is, he 
immediately went to work, rebuilt his kilns, and is still at this 
writing doing a large and lucrative business, being one of the 
most successful tile makers in this section of the country. 

NATURAL GAS ACCIDENT. 

On Saturday, July 6, 1890, while an engineer by the 
name of Whetzel was running a traction engine over an 
exposed gas pipe, that supplied the heading factory at Fishers- 
burg, the pipe snapped in two and the escaping gas ignited 
from the flames in the furnace of the engine and enveloped it 
as well as the engineer, Whetzel, and Eddie Bodenhorn, a 
fourteen-year-old son of Christian Bodenhorn, a merchant at 
Fishersburg. Young Bodenhorn was riding on the platform 
of the engine at the time, and escaped with a few severe, but 
not dangerous burns. Whetzel was burned in a most shock- 
ing manner, and it was thought for a while that he could not 
possibly recover. Several others who assisted in the rescue 
of the unfortunates from their perilous position were more or 
less burned. 

BOY SHOT AT LAPEL. 

Two boys, sons of James and William W^oodward, about 
thirteen years of age, were playing together near the residence 
of their parents on the 5th day of February, 1890, when the 
son of James W^oodward picked up a revolver that was laving 
on the table, and playfully pointed it at his little cousin, who 
was sitting in a chair. As he extended the revolver it was 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 965 

accidental!}' discharged, shooting the boy and inflicting a dan- 
gerous wound. Both families were very much distressed over 
the unhappy occurrence, and much excitement was caused in 
the neighborhood. 

SUICIDE OV JOHN M. ANDERSON. 

John M. Anderson, a farmer of Stony Creek township, 
committed suicide on the 31st day of April, 1894, by hanging 
himself to a beam in his barn bj- the means of a plow line tied 
about his neck. Soon after his death his wife discovered his 
body and gave the alarm. The neighbors immediately gath- 
ered in; Samuel Huntsinger and Cole Garrett were the first 
to respond, and cut his body down. There was no seeming 
cause for the act, as Mr. Anderson's home relations were said 
be pleasant, and he was fairly well to do in the world; he was 
looked upon as being a kind and generous man, a good neigh- 
bor, and an upright citizen, being well liked by those with 
whom he associated. 

WILLIAM HUNTZINGER ROBBED. 

William Huntzinger, an unpretentious farmer, who for 
many years lived in Stony Creek township, about eight miles 
south-west of Anderson, was the victim of a daring robbery on 
the 27th of March. 1889. About eight o'clock at night his 
residence was entered, the door being opened by two men who 
had large clubs in their hands. As it happened, no one was 
at home except Mr. Huntzinger and his wife. One of the men 
stood guard with a bludgeon held over Mr. Huntzinger's head, 
while the other made a rapid search of the house. They suc- 
ceeded in finding 1100 in money and a silver watch, with 
which they departed. No clew was ever obtained as to their 
identity. Mr. Huntzinger was quite an old man and infirm, 
and the nervous shock resulting from this aft'air came near 
causing his death. He did not recover his sensibilities until 
some time after the robbers had departed with their booty, and 
he was too feeble to go after them and have them arrested. 

SHOOTING OF JOHN J. JOHNSON BY COLEMAN HAWKINS. 

Coleman Hawkins was for many years a resident of 
Stony Creek township, in the vicinity of Johnson's Crossing, 
on the Midland Railway. He was one of the wealthiest and 
most highly respected citizens in that neighborhood. Nearby 
his residence was a neighbor by the name of John J. Johnson, 



966 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

with whom the best of relations had always existed. This 
lasted up to the year 1883, when a very bitter feeling was 
aroused between them over the construction of a large ditch 
running through the neighborhood. 

Mr. Johnson was postmaster of the village, and on the 
evening of the 5th of December, 1883, took a mail pouch to 
the station to place on the train. He met Mr. Hawkins on 
the platform at the depot. When the train had left, Hawkins, 
arising and stepping alongside of Mr. Johnson, asked him 
" what he had to say about the ditch matter, if there was not 
some way by which its construction could be stopped and a 
compromise effected." Johnson answered that he had told 
Mr. Hawkins on a former occasion what he was willing to do 
and that that was the end of it. A*^ this remark Hawkins 
drew a revolver and Johnson told him to put it up, that he 
did not want any trouble with him. Johnson then walked 
away, when Hawkins fired upon him, the shot taking effect in 
the back just left of the spinal column and below the shoulder 
blade. Johnson ran into the stationhouse and closed the door 
after him. As he shut the door another pistol shot was fired, 
the ball just passing the door. Hawkins then rushed to the 
window, about six feet from the door, broke out a pane of 
glass, and fired four or five additional shots, two of which 
took effect in Mr. Johnson's body, one on the left side of the 
face and the other in the forearm. One shot passed through 
the stove pipe in the room and another through the ceiling. 
Johnson now opened the door and ran out past Hawkins into 
a field that led to his residence. Hawkins, having emptied 
the chambers of the revolver, drew a second one and resumed 
pursuit of his victim. He fired four additional shots, one of 
which lodged in Johnson's right shoulder. Four bullet holes 
were found in his coat in different places where his body had 
escaped injury. Johnson ran until his strength was fast fail- 
ing, when he turned upon his pursuer and clinched him, forc- 
ing him to the earth. At this moment Miss Rosa Johnson, a 
daughter, having heard the firing at the station, ran in that 
direction and came up to the two men as they locked arms in 
a hard struggle. She took hold of the pistol and wrenched it 
from the hands of Hawkins. John Hawkins, a resident of the 
neighborhood, was also attracted to the scene and separated 
the men. Upon getting up Hawkins remarked that if John- 
son would let him go he would let go of him. 

Hawkins then returned to the railroad track and walked 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 967 

west a few rods and entered a field, which he traversed in a 
southerly direction, towards a barn on his farm. His wife also 
had heard the shooting, and, fearing something was wrong 
with her husband, as she had seen him going in that direction 
but a few moments before, started out to look for him. She 
saw him going towards the barn from across the field and 
started thither, in company with her son Rufus. Before they 
reached the barn the husband and father had entered a shed, 
hiding himself from their view. Just about this time the 
sharp report of a pistol was heard. Hastening to the spot 
they found Hawkins sitting upright against the side of the 
shed, with a splash of blood on his left cheek, just below the 
eye ; in his hands he grasped the revolver with which he had 
committed the awful deed. He was unconscious when his 
wife and son arrived, and died within a few minutes. 

Mr. John J. Johnson, his intended victim, lived for many 
years after this occurrence, having to all out^vard appear- 
ances fully recovered from the effects of the shooting, although 
he carried in his person four 82-calibre leaden balls up to the 
day of his death, which occurred at his home near the scene 
of the tragedy only a few years since. 

As stated above, the cause of this act was due to what 
often happens in such cases where a bitter feeling arises over 
the construction of a ditch. Johnson's farm lay above that 
of Hawkins', and the natural drainage of the former was upon 
the latter. For three or four years Johnson had tried to pre- 
vail upon his neighbor to give him an outlet, so that he might 
drain his land. For some reason Hawkins steadily refused to 
grant the request, notwithstanding Johnson had been com- 
pelled to pay an assessment for the construction of the ditch 
through the property of Hawkins, and which could be of no 
value to him at all unless he was allowed to drain into it, 
Johnson, after all his persuasive powers had failed, had 
resorted to the courts to force an outlet through the land of 
Hawkins, which so wounded the latter's feelings that he com- 
mitted this awful deed. The prominence of the parties and 
their good reputation in the community placed them above 
the suspicion of anything of this kind. It caused great excite- 
ment in the neighborhood and grief among the friends of 
both families. 

The pistols with which Hawkins committed the crime 
were purchased of Nichol & Makepeace. Hawkins bought 
one of them on a certain day, and another on the day follow- 



■968 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ing, saying that the one he had first bought was not a good 
one. 

Johnson was sixty-one years of age and Hawkins about 
fifty-five when this tragedy took place. Hawkins was a man 
easily enraged, and was vicious for the time being with all 
-about him, but generally was of a verj' pleasant disposition. 
Johnson, on the other hand, was one of those sympathetic, 
quiet, good-natured men, who scarcely ever become angry, 
and was highly respected by everybody who knew him. 

The remains of Coleman Hawkins were interred in the 
Anderson cemetery, over which was erected a handsome gran- 
ite shaft that can be plainly seen from the Alexandria road as 
the traveler turns to the right after passing out of the iron 
bridge crossing White river. 

The widow of Coleman Hawkins yet resides on the old 
farm, and has earned for herself the reputation of being one 
of the best farm managers in the county, having carefully pre- 
served the fortune left her by her husband. 

SUICIDE OF HENRY DEWITT. 

Henry DeWitt, a farmer about thirty-five years of age, a 
resident of Stony Creek township, took his own life by hang- 
ing, on the 18th of September, 1896. He was discovered by 
some one who was passing the barn where his dead body was 
found hanging to the end of a rope, and he in a half sitting 
position. No cause could be assigned for his commission of 
the deed as he was happily married, and seemingly in good 
health, and in fair circumstances in life. Coroner Sells was 
notified and rendered a verdict of suicide in accordance with 
the facts. 



CHAPTER LXXVIII. 



Union Township. 



This civil jurisdiction contains nineteen and one-half square 
miles and is the smallest township in the county. It is bounded 
on the north by Richland township, on the east by Delaware 
and Henry counties, on the south by Adams township and on 
the west by Anderson township. 

The township was organized by order of the Board of 
Commissioners May 3, 1830, the following being the order.: 

"Ordered that a new township be laid off from Anderson 
township to commence at the corner of Section 23, Township 
19, Range 8, thence north to the north corner of the county, 
thence west three miles to the north-west corner of Section 4, 
Township 22, thence south to the south-west corner of Section 
12, Township 19, Range 8, thence to the place of beginning, 
being known and designated as Union." 

The township was originally covered with a dense growth 
of valuable timber, the principal varieties being black walnut, 
poplar, ash, sugar, oak, hickory, beech and elm. The town- 
ship was named no doubt after the Federal Union, although it 
has been claimed that it derives its name from the circumstance 
of its being situated opposite the line where the counties of 
Delaware and Henry unite. The lands are generally level 
excepting along White river, which flows through the town- 
ship from east to west, where bluffs and hills abound. 

The celebrated mounds — a complete description of which 
is given in a previous chapter — are situated in this township, 
and near them, but across the river, on the land that was orig- 
inally entered by Frederick Bronnenberg, the paternal ances- 
tor of the numerous family of that name, w^as, no doubt, situ- 
ated the burial ground of the mysterious people who built 
them. 

William Dilts has the distinction of being the first white 
man to settle in the township. He came from Montgomery 
county, Ohio, in March, 1821, and located near Chesterfield, 
on what is known as the Willard Makepeace land. He 



970 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

erected a cabin and cleared a few acres of land, but not hav- 
ing sufficient means to enter it and acquire a title, a man of 
the name of Joshua Baxter entered the land in 1824, and he 
moved to Delaware county. He returned, however, a few 
years later and entered 160 acres of land in the same section, 
but south of where he had first located. He built a double log 
house, where he furnished entertainment for travelers passing 
through the new countrj'. This was the first tavern in the 
township. In 1835 Mr. Dilts erected a two-story brick house, 
near the same building, where he continued to entertain the 
public for many years. This building was the first brick 
house erected in the township and is still standing. The 
property now belongs to John Dusang and is the oldest house 
in the township, save one — the old frame Makepeace residence 
in Chesterfield. 

The next settler in the township was Frederick Bronnen- 
berg, Sr., who came to the township in June, 1821. Mr. 
Bronnenberg was on his way with his family to the "prairie 
country" of Illinois when one of his oxen gave out at " Stup 
Hollow," or what has since been kno\vn as " Shiner's Hill." 
Mr. Bronnenberg called upon Mr. Dilts for assistance and 
that gentleman prevailed upon him to go no farther west. An 
Indian trader of the name of McChester had built a cabin in 
the vicinity a year or two before, which he abandoned, and 
Mr. Bronnenberg took possession of it. He remained here 
until the following spring, when he built a cabin north of 
White river, on what is now known as " Larmore's Hill." 
This land was a school section and he soon after entered the 
land that is now owned by his son, Frederick, and cultivated 
by his grandson, Ransom Bronnenberg. The mounds are sit- 
uated on this land. 

Following Mr. Bronnenberg came David Croan, of Ohio; 
Isaac K. Errick, of New York ; Daniel Noland, Joseph Car- 
penter, William Woods, John Martin, Jason Hudson, of North 
Carolina, and John Suman, of Maryland, all of whom were 
heads of families except the latter, who made his home with 
William Dilts. Amasa Makepeace, of Massachusetts, also 
settled in the township about this time, and in 1827 Bazil 
Neely, of Ohio county. West Va. (at that time Virginia), 
came to the township where, in 1833, he purchased eighty 
acres of land. This land was a part of Section 35. He cleared 
up a farm and resided here for a period of sixty years. Mr. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 971 

Neely's portrait and a sketch of his life, contributed by his 
daughter. Miss Hester A. Neely, are presented in these pages. 

MILLS AND STORES. 

From 1821 to 18'.5 the early pioneers of the township 
were compelled to take their corn to the Falls of Fall Creek to 
have it ground. But some time during the latter year Amasa 
Makepeace, with the assistance of the settlers, built a "corn- 
cracker" north of the present site of Chesterfield, on what was 
afterward called Mill creek. This mill was a great conven- 
ience to the pioneers of this part of the county. 

In 1887 Frederick Bronnenberg built a sa\v-mill on White 
river where his son, Carroll, now lives. A run of buhrs for 
corn and wheat were soon after added to the mill, and subse- 
quently a carding machine, the first and only one ever in the 
township. This mill was destroyed by fire in 1847 and never 
rebuilt. Soon after the completion of the Bellefontaine (Big 
Four) railroad to Chesterfield, Brazleton Noland erected a 
large flouring mill near the line of the road at that place. 
Afterward J. B. Anderson built a steam saw-mill, which was 
also located near the railroad. Both mills in their time did 
a large business, but are now things of the past. There is not 
a grist mill at the present time in the township, and but one 
saw-mill. 

THE FIRST STORE. 

Shortly after the Makepeace mill had been completed, in 
1825, Allen, son of Amasa Makepeace, opened a store in a log 
cabin near the mill. His goods were of that character most 
needed by the pioneers and were hauled from Cincinnati in a 
wagon. Mr. Makepeace continued in active business for a 
great many years and accumulated a fortune that was estimated 
at the time of his death at a quarter of a million dollars. He 
left but two heirs to inherit his wealth, a son, Qiiincy Make- 
peace, who resides in the township, and Mrs. John E. Cor- 
win, of Middletown, New York. 

CHURCH SOCIETIES. 

The first church organization in the township, perhaps, 
was that of the United Brethren in 1840. The society was 
organized in the neighborhood of Chesterfield by a Rev. Mr. 
Smith, who selected Henry Russell as class leader. The soci- 
etj- at one time numbered about forty members, and built a 
brick church on what is now the poor farm, where religious 



972 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

services were held regularly ; but through deaths and removals 
from the township the society dwindled in numbers, services 
were discontinued, and the little house of worship, built by the 
contributions of citizens of the township, was abandoned to 
decay. A portion of the ground where this church stood was 
devoted to burial purposes, and many of the pioneers and early 
settlers of the township are buried here. This, it may be 
added, was the first public burial ground in the township. 
The late Allen Makepeace is buried here. 

A Baptist society was organized at Chesterfield in 1869 
through the activity of J. B. Anderson, who was chosen clerk 
of the organization. Rev. J. C. Skinner was pastor. The 
society did not prosper, and the members transferred their 
membership to the Baptist church at Anderson. 

In 1870 a Methodist church was organized at Chesterfield 
by Rev. John Pierce, Robert Goodin and others. In 1871 a 
place of worship was erected, and for a time regular services 
"were held therein once every t^vo weeks. The society did not 
prosper, however, and the church was dropped from the circuit. 

In 1890 the vState Spiritualist society purchased of Carroll 
Bronnenberg thirty acres of land, situated just north of Ches- 
terfield, for a camp ground. Workmen were at once employed 
to clear up and improve the grounds. A large auditorium, 
capable of seating five hundred people, was erected, together 
with several cottages for the use of mediums or others ^vho 
desire to remain on the grounds during the meeting, which is 
held yearly and usually during the month of August. Spirit- 
ualists from every part of the State, and from almost every 
portion of the country, assemble here annually to confer with 
each other and enjoy a revival of their peculiar faith. The 
society is responsible financially, and is adding many substan- 
tial, as well as attractive, improvements to its property. In- 
terest is also increasing in the meetings held here, and the 
society is rapidly growing in numbers and influence. 

SCHOOLS. 

There are several school hou.-ies in the township, and seven 
teachers. In 1858 there were 214 children of legal school age 
in the township; in 1874 the number was 288, and this year 
237. The population in 1850 was 623 ; in 1860 it was 858 ; in 
1870 it was 851 ; in 1880 it was 917, and in 1890 it was 897, 
showing a decrease for the past decade. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 97S 

CHESTERFIELD. 

This village is one of the oldest in the county, and at one 
time one of the most prosperous. It was laid out in 1830, by 
Allen Makepeace, and was originally known as West Union. 
At the September session, 1834, of the Commissioners' Court, 
the name of the town was changed. The petition for the 
change was signed by the citizens generally and was presented 
by Allen Makepeace. It set out an act of the Legislature on 
the subject, and other important reasons for such change. 
The Board, after due consideration of the matter, made the 
following order : 

" It is ordered by the Board that the name of the town of 
West Union be changed, and that the same be henceforward 
known and designated as Chesterfield." 

At the time of the completion of the Bellefontaine railroad 
to this point, and for many years afterward, considerable busi- 
ness was done by the mills and other enterprises located here, 
but owing to certain causes the place entered upon a decline 
about the year 1860, from which it has never recovered. 

Prominent among the professional and business men who 
have resided here are : Dr. Henry, the first physician. Dr. 
Godwin, Dr. Ballingall, Dr. William Cornelius, Dr. J. W. 
Crismond, Dr. T. Kilgore, Dr. Kelly, Dr. M. H. Pratt, Dr. 
C. L. Armington. Dr. Downey is the present and only phy- 
sician in the village. The merchants have been Allen Make- 
peace, Jacob Shinier, J. M. Dilts, J. D. Carter & Bro., True- 
blood & Dusang, A. J. Cornelius. James K. Trimble for 
many years kept the only hotel in the village. 

SLYFORK. 

At the crossing of the State road and the Pan Handle rail- 
road, one mile south of the residence of Daniel Noland, in 
Union township, there once stood what promised to be the 
metropolis of that locality. 

It was commonly known as Slyfork station, but the United 
States gave it the name of Branson's Post Office. 

This village sprang up after the building of the Pan Handle 
railroad, in 1855, and was for a while quite a little trading 
point for the neighborhood, Ballingall & Tucker being the 
merchants and in charge of the post-office. A saw-mill was 
also added to the industries of the town, and for a while did 
the neighborhood sawing. 

There is not a vestige left now to tell where this hamlet 



974 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

once stood, the old store building having long since been torn 
away, and the saw-mill gone to decay. 

MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. 

The first distillery in the township was built by Samuel 
Suman. Frederick Bronnenberg, Sr., afterwards built and 
operated a still on his farm. This distillery was destroyed by 
fire. 

There was a Masonic lodge at Chesterfield at an early 
day, but surrendered its charter long since to the Grand Lodge. 

The county infirmary is located in this township, four 
miles east of Anderson and one mile west of Chesterfield. 

The P. C. C. & St. L. railway passes through this town- 
ship in a south-easterly direction, but has no station. 

Among the prominent citizens of the township who have 
been elected to county offices, are Hon. William C. Fleming, 
Representative ; Brazelton Noland, County Treasurer ; Will- 
iam Noland, County Treasurer ; Henry Bronnenberg, County 
Commissioner. 

In 1894 the grade of the Chicago & Southeastern railway 
was constructed through the township. William Cronin was 
the contractor and superintended the work. 

The late Michael Bronnenberg, of Richland township, 
was the first child born in the township and the second male 
child in the county. He was born on the 24th of November, 
1821, and died of heart disease, either on the night of the 22d 
or early in the morning of the 23d of October, 1896, as he was 
found dead in his bed on that morning. He had been in 
Anderson on the 22d to attend a political meeting at which 
the Hon. William J. Bryan, Democratic candidate for the 
Presidency, spoke, and appeared unusually lively during the 
day. He returned home in the evening in his usual health, 
and retired without a premonition of his approaching dissolu- 
tion. During the night he expired, but at what hour will 
never be known. 

SUPERINTENDENT OF THE INFIRMARY ASSAULTED. 

John W. Kinyoun,who for so many years served as super- 
intendent of the County Infirmary, had a thrilling experience 
with an inmate of that institution on the 20th of April, 1886. 
James M. Willetts, a deaf and dumb inmate, whom he had 
punished for some misconduct, made a most vicious assault 
upon him. Willetts was armed with a table knife ground to 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 975 

a sharp point, with which he struck Kinyoun a blow in the 
right breast, inflicting a gash that bled profusely, and making 
an ugly wound. About four inches of the blade of the knife 
was broken off, and was afterwards removed by a physician 
who dres.sed the wound. Dr. Spann, who attended the 
wounded man, was of the opinion for some time that the 
wound would prove fatal. Kinyoun was affected to such an 
extent that for several hours he had severe internal hemorr- 
hages, but, being a vigorous man, he overcame his affliction 
and is yet living. Willetts was a man about thirty-two years 
of age, and had been an inmate of the institution at different 
times ever since 1860, and was sent there from Pipe Creek 
township when but a lad of six years of age. After this cut- 
ting affray he disappeared from the poor farm, and his where- 
abouts was never known. 

BURNING OF A BARN. 

William B. Bronnenberg, son of County Commissioner 
Henry Bronnenberg, had his barn consumed by fire on the 5th 
of October, 1887. About 11 o'clock at night the barn was 
discovered to be on fire, and was soon in ruins. The barn had 
just been rebuilt and overhauled, the carpenters having fin- 
ished their work the day before the fire. 

A number of persons attracted to the place saw a man 
running away from the building in the direction of the woods, 
but he could not be recognized, and no one ever knew who 
the guilty party was. 

Mr. Bronnenberg, the owner of the barn, is one of the 
most prosperous young farmers of Madison county. He 
rebuilt his barn immediately, and is still a resident of that 
township. He is quite an inoffensive man and has no known 
enemies, and why the torch should have been applied to his 
property is a thing unaccountable to himself and his friends. 

KILLED BY A TRAIN. 

On Saturday night, the 9th of March, 1878, James Wes- 
ley Dagget, of Vorktown, was run over by a Bee Line train 
and his body was ground to atoms, near the village of Ches- 
terfield. On the night mentioned the citizens of the village 
were on the streets discussing the results of the primary elec- 
tion, when the news came that a man had been run over by 
the cars and killed at the dirt road crossing of the Middletown 
and Bee Line Railway, half a mile west of the village. The 



976 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Coroner was notified and soon eight of the section men, under 
John Fitzgerald, left Anderson in a hand-car to go to the 
scene of the accident. On arriving at the crossing they dis- 
covered the dead body. From the crossing running east for a 
distance of a quarter of a mile, they found the scattered frag- 
ments of a human body and particles of his clothing along the 
track. They also found upon the deceased a number of letters 
fully identifying him as James Wesley Dagget, of Yorktown. 
The remains were gathered up as best they could be and 
placed, together with the shreds of clothing, in a box and con- 
veyed to the passenger depot in Anderson. On Sunday morn- 
ing the Coroner empaneled a jury and held an inquest over 
the remains. Facts were developed at the inquest that Dagget 
had been in Anderson on Saturday and that he was intoxi- 
cated. Samuel Pence had sold for him on the streets a rifle 
gun for the sum of $2.50. It is supposed that with the pro- 
ceeds he purchased the liquor and became drunk, and either 
sat down on the rails and went to sleep or had fallen, and 
being unable to rise, was struck by the train. His remains 
were taken to Yorktown by his friends on the Sunday even- 
ing following the accident, where they were interred in the 
village cemetery. 

AN INCENDIARY FIRE. 

The venerable Frederick Bronnenberg, whose familiar 
face is every day seen upon the streets of Anderson, for many 
years resided on his magnificent farm in the edge of Union 
township, near the Mounds, upon which was located a large 
barn. On the 24th of June, 1864, this barn was destroyed by 
fire, it being the work of an incendiary, whose identity was 
never established. At that time politics was at fever heat. 
Mr. Bronnenberg, being an ardent Republican and very free 
in expressing his political convictions on all occasions, had 
many enemies in the opposite party. For years he has loudly 
proclaimed that the destruction of his barn was due to his 
political opponents, but cooler heads in the community dis- 
credit such an idea. While there was no doubt existing in 
the minds of many at that time that the fire was the work of 
a miscreant, there was no one who would believe that there 
was a Democrat in that locality mean enough to resort to such 
means to get even with a political enemy. All efforts to bring 
the guilty parties to justice failed. The citizens of the com- 
munity, regardless of their party feeling, lent all assistance in 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 97T 

helping Mr. Bronnenberg find out who the guilty parties were, 
but they were unsuccessful, and tiie wretches escaped without 
punishment. 

UNEARTHING OF A MONSTROUS SKELETON. 

In the month of August, 1890, wliile a man of the nam? 
of Frank Martin was engaged in making an excavation for a 
cellar on the farm of Edwin Gustin, three miles south of Ches- 
terfield, he unearthed the bones of what was supposed to be 
the skeleton of an Indian of gigantic size. The bones were in 
a good state of preservation, and judging from their size, it is 
estimated that the Indian, when alive and erect, must at least 
have been seven feet in height. The teeth ^vere very much 
worn. There had been several skeletons found previously 
near the same place, at different times. The earth at that 
place appeared to be full of bones of those who had once 
' inhabited this county, and the locality was, perhaps, at one 
time the seat of an Indian village, but it must have been long 
ago, as no history is given of it within the recollection of the 
oldest inhabitant. No account is given either of any ceme- 
terj' or burj-ing place for Indians ever having been established 
there. 

KILLED BY A BEE LINE TRAIN. 

On the :?lst of August, 1890, Moses Decker and Lyman 
Prefton went to sleep on the Bee Line railroad track, near the 
brick yards at Chesterfield, and were instantly killed by a 
passenger train. The engineer saw by his headlight the two 
men lying on the track, but the speed of his engine was too 
great to check in time to prevent it from running aver them. 
The train was an hour beiiind time and was running at a fear- 
ful rate of speed. The men were both in a drunken condition. 
The train stopped at Chesterfield, which is only about sixty- 
rods from the place where the accident happened. No one 
knew of the casualty except the engineer, and he said nothing 
about it. At Yorktown, the next station, he passed a west- 
bound train, and there he informed the engineer of that train 
that he had killed a couple of men near Chesterfield. The 
Coroner was immediately notified, and after holding an 
inquest returned a verdict in accordance with the above facts. 
The bodies were found by Peter Bushaw, a farm hand in the 
employ of Thomas Bronijenb'erg, who while passing along 
stumbled over the corpse of Lyman Preston. A few feet 

further along he discovered the bodv of ]Moses Decker, whose 
62 



978 HISTORY OF MADISON' COUNTY. INDIANA. 

head was severed from his bodj' and whose legs had been cut 
off at the knees. Preston's head was mashed to a pulp, and 
his features were unrecognizable. Young Preston was about 
twenty-one j'ears of age and unmarried. He had relatives 
living at Chesterfield who took charge of his remains. Decker 
was about thirty-five years old and had no relatives living in 
this part of the country, and had been brouglit to Middletown 
when a lad, with a company of waifs from Xew York City. 
He was a quiet, peaceable fellow, but was very fond of intox- 
icating liquors. This was the fourth occurrence of this char- 
acter at this fatal spot. 

DISCOVERY OF A SKELETON. 

While some workmen were digging a gas trench, near 
Chesterfield, on the 24th of August, 1889, they unearthed a 
skeleton that had been buried two feet under ground. It was 
in a sitting position with the head severed from the body. 
The arms occupied a space of two feet wide bj- three feet long, 
the lower limbs having been bent forward and the body curved 
to one side. The Coroner of the county was summoned, and 
on examination he pronounced the skeleton to be the body of 
a white female. The skeleton was remarkably well preserved, 
the skull indicating that the person was of more than ordinary' 
intelligence. It was in a secluded spot, but none of the 
neighbors remembered anything about the mysterious disap- 
pearance of any woman. It was the supposition that a foul 
murder had been committed at some distant point from here 
and that the remains had been brought to this locality for 
burial. But who the principals in this dark tragedy were will 
probably never be known. It is an old proverb that "murder 
will out," but the saying in this case will probably never prove 
true. 

A SUDDEN DEATH. 

The first death to occur at the Spiritualists' camp grounds 
at Chesterfield, came suddenly to Professor F. M. Davis, on the 
1st of August, 1896. He was a medium in attendance at the 
meeting, his home being in Iron Valley, New York, where 
his family was notified of his decease. He was found dead 
in his bed in a cottage on the grounds, and Coroner Sells, 
with an ambulance, took charge of the remains. A letter was 
found on his person addressed to M,ary Brown, at Iron Valley, 
New York, and |200 in money was found in his clothing. 



HISTORY OF JtADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 970 

He was a composer of music, and was a man of more than 
ordinary intelligence. 

A SUDDEN DEATH. 

Wesley T. McDowell was a young man of about twenty- 
five years of age, who was left an orphan when quite young, 
and had to make his way through the world by his own labor. 
When he was quite a young lad he went to live in the fam- 
ily of James Forkner, and worked on the farm in summer 
time, and in the winter months attended school. After he 
had grown to manhood he had an ambition to become a tele- 
graph operator, which he since commenced to learn in an 
office in Anderson, in the year 1871. He had to work out on 
the farm a part of the time to earn enough with which to 
pay his way. He, in due cour.ve of time, finished his cliosen 
profession, but had no one to push him to the front, so he was 
not successful in getting emploj'ment, and he went back to 
the farm. In the meantime his old friend and benefactor, 
James Forkner, had died, and he took up his home with Alfred 
Forkner, a son, and lived with him until. the 17th of July, 
1876, when on that day while he was alone in the field he 
was suddenly stricken down with death. No one ever knew 
what was the cause of his sudden taking off, but it was the sup- 
position of the Coroner, who held the inquest, that it was sun- 
stroke. Wesley was a favorite with those who knew him, 
and his death was the cause of much grief among his friends. 
He was a quiet, inoffensive young man, and strictly honest in 
all his dealings. 

AN AWFUL CRIME. 

On the 20th day of December, 1854, one of the most foul 
murders in the history of the county took place at Chesterfield, 
in Union township. Two Irishmen, who were companions 
traveling together on what was then called the Bellefontaine 
Railway, got into an argument, which resulted in oneof them, 
David Alexander, losing his life, by having his throat cut by 
his fellow traveler, Alexander Hays, near Chesterfield, after 
which he threw Alexander from the rear of the train for dead. 
The murdered man did not die immediateU-, but managed to 
crawl into a mill close b}' and remained there until morning. 
When the men who worked at the mill came in the morning, 
they met a horrible sight. The man's clothing was saturated 
with blood from head to foot, and a ghastly wound was in 



980 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

his throat from which his life blood was slowly oozing out in 
their view. 

He could not talk audibly, but managed to tell enough 
about the occurrence to inform those who found him, that he 
had been assaulted on the train the night before, and that his 
name was David Alexander; that he had a brother in Galena, 
Illinois ; that he had recently landed in Philadelphia from Ire- 
land, and was on his way to visit his brother at Galena. What 
led to this atrocious crime has never been fully explained, but 
it was reported at the time that it arose over a dispute about 
their religion. It was said that Alexander was an "Orange- 
man," and Hays was a Catholic. The feeling in those days 
being very bitter between those two sects, it did not take 
much to work up bad blood between them. 

The community in which this occurrence took place was 
terribly wrought up, and when Hays was apprehended it took 
cool work and the exercise of the best judgment of the neigh- 
borhood to keep him from being lynched. 

He was captured by Simon Landry, \\'illiam Scott, and 
Henrv Bronnenberg. Landry was for hanging him to the 
first limb without the form of a trial. It is said he procured a 
rope, and being a very resolute man it was difficult to keep 
him from swinging Ha3S up. 

This dreadful murder took place so long ago that the facts 
are hard to ascertain for the reason that there are so many dif- 
ferent versions of the affair, given by the few who yet live in 
the community where it happened. 

We have in our possession a copy of the Anderson Gazette 
of the 28th of December, 1854, which gives a meagre account 
of the crime, which we reproduce as follows : 

He said: " A stranger — a countryman — came on the cars 
at Union Citj- who soon made his acquaintance and impor- 
tuned him to drink. The conversation was disagreeable, and 
he tried to avoid it and changed his seat. Soon the stranger 
was at his side, and before reaching Chesterfield he became 
suspicious that he was not safe in the cars. As soon as they 
stopped at the depot he told the conductor he believed there 
Avas a man on board who purposed to kill him and thought he 
would get off. The conductor replied there was no danger — 
' Go back into the car and I will take care of you.' He then 
passed out onto the platform of the rear car, where he was 
violently shoved to the earth by his unwelcome accjuaintance, 
his throat instantly cut, and the perpetrator jumped back upon 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 981 

the moving train. He minutely described the dress and per- 
son of the miscreant, who, without provocation, had slied his 
blood. The foregoing was committed to writing. Early the 
next day the unfortunate man expressed a desire that, if pos- 
sible, he should be kept unburied until the arrival of his brother 
from Galena, for whom he had previously telegraphed, and 
died with a calm serenity that bespoke a conscience at peace 
and a hope that brightened in prospect of immortalitv. 

" On Monday following a person was observed to pass 
the depot where the murderous deed occurred. Some indi- 
viduals, after the person had passed by, remarked upon the 
similarity of his appearance to that described by the dying 
man. Suspicion increased — he was followed and brought 
back. On comparing this description with his person and 
apparel the correspondence was so similar it ^vas judged 
proper to delain him until the cars on which were the brake- 
man and conductor alluded to should again pass. The even- 
ing following a legal examination took place before Samuel 
Gustin, Esq., and the man who gave his name as Alexander 
Havs was fullv committed to stand trial in the Circuit Court 
on a charge of murder." 

Havs was convicted of murder and was sentenced to the 
State's prison for life. 

Ale.xander's remains were removed bv his brother to 
Galena for burial. 

DIED UNDER THE SURGEOn'S HANDS. 

In the month of June, 1876, John Lemon, a highly- 
respected and iniluential farmer of Union township, ran a 
thorn into his foot, breaking it off and leaving a portion 
imbedded in the member. After suffering for several days, 
he came to the office of Dr. Horace E. Jones to have it 
removed, and he requested the Doctor to administer chloro- 
form before undertaking the operation, which the Doctor 
declined to do, from the fact that he might not be a proper 
subject. Lemon insisted, and finally Dr. Jones informed 
him that if he would have Dr. Spann or some other reputable 
physician called in and that if, upon examination, they 
thought he could stand the treatment, he would administer the 
chloroform and perform the operation. 

Mr. Lemon returned home, but the next morning came 
back again and made the same demand. Dr. Jones then 
sent for Dr. Spann, who responded to his call, and, after 



982 HISTORY OK MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

an examination of Lemon, endeavored to dissuade him, but 
without effect. Then they proceeded witli the operation. He 
was placed on a table, and had taken but a few inhalations, 
perhaps eight or ten, of the chloroform previously poured on 
a muslin rag, allowing time and free ventilation, according to 
modern methods, when Lemon rose up, struggling with the 
physicians for a while, as if trying to get off the table, and 
then fell back in a spasm dead. 

The doctors immediately resorted to all the usual methods 
of resuscitation in cases of chloroform asphyxia, but failed to 
get any response. 

An inquest was held by the Coroner of the county, and 
Drs. S. W. Edwins. B. F. Spann, V. V. Adamson, C. S. Burr 
and N. L. Wickersham all testified that Dr. Jones had used 
the necessary precautions in administering the anjtsthetic, 
and that he was whoUj' blameless in the matter. 

John Lemon was one of Madison county's solid farmers, 
and was highly respected in the community in which he lived. 
He was strictly honest, and always prided himself upon pay- 
ing his obligation the daj' it matured, and not the day after. 
He left an interesting family, who yet survive him, and who 
live in the neighborhood in which the deceased resided at the 
time of his death. 

Dr. H. E. Jones was then a young physician, just begin- 
ning what has since terminated in a large and lucrative prac- 
tice, being now recognized as one the best physicians in Mad- 
ison county. 

A SUICIDE. 

Suicides were of less frequency fifty years ago than at the 
present time, and wiien an unfortunate took his or her own 
life it caused great excitement in the community in which it 
happened, and was long talked of and remembered by the 
people. One of these sad occurrences took place in Union 
township. 

On the 16th of March, 1853. Isaac Shimer, a man about 
fifty years old, hung himself on a dogwood tree on the " Shi- 
mer Hill," which is about three and a half miles east of Ander- 
son and a little west of the Mounds. The tree stood about 200 
yards north of the road. Mr. Shimer was living on his farm 
in Randolph county, near the present site of Parker, and was 
visiting his brother, Harry Shimer. No cause other than ill 
health was given for his self-destruction. He left a family, 
some of whom yet live in this county. 



HISTORV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 983 

A SHOOTING AFKRAV. 

At Chesterfield, on the 28th of November, ISTO, Moses 
Crutchfield was shot in the arm by Charles Clatterbaugh, but 
not seriousl)' wounded. The shooting was the result of a 
grudge of long standing between the Crutchfield and Clatter- 
baugh families, both being desirous of running the town, and 
a jealousy existed between them that culminated as above 
related. Crutchfield was the aggressor, and at a trial before 
Mayor Dyson, of Anderson, the verdict was self-defense, and 
and Clatterbaugh was acquitted. 

A TERKIHLE MURDER. 

On the :2l)tli of February, 187:2, one of the most horrible 
murders that ever took place in Madison county, occurred in 
Unioci township near the Delaware county line, at the resi- 
dence of Josiah Remsberg, in which Willis Williamson killed 
his daughter, Melissa J. Williamson, by cutting her throat and 
otherwise stabbing her with a knife, from the effects of which 
she died almost instantly. 

The facts in the case are as follows : Mr. Williamson, 
the murderer, lived about two miles north-east of Yorktown, 
in Delaware county. His oldest daughter, IMelissa, was 
engaged to be married to a young man of the name of George 
Landry, of good reputation and a neighbor of Williamson. 
Williamson, from some cause, objected to her marriage with 
Landry, and endeavored to induce her to give up her determi- 
nation, and threatening her if she did not. The daughter 
being stern in her intention to marry Landry, became tired of 
her father's threats, and finally, on the 2.sth of February, left 
her home and went to her uncle's, Josiah Remsberg, near Ches- 
terfield, where arrangements were made for her marriage with 
Landry, who on that evening went to Anderson to procure a 
marriage license, but not having the written consent of the 
girl's father, and not having a disinterested person who could 
make the necessary affidavit as to her age, the license was 
refused by the Clerk of the Court, and Landry returned to 
Remsberg's residence the next morning to get some person to 
make the affidavit. On reaching Remsberg's place, instead 
of finding his expected bride in life and health, he was horri- 
fied to behold her corpse. Her life had been taken by the 
hand of her father. On the dav previous to this event 
Williamson had been to Munc e and had purchased a knife 
with which he committed the crime. From Muncie William- 



984 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



son went to Remsberg"s in the evening, wiiere he remained all 
night. During the evening he made supreme efforts to induce 
his daughter not to marry Landry, but she was firm in her 
purpose. Williamson became angry and boisterous. Rems- 
berg told him he must He'-i^t in his course or leave the house. 
The next morning AV'illiamson and Remsberg arose at the 
same time, and ;ifter building a fire Remsberg left the house 
and went to feeding his stock, while Mrs. Remsberg was pre- 
paring breakfast. 




.\n,Ll:-sA J. W ll.l.lAM^i iN. 

^\'illiamson went to the room where his daughter was 
sleeping and seated himself on the side of her bed, resumed 
conversation with her about the marriage. He asked her if 
she was still determined to marry Landrv. " Yes," said she, 
"if I have to wade in blood to niv knees." At this William- 
son drew a knife from his pocket and stabbed her twice, once 
in the arm and once in the throat, severing the jugular vein 
and wind-pipe, from the effects of which she died. 

Williamson then ran out into the yarti and shot himself 
twice, once in the throat and once in the center of the fore- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 985 

head. The ^vounds he inflicted upon himself were not at first 
believed to be fatal. The bullet had entered his forehead, 
glanced, and was extracted from the top of his head, having 
passed between the skin and the skull. The Coroner of Mad- 
ison county was called and an inquest over Miss Williamson's 
remains was held, and a verdict of murder leturned against 
the father in accordance with the facts above mentioned. 

David K. Carver was .Sheriff of Madison county, and 
Stephen Metcalf, the present editor of the Anderson Herald , 
was his deputy. Williamson was arrested and placed in cus- 
tody by SherifT Carver, and was attended at the jail by physi- 
cians until, a few days after the murder, he died from the 
effects of his wounds. 

It seems that Williamson had no serious objections to the 
character of Mr. Landry and really had no cause for the mur- 
der, but the daughter was dearly beloved by him and he could 
not bear the idea of her marrying and leaving home. This 
was the only reason that he assigned for the rash act. Miss 
Williamson was a voung lady of more than ordinary beauty, 
and of good attainments for one having the limited oppor- 
timities of education given by the country schools. She was 
well liked bj' the people in her neighborhood. 

Young Landry was a hard-working, frugal and honest 
young man. He was a brother of Mrs. Thomas J. Fleming, 
of Anderson, Mr. Fleming being at that time Clerk of Madi- 
son Circuit Court. After the murder Landry moved away 
from the county and became a resident of Missouri, \vhere he 
now lives. He was subsequently married and raised a respect- 
able family. 

CHARLES m'i.AUGHLIN KILLED. 

On the 9th day of March, LS78, Charles McLaughlin, a 
sober and industrious laborer of Middletown, who was very 
deaf, was walking upon the Fan Handle railroad track near 
where the little station of Sly Fork once stood, was run down 
by an engine, to which was attached a heavy freght train, 
being instantly killed. He left a wife and quite a large 
family of small children who were dependent upon him for 
support. 

The engineer, ^Villiam Schultz, testified before the Cor- 
oner that he saw the deceased on the track while his train was 
going at the rate of thirteen miles an hour. The engineer 
stated that he had just stepped out on the engine to extinguish 



986 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

his headlight, when on returning he discovered a man on the 
track, about forty-five rods in front of him. He immediately 
got into the cab and whistled down brakes. The man was 
inside the track, on the left side rail, when the engine struck 
him. The train passed over him and ran some distance before 
it could be stopped. The engineer went back and found him 
in the middle of the track. He was dead when they reached 
him, and his flesh was still quivering. He was going towards 
Anderson, the same way the train was running. 

On investigation of the affair before the grand jury the 
engineer was held blameless. 

THE FIRST CASE OF INSANITY. 

A great deal of the early histor\- of Madison county is 
traditional. Newspapers in those days were few and far 
between, and no records of events were kept, as in the pres- 
ent time. 

The first insanity case that can be traced to any authentic 
source is related to us by Dr. William Suman. who is an old 
resident of Madison county, well posted on pioneer history, 
with a good knowledge of men of early times and a wonder- 
ful memory. We quote him as follows : 

" The first case of insanity in this county was that of 
Isaac Van Matre, who committed suicide July 2, 1884. He 
was at the time living on his ' place,' east of Anderson about 
two miles, near the Larimore ford, now owned bv Mrs. James 
Gray, of Anderson. The particulars of the incident are as 
follows : Van Matre had been visiting his son, William Van- 
Matre, who at that time lived north of Daleville. On the 
morning of Jul3-2d,in company with another man, he started 
toward home. Both men were on horseback. After thev had 
gone a considerable distance, Isaac \'an Matre, who was 
demented at the time, struck his horse a terrible blow and left 
his companion far behind, who was unable to keep up with 
him, and saw him pass under a tree and was swept oft' the 
horse by a limb. Picking himself up he rushed wildly through 
the woods and was soon lost sight of by his pursuer. He was 
found two days afterwards, hanging to a tree witiiin sight of 
his home, by ^^'illiam Dilts, one of his neighbors. His son 
William, whom he had been visiting, killed himself one 
year afterwards, while out hunting, by shooting himself acci- 
dentally." 



HISTORY OF MADlbOlN CO'JNTY. INDIANA. 987 

MURDER OF WILLIAM AND ISAAC ISAXOGLE. 

One of the most atrocious crimes ever committed in jSIad- 
ison county occurred in Union township on the 17th of March, 
1868, whereby William Isanogle, aged twenty years, and his 
brotlier, Isaac Isanogle, aged sixteen years, were stabbed to 
death by George Stottler. 

Stottler had been to Anderson on the day of the murder, 
and late in the evening had gone to the Isanogle home in an 
intoxicated condition, where he demanded the use of a horse 
for a few hours and on being refused became engaged in a 
cjuarrel with the two young men, which terminated by Stottler 
stabbing them both to the heart with a knife that he had pur- 
chased at the drug store of Brandon iS: Hunt in Anderson on 
that day. Early on Sunday morning following the tragedy, 
news was brought to Anderson of the horrible deed that had 
been tonimitted on the previous night. The excitement 
became very great, and knots of men gathered on the street 
corners discussing the particulars as they were gleaned from 
those who brought the news, and an intense feeling was ex- 
pressed that no trial should be granted the murderer, but as 
soon as captured he should be hung on the nearest tree. A 
searching party was at once formed, headed by Cornelius 
Daugherty, who was at that time Marshal of Anderson. The 
roads were in a horrible condition from the fact that heavy rains 
and snow had fallen a few days previous, yet this did not deter 
the people from town and the country from engaging in the 
chase. A small companv started out on horseback for Dela- 
ware county ; others scoured the country in the direction of 
Daleville and other points, while crowds of people went 
through the country in every direction in quest of the mur- 
derer. There were fully five hundred people armed with shot- 
guns, revolvers and clubs on that bright Sunday morning, 
looking for Stottler. Hay stacks, barns, out-houses and the 
woods — in fact everj' place for miles around was searched in 
hopes of capturing him. Finally, at the hour of II o'clock, 
about one-half mile west of the scene of the murder, lying 
asleep behind a log the murderer was discovered by Marshal 
Daugherty, A. J. Hunt and Ira Harpold, who were together. 
The signal was given and fifty persons surrounded the mur- 
derer within five minutes. The majority of the crowd was in 
favor of hanging him then and there and came very near car- 
rying out their wishes : but a few determined men held them 



988 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

at bay, and Stottler, in two hours after his capture, was safely 
lodged in the Madison county jail. 

The murderer said that immediately after the killing of 
the two boys he had started on a long tramp, determining to 
get out of the country before daylight, but after two hours 
journey found himself only a mile from the scene of the trag- 
edy. The fact was that the night was so very dark that he 
could not see his way and soon became bewildered and went 
around over and over the same ground until he became tired 
out and laid down to rest, having no idea at the time where he 
was. He said that it seemed to him after\vard that there was 
something that held him to the fatal spot ; that do what he 
might he could not retreat far from it although having several 
hours the advantage of his pursuers. Immediately after the 
tragedy a party was made up by those in the neighborhood to 
overtake him, but the darkness of the night enabled him soon 
to be beyond their reach. 

Stottler was confined in jail several months before his trial 
and threats were made during his incarceration to pull down 
the jail and hang him, but owing to the stern determination of 
Sheriff James H. Snell such a scene was prevented. Finally 
Stottler's attorney, Hon. Alfred Kilgore, of Muncie, secured 
a change of venue to Delaware county and he was taken there 
for trial. After a hard fought legal battle, in which he was ably 
defended b}- the Hon. Alfred Kilgore, Hon. H. D. Thompson 
and Hon. C. D. Thompson, of Anderson, the State being ably 
represented by Mr. Brotherton, of Muncie, and the Hon. 
Jonathan W. Gordon, of Indianapolis, Stottler was convicted 
of the crime of murder and sentenced to imprisonment for life 
and was incarcerated in the Michigan City prison, where he is 
at this writing serving out his time. A visitor to the North- 
ern prison not long since gave a brief account of Stottler as 
follows : " Sitting on a chair with his arms hanging by his 
side, his cold eyes fixed intently upon us as we gazed at him 
for a second, was George Stottler, the principal of the great 
tragedy in Union township in 1868. We did not interview 
him, as we had no desire to do so, but a man upon whom he 
fixed his eyes can never forget their expression. Being a life 
man Stottler takes things easy and is not compelled to work 
hard, but like the caged hyena, pants for freedom. Stottler 
has made several attempts through attorneys and friends to be 
pardoned or to get out on parole, but all his efforts up to this 
time have been without avail. He has been the longest in 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 989 

confinement, with but two exceptions, of any prisoner in the 
Northern Penitentiary. 

Since the election of the Hon. Claude Mathews as Gov- 
ernor of Indiana a strong petition was presented to him in 
Stottler's behalf, signed by a large number of the citizens of 
Madison county, and urged by the Hon. J. W. French, the 
warden of the Northern Prison, and the governor had about 
made up his mind to release Stottler from his confinement 
when opposition arose among the friends of the Isanogles, 
many of whom made threats of violence should Stottler be 
released, and upon these grounds the governor refused to par- 
don him. 

Stottler was known during his residence in Madison county 
to be of a malicious disposition, reckless in his conduct, a 
man of undoubted courage in a combat, and when in an intox- 
icated condition a person to be strictly avoided. On the day 
of the "hanging of Milton White, in 1867, for the murder of 
Hoppes, Stottler was present and climbed to the top of the 
highest tree near the place of execution in order that he might 
witness the awful scene, little expecting that within one year 
his own life would be in jeopardy for a like crime. Outside 
of the many friends of the Isanogles there has been for years 
a strong sentiment among some of the citizens that Stottler, 
having spent an ordinary lifetime behind the prison walls, and 
suffered sufficiently for his crime, ought to be released, but as 
long as those are living who are related to the Isanogles, it is 
not probable he will ever gain his freedom. The Hon. J. W. 
French, the ex-warden of the prison, gives Stottler the credit 
of being a model prisoner, although during the first years of 
his incarceration he was verj' unrulv and hard to control, the 
guards having at all times a close watch upon him. At one 
time, while working in a cooper shop in the prison, in order 
to avoid his task he cut ofl' two of his fingers with a broad-axe, 
but during his latter years an entire change has come over 
him, and he is altogether a different man in his demeanor. 
Since the above was written Governor Claude Mathews par- 
doned Stottler in January, 1897, and he is now in Illinois. 

IMPRISONED ON AN ISLAND. 

Max Miller, a German, who, for many years, has been a 
resident of Union township, had a thrilling experience on the 
8th of August, 1896. He had gone to a field, situated on an 
island near the Spiritualist camp grounds, with a two-horse 



990 HISTOKY OF M2VDISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

team, in quest of a load of fodder. The heavy rains caused 
the river to rise rapidly, and whilst there, he was entirely sur- 
rounded by the waters, and attempted to drive his team out, 
when both horses were drowned and Miller narrowly escaped 
with his own life. He v^^as a prisoner on the island, threat- 
ened with submersion for several hours, until a raft could be 
constructed and men went to his relief. This was one of the 
most sudden rises in White river that has been known for 
many years. It was caused by the bursting of a cloud near 
the head waters of the stream, and the heavy rains that fol- 
lowed. 

FOUND DEAD. 

On the 18th of July, 1894, William Wayts, a farm hand, 
was found dead at the roots of a tree, on the farm of James 
Gold, of Union township. He had been on a protracted 
spree, which he was accustomed to take, and had laid out all 
night, and died from exposure or from over stimulation. He 
was a harmless fellow, well liked by those who employed 
him. He was a slave to alcohol and could not resist it. He 
was at one time a resident of Anderson and was employed by 
A. J. Ross as a hostler, when Mr. Ross was Sheriff of Madi- 
son county. 

BRICK FACTORY DESTROYED BY FIRE. 

A disastrous fire occurred at Chesterfield on the night of 
the 19th of April, 1890, by which the extensive brick works 
of the Gold Brothers were totally destroyed. The loss was 
about $3,000, covered with insurance. The fire originated 
from a burning flambeau that was left in the building in the 
evening when labor was abandoned by the crew who did the 
work in the plant. 

The works were rebuilt, and afterwards passed into the 
hands of the Chesterfield Brick Company, and is now one of 
Madison county's best manufacturing establishments. The 
Trueblood Brothers are the principal owners of the stock, and 
operate the factory. 

They make large shipments of brick to Indianapolis and 
other points. Col. Roswell Hill, e.x-State Treasurer of Indi- 
ana, was until quite recently a stockholder in these works. 

REMINISCENCES THE " MILI.ERITES." 

We are furnished the following account of an episode in 
the histor\- of our county, by Dr. William Suman, that is 



HISTORY OF .MADISOX COUNTY, INDIANA. 991 

interesting, especially to the old-timers who are 3'et living in 
the communit)' and remember the occurrence : 

"There was, during the '40s, a sect known as the jSIiller- 
ites, who were quite strong in Madison county, some of whom 
are yet living and hold to their faith. They were always 
looking and predicting the end of the world. On a certain 
day in January, 1844, it was prophesied by these people that 
the last day would come. That it would commence to snow 
on the day before. That it would turn to oil, catch fire and 
the elements would melt with fervent heat and all should be 
changed in the twinkling of an eye. Christ, with one foot on 
the sea and one on the land, proclaiming that time shall be no 
more. 

" From the circumstances which followed, one is made to 
believe that the subject had been pondered over by everybody 
in the neighborhood, which was in Union township, and 
occurred at the 'Auterbine' brick church, one mile west of 
Chesterfield. 

"Everybody began to wonder if it would snow on that 
day, and as the time approached greater concern was plainly 
manifested. The day before the end every appearance of the 
sky, clouds, wind and the condition of the atmosphere were 
anxiously observed. 

"When the sky became overcast with snowy lookingclouds, 
many times the question was asked " Will it snow?" and in 
this respect the prophecy proved true, for on that day snow 
fell to the depth of four or five inches. Now the people were 
amazed and began to observe among the animals on the farm 
to see if any strange or uneasy state among them could be seen. 

"The day was one unusually dark and still, and not verj- 
cold. To complete the climax on this occasion, I will relate 
what took place at the 'Auterbine' church on the night of 
that day. The Protestant Methodist church had organized a 
society at the home of Willliam Free, just across the river from 
the church. Thej' had asked the Trustees of the ' Auterbine ' 
church the privilege of holding meeting in their house, which 
was granted. Some four weeks previous to this an appoint- 
ment was sent and it, by co-incidence, fell on the night of the 
day in which the world would end. Now this added to the 
day still greater concern, and everybody for miles around went 
to church, trudging through the snow, not knowing how soon 
it might turn to oil, when the conflagration would set in. 
thinking one place as safe as anotiier, possibly in the church 



992 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

of God the safest. When time for services arrived the house 
was full, possibly four hundred people being present. 

" The minister ascended the pulpit, announced the hymn : 
ever)' one sang or tried to sing. With all this there was a more 
than ordinarv solemnity. A prayer, a text, and the minister 
began to preach to a house full of people as still as death, pos- 
sibly listening to hear the first crash of the world's ending. 
This state of the meeting went on for about fifteen or twenty 
minutes when all of a sudden two windows were crushed in, 
and a consternation then existed that is seldom seen. Nearly 
everybody jumped to his feet ; women screamed and crowded 
to the middle of the house, many of them having been struck 
with the fragments of the glass ; men were dumbfounded, wait- 
ing, seemingly, to see if the ne.xt crash would be the end of the 
world. The minister called out 'Be quiet, it is a mob. I will 
close the meeting, sing, " When lean read my title clear to 
mansions in the skies.'" ' A part of the congregation tried to 
help the preacher sing. The first stanza was completed, and 
just at the beginning of the second stanza, bang, jingle and 
crash came in two more windows, and each side of the pulpit 
where the preacher stood ; glass flying all over the house. 

" The scene was now terrible ; women shrieking, some cry- 
ing, the men all in a turbulent state, some calling out, ' a 
mob! a inob!' running to the door and picking up sticks of 
stove wood as they hurried out. The doxolog^' ended abruptly 
with no benediction. 

" As soon as the men were out of the church thev began to 
search for the cause of the trouble and discovered men's tracks 
in the sno^v by the windows which had been broken in. The 
tracks were followed a short distance north of the church, 
when Frederick Bronnenberg, now of Anderson, with Brazel- 
ton Noland, recognized William Griffith and Richard Godwin 
as the perpetrators of the joke. 

" The young men were very mad when they found that 
they had been discovered, and at once wanted to fight and 
whip somebody. In less time than it takes to tell it William 
Griffith was biting the snow, which had not turned to oil. 
The only sign of oil in the snow was where William had Iain, 
and that was mixed with his own blood. 

" Upon further investigation it was found that these two 
young men had become intoxicated in Chesterfield and said 
that they would make the people believe sure enough that the 
world ^vas cominsr to an end. Their first intention ^vas to 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 99S 

shoot an old ' swivel' cannon into the church through a win- 
dow on the east side, where the women were sitting. They 
failed, ho^vever, in discharging the cannon, which caused 
them to break the windows. Had they been successful in dis- 
charging the gun it would have been a miracle if a number of 
women had not been killed, for those with their backs to the 
window were within fifteen inches of the cannon's mouth. Dr. 
George W. Godwin, father of Richard Godwin, at once went 
to see the trustees of the chuich and, if posssble, to settle the 
matter. The agreement was reached that the Doctor should 
repair the church and that William Griffith, with Richard 
Godwin, should come before the minister and trustees and con- 
fess that they had done wrong and would do so no more. 

" Some time the following May a church full of people saw 
William Griffith and Richard Godwin go forward to the altar 
and confess their error. The minister took each by the hand, 
forgave them in an earnest prayer urging them to be good 
men-. 

" Thus ended one of the Millerism world-ending days inci- 
dents which was very near a tragedy." 

BRAZELTON NOLAND, AN OLD TIME CITIZEN. 

Brazelton Noland was one of the earliest settlers in 

Union township, having entered the land on which the 

Poor Farm is located, in December, 1824. Being a large, 

vigorous, and industrious man, he soon had the heavy forests 

cleared away and made it one of the pleasantest spots in the 

county. He was the father of a large family, some of whom 

became prominent in politics. His son, W. W. Noland, who 

died a short time ago at Riverside, California, was twice 

elected Treasurer of Madison county. It was at the residence 

of Mr. Noland that the first United Brethren Church Society 

was organized. They built a brick house for worship in 1840,^ 

on the farm of Mr. Noland. He served two terms as County 

Commissioner, and was elected Treasurer, assuming the office 

in 1844. Only one person who signed the official bond of Mr. 

Noland is yet living, the venerable Frederick Bronnenberg. 

The other signers were Christopher Z. Young, John Sunian, 

William Free, William Dilts, Dr. George Godwin, and 

William B. Allen. The Board of County Commissioners who 

accepted Mr. Noland 's bond was composed of William Sparks, 

William \V. Wilson and Thomas L. Bell, who have also 

passed away. The following is a copy of a report that Mi . 
63 



' 



994 HISTORY OF MADISON COUXTY, INDIANA. 

Noland filed on the 5th day of December, 1844, with the Board 
of County Commissioners : "A true statement of the amount 
and kind of funds now remaining in my hands as Treasurer. 
Three hundred and fifty dollars in par funds, one hundred and 
forty dollars in scrip, making in all four hundred and ninety 
dollars. December the tenth, 1844." 

"B. XoLAND, Treas ." 
He served two terms, retiring from the office with credit to 
himself and the general respect of the public. After the expira- 
tion of his term of office he engaged for a short period in thfe 
dr^'-goods trade, after which he removed to Chesterfield, and 
there built, in 1853, a large steam saw and flour mill, which 
he operated until 1855, when he sold it and moved to Illinois, 
where he remained until 1865, when he again removed to 
Indiana. In the year 1878 he removed to Riverside, Califor- 
nia, where he resided until the time of his death. Mr. Noland 
at one time owned the farm on which the suburb of Shade- 
land, in Anderson, is now situated. 

WONDERFUL CAREER OF A SLICK CITIZEN. 

In the spring of 18G1, about the time of the breaking out 
of the rebellion, a stranger appeared in Anderson hailing from 
the South. He was finely dressed and of verj' polished man- 
ners, and soon ingratiated himself into the confidence of those 
with whom he caine in contact. He took up his abode with a 
prominent farmer of Union township, where he had rooms and 
board. He made daily visits to the city of Anderson, and gave 
his name as Henry V. Clinton. He will be well remembered 
bv the older citizens. He was a finely educated man, being a 
graduate of Princeton College, New Jersey. He came from a 
good family in New Orleans. He was tall and slender, very 
stylish in appearance, and wore a moustache and " burnside' 
whiskers. He was reputed to be very wealthy, and expressed 
a desire to get away from the excitement of his southern home 
on account of the political feeling prevalent there. 

He had not been in this locality verj' long before he gained 
the confidence of Mr. Berryman Shafer, the farmer alluded to 
above, and at whose house he made his home. His intimacy 
with the Shafer family resulted in his courting and marrying 
the eldest daughter. In the spring after this event, he and his 
young wife removed to Anderson and boarded among some of 
the best families in the city. He made many trips south dur- 
ing his residence in Anderson, ostensibh" to visit his relatives. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 995 

Upon his return from these trips he would exhibit large sums 
of money wiiich he claimed had been given him by friends at 
his old home. In the spring of 18(52 his father-in-law, Mr. 
Shafer, became a candidate for the Democratic nomination for 
the ofHce of Sheriff of Madison county. Mr. Clinton took 
charge of his campaign and spent many thousand dollars in his 
behalf. It is a fact that Mr. Clinton introduced into Madison 
county the first money campaign that ever took place for nom- 
inations, and educated the people in that line to such an extent 
that for many years it became an absolute necessity in making 
a successful race. This campaign placed him in close ]^elation 
with many of the leaders in the Democratic party, notably 
with William W. Noland, who was at that time Treasurer of 
Madison county. He succeeded so very thoroughly in gaining 
the confidence of Mr. Noland that he and his wife were taken 
into the Xoland family as confidants. During his stay with 
them he made many valuable and handsome presents to the 
Noland family, among which was a very fine silver set. His 
visits to the south took place as often as once or twice a month ; 
upon his return each tim^he made Mr. Noland's office a place 
of deposit for his money and at times deposited as much as 
$15,000.00, taking Mr. Noland's receipt for the same. On one 
of these occasions it was noticed a few days after he had made 
a large deposit that a package containing $4,000 was missing 
from the treasurj- safe and suspicion pointed strongly towards 
Mr. Clinton, and it is said that he made the shortage good. 
When Mr. Noland retired from the treasurer's office he came 
out short in the sum of $17,000. It has always been believed 
by Mr. Noland's friends that the money was taken by Mr. 
Clinton, although no positive proof was ever introduced on the 
subject, nor did Mr. Noland openly accuse him of the same. 
Clinton was mixed up in many different crimes, prominent 
among which was one in Rochester, New York, in the year 
1867, where a gang of robbers and burglars was organized. 
Prominent among this gang were George Wilkes, the famous 
forger; Philip Hargreave, Joe Randall, and Joe Chapman, 
who are now serving life sentences in Smyrnia, Turkey-. 
George and Loftus Brotherton, McCay and Charles Moore 
were also in the band. The Brotherton brothers were placed 
in prison in Sacramento afterward for the term of twelve 
years. Peter Burns, of Philadelphia, had to pay several thous- 
and dollars at one time on account of the men having obtained 
money on forged checks on the Philadelphia bank. 



996 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Clinton's wife clung to him through her earnest love and 
fidelity, having followed him all over the Union and in many 
foreign countries. She finally left him, obtained a divorce, 
and is now the wife of a prominent farmer in Delaware 
county. Clinton was arrested for negotiating a stolen bond, 
and it is said his friends bribed the prosecuting attorney and 
he was released on straw bail. After the organization of the- 
band a plan ^vas devised for robbing a bank in Sacramento, 
and Clinton was the one selected to do the job. On his way 
to that city he forged a check at a Danville, 111., bank for 
$3,000, and secured the money upon it. In a few weeks after- 
wards the famous bank robbery of that year was accomplished 
and over $100,000 was secured. The whole party left the 
town for the Isthmus of Panama by way of a Pacific steamer. 
Mrs. Clinton, upon receiving a cipher dispatch from her hus- 
band, proceeded to New York and there took a steamer for 
Aspinwall, Panama, where she met him. Their plans were 
to get off on a vessel for France or South America, and to get 
away before a draft that he had forged could be protested and 
returned, and before the news of the Cillifornia robbery arrived. 
This draft was cashed by a commercial agent at Panama, but 
the party missed the vessel they desired to get on and before 
they could get away the draft came back, dishonored. All 
the parties escaped, however, but Clinton and his wife. In 
the trunk of the latter was found packages of funds and bonds 
taken from the bank at San Francisco, and $2,000 in gold 
\vhich she claimed as her own private funds, but which were 
confiscated. Clinton was tried, convicted and sentenced for 
two years on the chain-gang, but soon escaped and walked to 
Aspinwall, where he boarded a vessel for Maitland, jSIexico, 
and there he boarded another vessel which came over to Flor- 
ida. He soon tried to make a "raise" by forging another 
draft, but he was caught in the act and locked up. Informa- 
tion of his whereabouts reached Danville, 111., and a detective 
by the name of Rittenhouse was sent after him armed \vith a 
requisition. He secured his prisoner and started with him 
and got as far as north-western Ohio on the Pittsburg, Fort 
Wayne & Chicago railroad, when during a temporary absence 
of the detective from his seat, Clinton opened the window and 
made a desperate leap for liberty. The night was dark and 
the train was flying at full speed. Fortunately Clinton fell 
in a swamp of marshy ground and thus saved him from instant 
death. He was too severely stunned to get up. The train 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 997 

was stopped at once and backed to the place where he had 
jumped off. He was taken handcuffed to Danville, but the 
man upon whom he had committed the forgery, being an 
uncle of Mrs. Clinton, declined to prosecute him. He was 
afterwards arrested in Cincinnati for swindling a liquor firm 
out of a considerable sum of money, but his friends secured 
his liberation. From here he went to Philadelphia, where he 
was arrested on the charge of stealing a valise. In this trans- 
action Clinton made the grandest mistake of his life. He was 
supposed to have shadowed a man who was said to have in 
his valise a large sum of bonds, and in getting off of the train 
Clinton snatched the valise in which he supposed the valu- 
ables were, and through a mistake he got hold of the wrong 
one, which contained an ordinary suit of clothes. Upon this 
charge he was incarcerated eighteen months in the Moyamen- 
sing prison, Philadelphia, and after the expiration of his term 
went to Baltimore, where he renewed his acquaintance with 
his former pals. They rented a room on the ground floor 
adjoining a national bank and opened a real estate office. A 
large map was hung on the wall next to the side of the safe of 
the bank and a high obstruction was erected in front to con- 
ceal the debris they took at night out of the wall behind the 
map. 

One Sunday night they got to the safe and pried out one 
side of it, the lock was displaced, thereby giving them admis- 
sion to the vaults, from which they purloined about $70,000 in 
currency and a large amount of securities, with which they 
made their escape. The bank officials upon entering the room 
found the safe door unlocked, but thought nothing of it at first 
as there was no outward indication of robbery. It was almost 
noon before they discovered that they had been the victims of 
a theft. This robbery was traced to Clinton, and he was 
again placed under arrest, but by some means got off without 
being imprisoned, the supposition being that he and his friends 
had refunded a large portion of the money upon a compromise 
for his release. 

He was also at one time incarcerated in Sing Sing for 
some offense, but after having served a few months, through 
the influence of some friends a pardon was granted him by 
Governor Samuel J. Tilden. He was at that time known 
under the alias of Robert Clark. Tilden, in his comments 
upon the case in his report to the New York Legislature, 
stated that '-Clark" had been granted a pardon, he being 



998 HISTORY OF ilADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

represented as an erring and unfortunate, but really very 
worthy sort of person, whose pardon was recommended by 
Governor Letcher, and that Clark had a chance, if liberated, 
of becoming connected with one of the most influential news- 
papers of the South. 

It is supposed that nearly all the letters of recommenda- 
tion, and many of the petitions, sent to Governor Tilden, were 
the handiwork of Clinton. 

We are indebted to tlie Bulletin for an article appearing 
in its columns several years ago for the facts contained in this 
statement. Mr. Clinton is said now to be a resident of Wash- 
ington City. For many years he held the position of guard in 
one of the departments of the Capitol, and is, seemingly, 
thoroughly reformed. Whatever may be said of Mr. Clinton, 
there is no gainsax'ing the fact that he knew how to be a 
gentleman, for no more courteous, dignified or clev«r man ever 
lived in Madison county than he, and many of his charitable 
deeds to the poor who needed assistance will long be remem- 
bered by many of those who were the recipients of such favors. 

» 

DAVID B. sums, ONCE CORONER. 

David B. Simms, of Union township, late deceased, is on 
the list of old-timers. He was not a resident of Madison 
county all his life, but came from "in yonder" so long ago 
that he was always considered by the old settlers as one of 
their number. He was a son-in-law of old Uncle Billy Johns, 
who died a few jears ago, near Chesterfield. Mr. Simms was 
a jolly, good fellow, large and portly, making rather a good 
appearance among men. He was one of Madison county's 
best and inost prosperous farmers, which occupation he fol- 
lowed all his life, save a very short period which was diverted 
to politics. His political career was as brief as it was brilliant. 
David was naturally a Democrat, and always stood by the 
guns of that party in a fight, with one exception. In 1874 
the Granger party came up like a mushroom in the night, 
bloomed like a big sunflower for a day, folded up its leaves 
and died in the twinkling of an eye. 

Among the many Democrats who straj'ed away in that 
year and followed the new party, was David B. Simms ; glib 
with his tongue and naturally a little slick in his ways, he soon 
became a "leader." The county convention came on and 
Simms was placed on the ticket for the high and responsible 
position of Coroner. The Democrats had previously met in 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 999 

convention and placed W. W. Jackson on their ticket for this 
position. ■ 

The Republicans met soon afterward, and made no nom- 
ination, but indorsed David B. Simms and ordered his name 
to be placed on their ticket. This gave him double advantage 
over his opponent, and after a long struggle the votes, when 
counted, showed Simms to be the winner. He was the only 
one on either the Republican or Granger ticket who was 
elected. Soon after the election was over the Democrats 
concluded they would have a ratification meeting to properly 
ratify the grand triumph over the two other foes in the field. 
The time was set, the band engaged, bonfires were built, a 
store box was placed in front of where the National Exchange 
bank is now located for the speakers. All was in readiness, 
and the fun soon began. Colonel Pierse gave the crowd one 
of his most powerful and interesting addresses. Colonel W. 
C. Fleming for an hour held the audience in dilating upon the 
grand victory. Gus McCallister preached the funeral sermon 
of the Republican party, as only Gus could do. David B. 
Simms was present, and although it was not exactly his 
"funeral" he was glad to be "in it." His Democracy was 
stirred up by the oratory of his old comrade and friend who 
had just spoken. Stephen Metcalf, who was then editor of the 
Anderson Herald, the Republican organ, was in the crowd. 
He thought it would be a good joke to get Simms up to make 
a speech, supposing, of course, that as he was elected in oppo- 
sition to the Democratic ticket, he would give the Democrats 
the devil and cause a rupture in the meeting. He urged 
Simms up to mount the box. Finally a time presented itself 
and Simms got up. His head towering away above the crowd, 
his long, flowing whiskers dangling in the wind, he sailed in. 
Stephen drew closer to the box to catch the words of oratory 
as they escaped from the speaker's lips. He didn't stay long. 
Simms took his text back in 1854, the time of the "bornin"' 
of the Republican party, giving the party and all its acts from 
that time up to date the devil. He spoke until the bonfires 
went out, the crowd wearied and Metcalf was home in bed. 
The band chimed in with a tune occasionally to shut him off, 
but a brass band was no place beside Simms' voice. He could 
be heard above everything. 

When he subsided he was wringing wet with perspira- 
tion, and his face was as red as a turkey gobbler's wattle. 
During Simms' incumbencv as Coroner, John W. McCallis- 



1000 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ter, the Sheriff, died. By virtue of his office Simms became 
Sheriff until another could be chosen. It was in the times 
when the Sheriff's office was a " snap," there being many 
large foreclosures and sheriff's sales, the Sheriff" being allowed 
five per cent, on all sales. The deceased had many sales adver- 
tised before his death that the Coroner and ex-officio Sheriff 
had to complete, thereby entitling him to the per cent. 

The day of sale came around. Simms knew about as 
much about what he was to get for his services as a ten-year- 
old boy. He got one of the Deputy Sheriffs under the deceased 
Sheriff' to help him out. The sales were made, and the returns 
properly filed with the Clerk. His assistant, coming into the 
Clerk's office, handed Mr. Simm.s the magnificent sum of 
$65.00. 

" What is this for.'" 

" Your fees." 

*' Fees ! What do you mean, young man? " 

" Why, your fees for making those sales." 

" See here, young man ; I want you to understand that I 
•will have no crooked business about this matter. I am an hon- 
est man and won't stand any robbery in this business." 

"Well, sir; that is your legitimate fees for your services 
to-day." 

" Great God ! You don't tell me ; !i!65.00 for a half day's 
work." 

From that moment forward, as long as David B. Simms 
lived, he was a candidate for Sheriff, but died before he reached 
the goal of his ambition. 

WILLIAM JOHNS, AN OLD-TIMER. 

William Johns, late of Union township, was one of the 
old-timers who helped to make Madison county. He came 
here in an early day, locating in the neighborhood where he 
died in 1888. He was one of the men who lived for all life 
was worth. He came as nearly having a good time every 
day in the year as any man who ever lived in Madison county. 
He was an extraordinarily good story-teller, and always kept 
a lot of good " yarns" on hand. 

It was his custom to come to town every Saturday to do his 
family trading and learn a new joke to take home with him. He 
was originally an old line Whig, until the formation of the 
Republican party, when he switched off" and became a Demo- 
crat. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



1001 



After attaching himself to the Democratic party, he be- 
came one of its leaders in his neighborhood. His counsel was 
always sought in every political campaign. He was one of 
the best workers in the party in Union township. While he 
never cared for office himself, he glorified in the success of his 
friends. Uncle Bill, as he was faniiliarlv called, was one of the 
old-time fellows in his ways — built on about the same gauge 
as the late Colonel Berry, Joseph Howard, and such men as 
they, who came here about the time he did. 




WII.MA.M JOHNS. 

He despised a dude or a fop ; he was not opposed to neat 
and tidy dress, but any thing that bordered on foppishness 
disgusted him. He not only enjoyed joking others, but if it 
came on him it was all the same. He used to relate an occur- 
rence that took place with him when he was a j'oung man, 
that he would laugh over heartil)'. 

According to his storv, lie was rather a wild young man, 
not very bad, but full of fun. Among the young people with 
whom he associated, was a dashing belle, with sparkling eyes 
and rosy cheeks, with whom he was in love. He was her 
escort to all the apple-cuttings, husking-bees, log-rollings and 
wool-pickings. His love was fully reciprocated by the fair 
one, but like all cases of true love, it did not run smoothly. 
Her father was a local preacher. He knew Uncle Billy's 
short-comings and wild disposition. He seriously objected to 



1002 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

his attentions to his daughter and so notified Billy. He was 
warned not to come about again, but the girl clung to him 
and they would meet at the gatherings in the neighborhood, in 
spite of the objections of the stern parent. 

Things went on in this direction, until at last they reached 
a climax. One Sunday the two lovers met at a country meet- 
ing. After the services, Billy concluded he would boldly take 
his girl to her home, meet her angry father and take the con- 
sequences. So they strolled up the road, as lovers naturally 
Avould, until they came in sight of the house. They saw the 
preacher out on the wood-pile in front. Billy made up his 
mind that he would play the old man a big game of •'blufl'." 
He did not mention it to the girl, but marched squarely up to 
the preacher, staring him in the face and said : 

" Now, sir, you have indulged in a great many inuendoes 
about me, and have forbidden me to come to your house. I 
am here to say that I am as good as you are m every respect. 
I owe you nothing. I care nothing for you, but I like your 
daughter. I have come to give you the d — dest licking you 
ever had." 

Billy began to tpake motions to take off his coat, but he 
never got it off. Something like a cannon ball struck him 
between the eyes, and the- stars immediately came in sight. 
When he came to, he was on the opposite side of the road, with 
the preacher rubbing him back to life. Billy said if a mule 
had kicked him it could not have killed him any deader for the 
time. If lightning had struck him he could not have been 
more surprised. He supposed that when he tackled the 
preacher for a fight, he would either knuckle to him and apol- 
ogize, or run, but in this he was mistaken. 

Billy's motto ever afterward was, " Never tackle a coun- 
try preacher for a fight." Billy and the preacher afterwards 
became good friends, but he and the girl " fell out " and never 
married. All old-timers will remember Uncle Billy Johns. 

A SKETCH. 

Dr. Valentine Dunham was one of the old-fashioned coun- 
try doctors, who lixedin Union township for many years, and 
practiced the profession of medicine among his neighbors. 
Instead of going to a drug store and having his prescriptions 
prepared, he carried an old time pair of leather saddle-bags 
which he threw across the back of his horse, and rode astride 
of them through sunshine and storm, night and day, healing 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 1003 

the sick and afflicted, who appealed to him for medical service. 
He was not a graduate of any medical school, but had an 
extraordinary amount of old fashioned common sense. 

riis father, who was also a physician, died in 1850, and 
left his medical books and surgical instruments to his son, from 
which he gained all that he ever knew about the science of 
medicine, having no instructor whatever. 

He died at his home in Union township, on the 2'2d of 
January, 1882, at the age of sixty years. Of a family of twelve 
brothers and sisters he was the last \vith but one exception, 
Ex-Mayor Dunham, who is now a resident of ^Vnderson, and 
a Justice of the Peace. He was married in 1852 and raised a 
large family, his wife having died in 1873. 

Dr. Dunham was engaged in the practice of medicine for 
nearly forty years, and in his neighborhood was looked upon 
as being the father of medicine. Although he was not an 
educated man, his general good sense gave him about the right 
idea what to do in any ordinary case of sickness. He was 
quite successful in his practice, and enjoyed the esteem and 
confidence of his brother physicians throughout the county, 
who upon the occasion of his death met and passed resolu- 
tions of respect to his memory, the committee consisting of 
Drs. William A. Hunt, Horace E. Jones and Jonas Stewart. 

Dr. Dunham was a frugal man in his habits and had 
amassed quite a fortune, being one of the largest land owners 
in his locality, and at his death left his family a snug compe- 
tency, which thej" at this time fully appreciate and enjoy. 

DEATH OF A PIONEER. 

In the Anderson SiaiiJard of June 24, 1858, we find the 
announcement of the death of one of the earliest settlers of 
Madison county, as follows : 

" Died in Chesterfield in this county, of an affection of the 
heart, Betsey Makepeace, wife of the late Amasa Makepeace, 
aged seventy-four years. 

" The subject of this notice was born in Norton, Massa- 
chusetts, June 3, 1774, where she was married about the year 
1800, and shortly afterward, with her husband, moved to Ches- 
terfield, N. H., where they remained until the year 1818, when, 
being unfortunate in business, they concluded to seek a home in 
the far West. Accordingly they packed up their goods and 
with a large family started for the headwaters of the Ohio 
river, which they reached after a long and tedious journey. 



1004 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

They made the journey by means of their horses, traveling in 
a wagon until they reached the Ohio river, when they con- 
structed a raft, making their way to Cincinnati, which was 
then but a mere village. From Cincinnati they went to Leba- 
non, Ohio, where they remained two or three years, when they 
removed to Madison county, Indiana, where they remained 
until the time of their death. The husband's death preceded 
that of his wife by ten years, having lived together nearly fifty 
years. Mrs. Makepeace had therefore shared the toils and 
troubles of a pioneer's life. She was one of the first settlers 
of the count}-, the red man holding possession of the forests 
when she first beheld them. 

" May her memory be still fresh in the hearts of those 
^vho have received many a kind word and encouraging coun- 
sel from those lips that are now cold in death." 

The Mrs. Makepeace above referred to was the mother of 
the late Allen Makepeace, who for many years lived at Ches- 
terfield, and died there in the year 1872. Chesterfield was a 
mere Indian trading point at the time of the arrival of this 
worthy couple at that place. Mr. Allen Makepeace was a 
merchant in that village for nearly half a century, and amassed 
an immense fortune, which he left to two children who 
survived him, the eldest of whom is Elvira J. Corwin, wife of 
John E. Corwin, former President of the Madison County 
Bank, but now residing at Middletown, N. Y., and their son, 
Qiiincy Makepeace, who yet resides near the old homestead 
in Chesterfield. 



CHAPTER LXXIX. 



Van Buren Township. 



This township was org;anized March 4, 1837, and named 
in honor of the eighth President of the United States at the 
suggestion of George Moore, one of the earliest residents of 
the territory comprising tlie township. 

The township originally contained all of the territory 
lying in Congressional Township 22, Range 8 east. The rec- 
ord for its organization is as follo\\'s : 

" On petition filed, and due deliberation thereupon had, it 
is ordered by the Board that Congressional Township No. 22, 
north of Range 8 east, in Madison county, be organized into 
a township, to be known and designated by the name of Van- 
Buren township. And it is also ordered that they hold an 
election in said township at the house of Hiram Palmer, 
therein, on the first Monday of April next, for the purpose of 
electing township officers and one Justice of the Peace. And 
it is ordered that the elections in said township be held at the 
house of said Hiram Palmer until otherwise directed. And it 
is ordered that Hiram Palmer be and he is hereby appointed 
Inspector of Elections for said township until a successor shall 
be chosen and qualified." 

The township contains twenty-five square miles and is 
situated in the north-east corner of the county. It is bounded 
on the north by Grant county, on the east by Delaware county, 
on the south by Monroe township, and on the west by Boone 
township. The topography of the township is similar to that 
of the other northern townships of the county, being generally 
level, well watered and originally heavily timbered. The soil 
is principally black loam and well adapted to the cultivation 
of cereals, particularly corn and wheat, large crops of which 
are produced annually, especially of corn. 

According to the best information obtainable the settle- 
ment of the township began about the year 1830, when Thomas 
Gordon, Jacob Davis and Hiram and John Palmer emigrated 
from Virginia and settled in the county just north of the pres- 



1006 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

ent site of Summitville, on Section 20. Between the years 
1830-30 quite a number from Virginia settled in the township, 
among whom were John and William Kelsej-, who located on 
Section 8 ; Thomas Cartwright and James Blades, who located 
on Section 31 ; John Cree, who located on Section 17; Samuel 
Fenimore, who located on Section 20. The latter came from 
Ohio, and chose as a location for his future home a spot on 
the Fort Wayne trace, where he erected a log house, which 
he subsequently converted into a tavern for the accommoda- 
tion of hunters and travelers over the trace. This was the 
first inn, or tavern, in rhe township. The locality was after- 
wards known as " Old Wrinkle." In the fall of 1836 John 
Moore, of North Carolina, settled in the same neighborhood, 
also Robert Robb, of Johnson county, Indiana. They were 
soon after followed by Ephraim and Madison Broyles, John 
Shields, David Culberson, John !M. Zedeker, Harrison Allen 
and Zachariah Robinson. Many of the first settlers after- 
wards removed to Illinois and Iowa, particularly the latter, 
when those states were organized, believing that better oppor- 
tunities awaited them in the " prairie country." This disposi- 
tion to follow the " star of empire" was not peculiar to the 
early settlers of this township alone, it may be observed, as 
many of the first comers to nearly all of the townships in the 
county afterwards " pulled up stakes" and went farther west. 
Occasionally one would return and settle permanently, but not 
often. They preferred a country where it did not require so 
much labor to prepare the land for a crop. 

From 1839 immigration to the township increased year 
after year. School-houses were erected and churches organ- 
ized. In every township but this it has been an easy matter 
to ascertain when and where the first school-house was 
erected. But in this township there is so much diversity of 
opinion on the subject among the old-timers and their descend- 
ants that but little definite or satisfactory information can be 
learned about the matter. It is sufficient to say, that a small 
log school-house was erected at an early day, about a mile and 
a half north of where Summitville now stands. The name of 
the school teacher was George Doyle. In 1858 the number of 
school children in the township was 256; in 1874 it was 886, 
and at the present time the school enumeration shows that 
there are 516 children eligible to the privileges of the public 
schools. There are eight school buildings in the township, 
including Summitville, and ten teachers are employed. The 



HISTOIiy OF jrADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 1007 

Summitville schools are graded and compare favorabl}' in 
every respect with the schools of other towns in the county. 

CHURCHES. 

The early settlers in the township enjoyed religious serv- 
ices, without regard to their denominational predilections, long 
before a religious society had been organized. Itinerant 
preachers, during the pioneer period, would visit the township 
from time to time, when word would be sent out to the set- 
tlers that religious services would be held at a certain private 
cabin or log school-house. During the winter of 18o9-G0, a 
Christian minister of the name of George Newhouse visited 
the township and held a number of meetings, which resulted 
in the organization of a society composed of aiDout sixty mem- 
bers. A log church was afterwards erected, about one mile 
north of the present site of Summitville. Samuel Moore, 
Pleasant Victory, John Beck and Philip Cramer were among 
the mo'st active members of the society. 

STATISTICAL. 

The population of the township in 1850 was 40G ; in 18G0 
it was 672 ; in 1870 it was 874 ; in 1880 it was 1,691, and in 
1890 it was 1,979, including the town of .Summitville. 

The total value of lands, as taken from the tax duplicate 
of the present year, is .$416,595; value of improvements, 
1975,005 ; total value of taxables, ii!689,930. 

SUMMITVILLE AND VICINITV. 

The original name of this town was " Skipperville," but 
was afterwards changed on account of its proximity to the 
" cone." or summit level, of the State, a point two miles iiorth 
of the town, from which the waters of Mud creek and Black 
creek flow in opposite directions, the former emptying into 
Pipe creek and the latter into the Mississinewa. Aquilla 
Moore, the oldest living inhabitant of the township, came to 
this part of the county and settled in the neighborhood of 
where Summitville now stands in 1836. 

On his seventy-seventh birthday, the writer sat beneath 
the shade of a spreading cherry tree in the grounds surround- 
ing his residence, and elicited from him much information in 
relation to the town and its surroundings. 

Mr. Moore is an exceptionally bright gentleman, and has 
a wonderful memory for a man of his advanced years', being 



1008 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

able to go into the minutest details of the happenings of the 
long ago. 

John Palmer and Isaiah Davis were the first settlers, and 
came to this vicinity in the year 1835, and located about two 
miles north, having removed from the State of Virginia. 

Robert Robb, the father of Mrs. Aquilla Moore, came here 
from Johnson county in the year 1837, and started the first 
store in this part of the country, north of Summitville about 
two miles. 

Aaron M. Williams was among the early settlers, and 
erected the first and only tannery in this neighborhood, which 
he operated together with his farming interests for a good 
many years, and was for a long while engaged in the dry- 
goods and merchandizing business, and kept a place to lodge 
the weary traveler. He sold the first town lots in the place, 
and was really the founder of the village. No regular plats of 
the lots were laid off, but when a man purchased one, Mr. 
Williams would stake off the amount and size of an ordinary 
town lot and describe it b)' metes and bounds. This manner 
of proceeding has since given the assessors and county officials 
much trouble in assessing the real estate in the place. 

Summitville proper was laid out in 1867, by Aaron M. 
W^illiams. Henry Roby was the first merchant in the town, 
and opened business in November, 18(37, and did quite a thriv- 
ing trade, and was succeeded by Aquilla Moore & Son. 

Samuel Fenimore was an early settler and lived about 
two miles north of .Summitville, being one of a number of large 
land owners and thrifty citizens of that locality. Prior to the lay- 
ing out of Summitville as a town, and before a settlement was 
made there, there was an old staging station kept near that 
place by Aquilla Moore, where the stage that ran from Ander- 
son to iSIarion made a change of horses and stopped for feed 
and dinner. William Pittsford, Richard and A. J. Hunt, the 
Anderson liverymen, were among the prominent stage drivers 
of that day. The first stage coach that passed over the line 
was driven by the late Colonel O. H. P. Carey from Marion 
to Anderson. He owned the stage line for a number of years, 
and operated it until he volunteered his services in the army 
during the late war. The last one was driven by Walker Win- 
slow in 1876. 

When Aquilla Moore first settled in these parts, there was 
no mail route between Summitville and Anderson or Alexan- 
dria, the mail came there via Strawtown, being carried on 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 1009 

horseback over roads blazed out through dense forests. Daniel 
Dwiggins was the first mail boy to deliver mail in this section, 
and Elijah Williams was the next ; both are long since deceased. 

One of the first physicians in these surroundings was Dr. 
S. B. Harriman, who died in Richmond, Indiana, a few years 
since. He was succeeded by C. V. Garrett, John Wright, W. 
V. McMahan, M. L. Cranfill, S. T. Brunt and T. J. Clark. 
The first doctor in Summittville, after it became a town, was 
Dr. Cyrus Graul, who established himself here in 1867. 

William Wellington and John S. Moore started the first 
grist mill in the township in 1854. It was a small corn cracker 
with a saw mill in connection with it. They did a very thriv- 
ing business for a number of years. Farmers came for quite a 
distance from the surrounding country to have their sawing 
done, and have their grists ground. 

The first flouring mill was built in Summitville by Col- 
umbus Moore in the year 1868. It was of an improved pat- 
tern .-ind for many years enjoyed an extensive business. 

The first ministers of the gospel in this locality were 
William Brunt, a brother of the late Thomas Brunt and Peter 
Casteel. The old timers are not able to agree as to which of 
the two was the first. 

In the year 1868, Columbus Moore was appointed the first 
postmaster in Summitville, receiving his commission from 
Andrew Johnson, President of the United States. George 
Moore, the father of Aquilla Moore, was one of the first Board 
of Trustees of Van Buren townsiiip, and died at the residence 
of his son about eighteen years ago. 

At the time he was an incumbent in this office, each town- 
ship had a Board consisting of three Trustees. 

At an early day Aquilla Moore and his neighbors hauled 
wheat raised upon their farms to Hamilton, Ohio, the nearest 
market, and sold it for thirty-seven cents per bushel. 

The first railroad agent in Summitville was J. P. Smith, 
who came to this place on the completion of the C. W. & M. 
railroad in 1876. The first grain warehouse was built by James 
H. Woolen about the time of the building of the railroad. 
Harrison and Reuben Allen were also early settlers in the 
immediate vicinity of Summitville, having moved here from 
North Carolina in the early '40s. 

The only newspaper published in this place is the Summit- 
ville ffrt'tr by George P. Louiso, which was established in 18U(). 

It is independent in politics and enjoys a large circulation in 
64 



,1010 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

the town and surrounding country. In 1888 the Summitville 
Times was published here by J. A. Wertz, lately connected 
with the Anderson BtiUct'ni and other Anderson publications. 
The first paper published here was by a young man of the 
name of Pinkerton, in 1885. 

Summitville from the time of its first location as a village 
■grew very slowly and made but little progress until the time 
•of the perfecting of the C. W. & M. Railway, when it took on 
an air of prosperity for a short time, and remained stationary 
until the discovery of natural gas, when it at once entered 
upon another season of rapid growth, and it is at this writing 
one of the liveliest and most enterprising towns in Madison 
county, having many industries, fine school buildings, brick 
paved streets and handsome residences, and many fine brick 
business blocks erected on its main thoroughfares. 

It was incorporated as a town on the 31st of December, 
1881. The first Board of Trustees was elected on the first 
Monday in May, 1882, and took the oath of office before Miles 
F. VVood, a Justice of the Peace, on the 3rd day of the same 
month. The first Trustees were Moses Stone, George W. 
Fear and Joseph A. Allen. The Board organized by electing 
Mr. Stone, President; Frank Hernley was the first Clerk, and 
W. H. Williams, the first Treasurer, and J. M. Williams, the 
first Marshal of the town. 

The present officers are William Howard, Clerk ; Vin- 
cent R. Love, Treasurer, and Jeremiah Simons, Marslial. 
A. F. Kaufman, Eddie E. Thomas and William J. Peale are 
the present Trustees. The School Board is composed of Rob- 
ert McLain, John M. Gordon and George W. Green. 

A question was raised as to the legality of the incorpora- 
tion of the town, and therefore an act was passed by the Leg- 
islature of 1895, through the influence of Hon. J. M. Hund- 
ley, legalizing the same. 

The following industries are located at Summitville : 
The Central Glass Company; the Crystal Window Glass 
Company ; the Rothschild Glass Company ; W. C. Fear & Co., 
saw, lumber and planing mill ; W. W. VanWinkle, saw mill ; 
and L. R. Webb, flouring mill ; the Summitville Brick Fac- 
tory ; and last, but not least, the Summitville Tile Works, 
owned solely by Samuel C. Cowgill, being the largest manu- 
facturer of farm tile in the United States. It was erected in 
1880, commencing in a small way, but has grown at the pres- 
ent writing to be of huge dimensions. Mr. Cowgill employs 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTV, INDIANA. 1011 

on an average about one hundred men all the year around, 
and has a weekly pay roll of $500. L. R. Whitney is the 
general book-keeper and business man of the institution, to 
whom we are under obligations for valuable information, and 
for having shown us through this establishment. We are 
also indebted to Mr. George Whitney and J. A. Allen for 
much information in reference to this place. 

Summitville enjoys the distinction of being the home of 
several secret societies. The Knights of Pythias lodge. No. 
361, was organized on the 5th of May, 1892. It has a large 
membership and is in a flourishing condition. J. D. Arm- 
strong is the Chancellor Commander, and A. H. Jones, Keeper 
of Records and Seals. 

The Improved Order of Red Men, Lodge 149, Neoskaleta 
Tribe, has a membership of one hundred, and was organized 
in the year 1893. James Farmer, Sachem. 

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Summitville Lodge 
No. 475, was organized in the year 1875, and has a member- 
ship of seventy-five. It owns a handsome lodge property, 
built in the year 1892. 

The Methodist Episcopal church, the Presbyterian church, 
the Baptists and the Wesleyan Methodists, each have congre- 
gations here and own their own houses of ^vorship. 

Summitville has two banks, both of which are on a sound 
financial basis, and enjoy a large patronage in the community 
and the surrounding country. The Citizens' bank has a cap- 
ital of 125,000. J. T. Sullivan is president, and A. B. Hard- 
grave, cashier. 

The Summitville bank has a capital of |24,000. William 
Warner, president; Maurice Warner, cashier, and O. E. Gor- 
don, assistant cashier. 

The person familiar with the appearance of Summitville 
twenty-five years ago, and who has waded through its muddy 
streets during its early existence, could hardly imagine that it 
would in so short a time become the handsome, thrifty busi- 
ness center that it now is, and from all indications we predict 
a great future awaiting it. Many accidents and incidents that 
have occurred in its early history are detailed elsewhere. 

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS KILLED WHILE CUTTING A TREE. 

Mr. Jesse Buller, a young man about twenty-three years 
of age, working in Van Buren townsliip, near Summitville, 
was instantly killed the 15th of January, 1878, while cutting 






1012 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA 

trees in the woods. He was in the act of felling a tree, when 
it lodged against another one near by, and in trying to dis- 
lodge it a falling limb struck him on the top of the head, 
crushing his skull, from the effects of which he almost instantly 
died. Young Buller was working for a Mr. Eli Xeal, who 
was with him at the time, and seeing the falling limb called 
to him to get out of the way, but it was too late, — the limb 
struck him before he could make his escape. Mr. Neal ran 
for assistance, which was near at hand, but the unfortunate 
man had breathed his last before aid could reach him. He was 
a young man, well liked and respected. His home was in 
Fairmount, Grant county, a few miles north of Summitville. 
The Coroner of Madison county held an inquest, and a verdict 
of accidental killing was rendered. 

BURNED TO DEATH. 

In the month of February, 1878, a little six-year-old daugh- 
ter of John J. Said, of Summitville, was terribly burned, from 
the effects of which she died a short time afterward. She, 
with her oldest sister, was playing around a fire when her 
clothing became ignited, and before it could be put out there 
was scarcely a spot left on her body that was not burned until 
the flesh peeled off. She lived in great agony for a few days, 
but died from the effects of her burns. Mr. and Mrs. Said 
had the sympathy of the entire community in their sad afflic- 
tion. It is said that the child was a bright little girl, and a 
general favorite in the community where this terrible accident 
occurred. 

Mr. Said is now a resident of Anderson, and has been 
employed at different times by the Pennsylvania Glass Com- 
pany, as watchman. 

FIRE AT SUMMITVILLE. 

The hardware store of E. B. Vinson, at Summitville, was 
destroyed by fire on the night of the 28d of August, 1889. It 
was discovered about eleven o'clock and nothing could be done 
to check the devouring flames, which soon consumed the build- 
ing, and also a millinery store belonging to Mary E. Wertz, 
adjoining. The loss on the hardware store was $8,500, cov- 
ered by .|:?,500 insurance; on the millinery store the loss was 
estimated at $400, with .$800 insurance. The residence belong- 
ing to Mr. Vinson, the proprietor of the hardware store, was 
also damaged to a considerable extent. The origin of the fire 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. iOlH 

was unknown, but was thought to have caught from a gas jet 
which was left burning in the store. 

A DISTRESSING ACCIDENT. 

Turry, the three-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Syl- 
vester Jenny, was burned to death near Summitville on the 
28th day of February, 1896, by having her clothing ignited 
while lighting the fire with some scraps of paper. She ran 
out of the house to where her father and mother were, but 
before reaching them she was enveloped in the flames and 
burned in a most horrible manner. An uncle of the name of 
Curtis Diltz was attracted to the place by her screams and 
hastened to her relief and taking the child in his arms carried 
her to the house, where her parents soon came, but too late to 
render her any assistance. Her little body was burned to a 
crisp, the flesh falling from her bones. 

A physician was summoned, but no medical aid could 
relieve her suffering, and she died soon afterward, remaining 
conscious to the last moment. 

The funeral was largely attended, which took place at 
Epworth church, the services being conducted by the Rev. J. 
A. Rudy. The body was interred at Mt. Pisgah cemetery. 

AN OLD-TIMER KILLED. 

Moses Simonson, an old resident of Madison county, was 
killed by being run over by a train of cars on the C. \V. & M. 
Railroad near Summitville, while on his way home from 
Alexandria on the night of May 19th, 1894. He was in an 
intoxicated condition and had fallen asleep on the track. 

Moses Simonson was one of the last of a generation that 
has passed away. He was one of the early settlers of the 
county, who in pioneer times made a greater part of the living 
for the family by hunting and trapping. He at one time 
lived in the neighborhood of Anderson, and there is not an 
old resident of that city who does not remember of seeing 
Mose Simonson on the streets with a hunting shirt on and a 
pack of hounds at his heels. 

At a shooting match he was at home, and a good marks- 
man he was. " It's many a quarter of beef he has won at a 
shooting bee." 

Simonson's besetting sin was his love for liquor, and 
although he drank to excess he never harmed a living soul. 

No better hearted man ever lived. He would suffer him- 
self, in order to make others happy. 



1014 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

He at one time owned a good farm in Pipe Creek town- 
ship, near Dundee, and while not rich was considered in com- 
fortable circumstances. 

The rifle, the shot-pouch and long-eared hound are now 
things of the past in Madison county. They have given way 
to the steps of progress, and in a few years tliere will be none 
living who can tell of having ever seen them. Tradition alone 
will tell of the e.\ploits of the noble pioneer. 

The powder-horn and the bullet-moulds hanging over the 
cabin door, as they once did in the humble home of Moses 
Simonson, is a scene that many men and women, now of 
mature years, who have been reared in Madison county, have 
never beheld. 

Whatever maj- have been the faults of Moses Simonson in 
his days among men, let us cover them with the mantle of char- 
ity, and remember him, along with the many other hardy men 
who lived in the wilderness of our county and helped to make 
its meadows bloom like the sweet fields of Eden. 

A STORE BURGLARIZED. 

Vinson & Hughes for several years operated a general 
store at Summitville. On the night of April 27, 1876, they 
were the victims of burglars. There was a McNeale & Urban 
safe in the store, which was cracked and rifled of its contents, 
consisting of !i!148 in money and some valuable papers. The 
robbers also took away with them twenty gallons of whiskey 
and many articles of merchandise. 

The noise of the blowing of the safe aroused Mrs. A. S. 
Dobson, who was sleeping in an adjoining building, but being 
timid was afraid to make any stir, so the burglars worked at 
will without molestation and made good their escape. No 
one ever knew who the perpetrators of the deed were. They 
were evidently professionals, as their work was done in a neat 
and handsome manner. 

BARN BURNED. 

A large frame barn owned by William F. Huglies, one 
and one-half miles west of Summitville, was destroyed by fire 
on Monday, the 9th of August, 1880, together with all the 
contents, including two horses, wagons, buggies and several 
tons of hay, two hundred bushels of wheat, two hundred 
bushels of corn, his farm implements, several sets of harness 
and other articles of value. The contents were partially cov- 



HISTOKV OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 1015 

ered by insurance to the amount of |5H0, but there was no 
insurance on the building. It was evidently the act of an 
incendiary, but who the guilty party was has never been 
ascertained. 

The loss fell very heavily on Mr. Hughes. He had the 
sympathy of the entire community. Mr. Hughes was a prom- 
inent farmer, having held the honorable position of Township 
Trustee, and being prominent in business circles in that com- 
munity. He has long since passed away, but a number of his 
family are still residing in Madison county, one son being 
engaged in the grocery business in Anderson at this writing. 

KILLING OF SOLOMON PARSONS. 

On Monday, the :28th of April, IS'.K), the body of Solo- 
mon Parsons was found on the right-of-way along the C, W. 
& M. Railway track half a mile north of Summitville, his 
right leg and side being fearfully bruised, and with a deep 
cut in his head. Life was extinct when he was discovered. 
A small boy who happened to be standing near by saw the 
accident and gave the alarm. Neighbors came and conveyed 
his remains to his home which was only a short distance from 
the scene. Dr. Armington, Coroner of the county, was noti- 
fied and held an inquest. The facts elicited were tliat Par- 
sons, who was an old man about eighty-two years of age, had 
gone up the railroad in search of a cow and evidently having 
not heard the approaching train was run down and killed. 
John Torrence, the engineer in charge of the engine, testified 
that he knew nothing about the matter until he had reached 
Anderson, when he was apprised of the accident by telegram. 
He insisted that he saw no one on the track and seemed 
greatly surprised when informed that his engine had killed a 
man at Summitville. It was a very singular circumstance 
that he did not discover Mr. Parsons, who was walking 
before the engine. The Coroner returned a verdict of acci- 
dental killing without laying any blame on the company. 

A VOITNG WOMAN BURNED TO DEATH. 

Miss Sallie Mittong, a young woman about nineteen years 
of age, who was employed as nurse in the family of Mr. (Jeorge 
Reeder, about three and a half miles east of Summitville, was 
burned to death on Friday, February 28, 1879. She had been 
at a social gathering during the evening, and about 10 o'clock. 



1016 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

on returning home, took a position in front of the fireplace for 
the purpose of reading. 

Becoming dro\vsy, it is supposed, she fell asleep, and while 
in that condition her clothing caught fire. Upon awakening, 
she ran into the yard, and finally extinguished the flames by 
rolling in the mud and water. No one was present in the 
house at the time but Mrs. Reader, who, being sick, was 
unable to help her. The agonizing cries of the unfortunate 
girl eventually attracted the neighbors, who kindly cared for 
her. 

While assisting her into the house some of the burned flesh 
actually dropped from her bodv. vShe lived only fifteen hours 
after the accident, during which time she endured great agony. 
Her remains were buried at Summitville on the follo%ving Sun- 
day. 

DISASTROUS FIRE. 

On the 27th of March, 1885, a destructive fire visited the 
town of Summitville, burning the business room occupied by 
R. A. Menefee & Co. and Aquilla Moore, together with the 
office of Dr. Judd Swallow. The fire originated in the east 
end of ^Moore's store, at 3 o'clock in the morning, and in a few 
minutes the flames had reached Dr. Swallow's office, which 
stood just across the alley, and also Menefee's drug store. The 
flames spread so rapidly that within an hour from the time 
the alarm was given the three buildings ^vere in ashes. It 
was by good management and hard work that further progress 
of the fire up the street was checked and that further damage 
was averted. The loss to Mr. jSIoore was about !j!4,000, par- 
tially insured. Menefee's building and stock of drugs, valued 
at 12,500, were insured for !}!1,600. It is supposed that the fire 
was the work of an incendiary, but no clew was ever found 
that would lead to the conviction of the guilty party. Dr. 
Swallow has since died. Mr. Menefee and Mr, Moore are 
yet residents of Summitville, being prominent in business 
affairs. 

KILLING OF SARAH DAWSON BY NANCY SWOPE. 

One of the bloodiest tragedies in the history of Madison 
county occurred on the 21st of July, 1887, in which two 
women ^vere the actors, one of them being a colored women. 
Nancy Swope, during an altercation between herself and 
Sarah Dawson, a colored woman, plunged a butcher knife 
into the body of Mrs. Dawson, causing almost instant death. 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 1017 

About a year before this event, Mrs. Swope, accompanied 
by her little child, had gone to Summitville and had taken 
employment at a hotel as a domestic. Mrs. Dawson was also 
employed at the same house in tlie capacity of washer-woman. 
These two females did not get along together very amicably. 
For some time prior to the killing, Mrs. Dawson alleged that 
Mrs. Swope had circulated slanderous reports against a Miss 
Cartwright, a daughter of the proprietor of the hotel. On 
the evening of the tragedy, the colored woman, as was her 
custom, took the washing she had finished to the hotel, and 
while there became involved in a quarrel with Mrs. Swope, 
who was in the kitchen, ironing. Mrs. Dawson had started 
to leave the place, when Mrs. Swope, who was almost beside 
herself with rage, hurled an iron which she had in her hand 
at Mrs. Dawson, but without effect. Then Mrs. Swope, still 
white with rage, grasped a large butcher knife that lay on the 
table and started for the colored woman, overtaking her near 
the door, when she plunged it with deadly effect into the body 
of her victim. The weapon penetrated the abdomen and 
caused the death of ]Mrs. Dawson in a very few minutes. 
A boarder at the hotel entered the room just as the fatal 
thrust was made, and, springing forward, threw Mrs. Swope 
to one side of the room, and then helped the injured woman 
into an adjoining hall. 

Immediately after the commission of the crime, Mrs. 
Swope left the hotel and went to the residence of 'Squire 
Fenimore, where she remained until she %vent to the Ander- 
son jail. Here she was incarcerated to await the result of the 
Coroner's investigation and the action of the grand jury. 
Mrs. Dawson had come from Tennessee to Summitville five 
years previouslj-. She was a hard working woman, and was 
generally respected by the people. Her remains were interred 
in Vinson cemetery after the Coroner's inquest. 

In an interview with Mrs. Swope at the jail by an Ander- 
son reporter she said in justification of the act that the negress 
had been circulating stories about her, damaging to her char- 
acter, and also about Aliss Cartwright. She also stated that 
the woman had come in where she was working and began 
to abuse her, and finally threatened to do her bodily harm. 

An affidavit was filed by Constable ^V . R. Blake, of 
Anderson township, before William Roach, a Justice of the 
Peace, charging Mrs. Swope with murder. A preliminary 
examination was held and the prisoner was bound over to the 



1018 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

Circuit Court to answer any indictment tliat might be brought 
against her by the grand iur3\ Judge Richard Lake acted as 
her counsel. 

She was remanded to jail, where she was detained for a 
considerable time. In the trial of her case a disagreement by 
the jury resulted, and she was subsequently acquitted at the 
March term, 1888. She died near the scene of the tragedy 
about two years afterwards. 

YOUTHFUL DEPRAVITY. 

On the 21st of September, 1885, a large barn belonging 
to Joshua Vinson, a few miles west of Summitville, was 
destro}-ed by fire. It was evident from the first that it was 
of incendiary origin, but no clew to the party committing 
the deed was obtained until several days afterward, when 
a lad about twelve years old, who lived with !Mr. \^in- 
son, inadvertently dropped the remark that he " would not 
have to go to that barn any more." Acting upon the theory 
that the boy had fired the building, \^inson accused him of it, 
and he, being pressed, finally admitted his guilt. He was 
placed under arrest and was lodged in the Madison county 
jail. He was quite small in statue, and evidently not a bad 
boy at heart. Upon being questioned upon the subject he 
fully admitted that he had set fire to the barn, but said in 
justification of his act that he was mad at Mr. Vinson for 
making him follow a wheat drill when he had a sore foot and 
could not walk. He further said that Mr. \'inson had sent 
him to the barn for an oil can and then sent him back again 
for something else, and then again ; that in all he had made 
three trips, and that he then concluded to just set fire to the 
barn. 

At the time of this occurrence the young man had been 
living with the Vinson family for three years ; his mother was 
dead, and his father had remarried and gone to North Caro- 
lina. The lad was convicted, but was let off with a light 
sentence. The loss on Vinson's barn was about |1,500, with 
but small insurance. 

FOUND DEAD IN A BUGGY. 

Near the town of Summitville, on the 22d day of May, 
1895, William Snelling was discovered at the roadside, dead 
in a buggy by some passer-by, and it was supposed that a 
murder had been committed. The Coroner was notified and 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 1019 

an investigation was held, at which it was found that Snelling 
had been to Summitville on that day and had been drinking 
heavily, and had started home, and had in some manner fallen 
forward out of his buggy, lighting upon the horse, which had 
kicked him in such a manner as to cause his death. No one 
saw the occurrence and it was only conjecture as to how it 
happened. 

FOUND DEAD IN BED. 

On the morning of April 2(5, 1893, the citizens of Sum- 
mitville were thrown into a state of excitement by the find- 
ing of the dead body of James Wood, a cripple, who was in 
the employ of ^. C. Cowgill's tile factory. He had both legs 
off and was therefore a confirmed cripple, but not wholly inca- 
pacitated from labor, and had employment in the factory at 
light work such as he was able to perform. From the use of 
opiates to kill the pain he often suffered, he became a con- 
firmee} victim of the morphine habit, and it is supposed that 
the use of this drug caused his deatli. He lived at Pendleton. 

DEATH OF AN OLD CITIZEN. 

No citizen of Madi.son county ever died who left behind 
him a more lasting memory than that of Isaac U. Cox, of 
Van Buren township. His death took place at his home on 
the ()th of June, 1881. Mr. Cox was above the average 
farmer in the county as to enterprise and in a general knowl- 
edge of the business of the countr)'. He was looked up to as 
an encyclopsdia of information by his less fortunate neigh- 
bors by whom he was surrounded. He was at one time quite 
a prominent politician in the Democratic ranks, and on sev- 
eral occasions aspired to the office of County Treasurer, but 
was never successful in receiving enough votes to gain the 
nomination. 

He was born in Tennessee in December, 1S21, and came 
to Union county, Indiana, in 1839, and from thence to Hunts- 
ville, in this county, in 184?. In the year 1845 he was mar- 
ried to Mary C. Smith, who survived him and lived for some 
time after his death. In 1849 he purchased a tract of land, 
on which he was living at the time of his death, about seven 
miles north-east of Alexandria. Mr. Cox was scrupulously 
honest in all his dealings with his fellow-man. He was a 
very kind father, and was particularly devoted to his wife. 
There was no more hospitable home in Madison county than 
that of Isaac U. Cox. No person from Anderson, or, indeed. 



1020 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

from any part of the county, ever visited the home of Mr. 
Cox who was not generously welcomed. He and his wife 
were both genial, hospitable people, and it was a real pleas- 
ure for them to entertain friends at their home. Mr. Cox's 
death was long lamented, and his memory will long be green 
in the recollections of the old citizens of Madison county. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The first election held in the township occurred Novem- 
ber 1, 1837, at the house of Hiram Palmer. It is related that 
Samuel Fenimore and Hiram Palmer were opposing candi- 
dates for the office of Justice of the Peace. Each candidate 
had his "wires" in proper order and thought that he had 
things "fixed," or at least Mr. Fenimore did. The voting 
population of the township at that early day did not exceed 
ten or fifteen voters, so that it required but a few votes to 
elect, and consequently not so much effort on the part of can- 
didates as at present. On the morning of the election Mr. 
Fenimore. with three of his friends, appeared at the polls and 
cast their votes for Fenimore. They lingered around the 
polls until it was nearly time for them to close, and, as Pal- 
mer and his friends had not made their appearance, they were 
congratulating themselves over their success. But just before 
the hour fixed by law for the closing of the polls Palmer and 
his " force," consisting of four voters besides himself, emerged 
from the brush and voted for Palmer, much to the chagrin of 
Fenimore and his following. Palmer was elected by one 
vote, and re-elected subsequently a number of times. 

The first Trustee of the township was George Moore. 

The first saw mill in the township was built and operated 
by Moore, Wellington & Harold. 

The first postmaster in the township was John Kelsey. 

The first blacksmith was Jasper Webb. 

The first druggist was J. D. Marsh in 1874. 

The first shoemaker was R. Snelling. 

PROMINENT CITIZENS. 

Among the prominent citizens of the township who have 
been specially honored by the people of the county is Calvin 
H. Allen, at this time a resident of the city of Anderson. Mr. 
Allen was elected Auditor of the county on the Democratic 
ticket in 1890, and served one term. In 1894 James M. Hund- 
ley was elected Joint Representative for the counties of Madi- 



HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 



1021 



son, Tipton and Clinton, and served one term. A sketch of 
Mr. Hundley will be found elsewhere. 

JAMES M. HUNDI,EV. 

While the subject of this sketch is not a pioneer of the 
county, he may, on account of his long residence, be classed 
among the old-timers. Mr. Hundley was born in Clinton 
county, Ohio, July 6, 1848, and came with his parents to 
Grant county, Indiana, in 1852, where he resided until 1868, 
when he enlisted in the army. During his absence his father 




JAMES M. HUNDLEY. 

moved to Van Buren township, this county, and located. 
James served his country faithfully until July, 1865, when he 
was discharged, and, not being of age, returned to the home 
of his father, thus becoming a resident of Madison county. 
He was educated in the common schools of the county, with 
the exception of two terms in the high schools of Anderson 
and Marion. After leaving school he engaged in teaching in 
Van Buren and ]Sloni"oe townships for a number of years. His 
efforts in this vocation were earnest and painstaking and highly 



^ 



1022 HISTORY OV MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

satisfactory both to pupils and patrons. While teaching he 
devoted much of his spare time to the study of the law, and 
on the 17th of March, 1883, was admitted to the Madison 
county bar, since which time he has been actively engaged in 
the practice. 

Through the partiality of his fellow-citizens Mr. Hund- 
ley has held a number of local offices and in 1894 was elected 
Representative to the State Legislature from the district com- 
posed of the counties of Madison, Tipton and Clinton, serving 
one term with credit to himself and his constituency. He has 
alwaj'S taken an active interest in politics and is prominent in 
local affairs generally. Although an ardent Republican, he 
is not oft'ensive in expressing his views of measures or men. 
He is unostentatious both in manner and method, but firm in 
his beliefs, whatever they may be, and always ready to defend 
them. Whatever of success he has achieved in life he attributes 
to his mother, who induced him to attend school and take a 
course of study, although limited, after his return from the 
army. He takes pride in the fact that he has seen his town- 
ship and county make such rapid strides m the arts of peace 
— has seen the wilderness disappear and the waste places 
become the abodes of industry and learning. No native con- 
templates the present proud position of the county with greater 
satisfaction than he, and no one is more enthusiastic over the 
possibilities of its future. 

Mr. Hundley is a resident of Summitville, where he has 
an oflice and attends to the duties of his profession. These 
duties frecpiently require his presence at the county seat, par- 
ticularly during the sessions of the courts, where he is held in 
the highest esteem, not only by the members of the bar, but by 
all who know him. 

Mr. Hundley was married October 21, 1874, to Miss Sarah 
F. Fenimore, a member of one of the most prominent and 
highly respected pioneer families of the county. 



HISTOUV OF MADISON COl'NTY, INDIANA. 1023 



LIST OF COUNTY OFFICIALS. 

SENATORS. 

Owing to the proportions this work has assumed the 
names only of citizens of the county who have served as Sen- 
ators and Representatives in the State Legislature are given. 
From 1823 to 1835 Madison county was represented in the 
Senate by citizens residing in other counties comprising the 
Senatorial district of which it was a part. The names 
of Madison county citizens who Iiave been elected to 
the Senate are as follows : Thomas Bell, Andrew Jackson, 
Dr. John Hunt, Andrew Jackson (again), Hervey Craven, 
M. S. Robinson, R. H Cree, Charles T. Doxey, Charles L. 
Henry, A. E. Harlan, Lafe Johnson. 

Madison county by an act of the Legislature of 1896-7 
was tjiade a district by itself, and is now entitled to one Sen- 
ator and one Joint Senator, also two Representatives and one 
Joint Representative. 

REPRESENTATIVES. 

Thomas Bell, John H. Cook, Henry Wyman, Willis G. 
Atherton, Thomas McCallister, John Davis, R. N. Williams 
Evan Ellis, William Young, Townsend Ryan, William Crim 
.Andrew Shanklin, W. C. Fleming, Thomas Kinjg, Thomas 
U. Clark, Thomas N. Stilwell,W. A. Thompson, John Hayes 
Richard Lake, D. E. Croan, Frederick Black, J. F. Mock 
Dr. G. F. Chittenden (joint representative), J.W. Sansberry 
Dr. T. N. Jones, J. O. Hardesty (joint representative), G 
W. Harris, Edgar Henderson, J. T. Smitii (joint representa 
live), Dr. Stanley W. Edwins, H. P. Shaffer, Dr. C. N 
Branch, Sr., Frank P. Foster, A. J. Behymer (joint repre 
sentative), J. M. Farlow, James M. Hundley (joint repre 
sentative), J. II. Terhune, E. E. Fornshell, 

CLERKS. 

The following in their order have been clerks of the 
county: Moses Cox, William Curtis, Ansel Richmond, R. 
N. Williams, Andrew Jackson, James Ilazlett, P. H. Lemon, 
Joseph Peden, W. C. Vleming, T. J. Fleming, R. H. Han- 
nah, Jesse L. Henry, C. A. Henderson, J. J. Netterville, 
Edmund Johnson. 



1024 HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA. 

AlTDlTOIiS. 

Moses Cox, William Curtis, Ansel Richmond, R. N. 
Williams, Andrew Jackson, Joseph Howard, J. W. Wester- 
field, W. H.Merchon, Joseph Sigler, J. M. Dickson, George 
Nichol, John L. Forkner, J. E. Canaday, Calvin II. Allen, W. 
N. Heath. 

SHERIFFS. 

Samuel Cory, William Young, John C. Berry, Andrew 
Jackson, Joseph Howard, W. B.Allen, John H. Davis, Will- 
iam Roach, Benham Nelson, Burket Eads, Lanty Roach, 
David H. Watson, Benjamin Sebrell, W^illiam A. Nelson, J. 
H. Snell, D. K. Carver, A. J. Ross, J. W. McCallister. A. 
J. Griffith, T. J. McMahan, Randle Riddle, Thomas R. 
Moore, A. I. Makepeace, James Etchison, W. W. VanDyke, 
John Starr. 

TREASURERS. 

Thomas Pendleton, Bicknel Cole, Allen Iliatt, Alfred 
Makepeace, Jesse Wise, J. A. Kindle, James Hazlett, B. 
Noland, Seth Smitli, I. P. Snelson, Joseph Howard, Arm- 
strong Taylor, Nineveh Berry, John Hunt, W. W. Noland, 
Joseph Pugh, J. W. Thomas, Weems lleagy, D. F. Mustard, 
George Ross, N. T. Call, H. C. Calloway, J. R. Page, Will- 
iam Boland, C. F. Heritage. 

RECORDERS. 

Moses Cox, William Curtis, R. N. Williams, Isaac T. 
Sharp, Nineveh Berry, A. Taylor, Samuel B. Mattox, Burket 
Eads, Joseph Howard, James Mohan, Jacob Hubbard, A. C. 
Davis, Arhos T. Davis, D. W. Black, Moses Harmon. 

Joseph Watkins, an Anderson barber, enjoys the distinc- 
tion of being the first negro who ever sat upon a jury in Mad- 
ison county. Mr. Watkins is one of the best informed and 
most progressive of his race in this county. To Sheritl" John 
Starr belongs the credit of selecting Mr. Watkins as a jury- 
man. 



ii>iE)E;:x:. 



A 

PAGE 

Abbott Murder in 18.10 239 

Accident to Dr. S. W. Edwins 902 

A Church Muddle in 1854 198 

Act County Seat at 23 

Act Locatinjf County 23 

Act Organizing County 23 

Adair, Chas.. Arm Blown On 903 

Adair, JohnT 883 

Adair Mills Burned, Elwood 883 

Adams Block Burned 5"5 

Adamson, Abraham 930 

Adams, t^orge. Killed 718 

Adams Heading Factory Burned 577 

Adams, John 895 

Adams Township. History of Btj9 

Address o£ E. M. .Jackson 215 

A Famous Resort 624 

A. F. and M. Works Burned 576 

A Fatal Ride SI'S 

Agriculture, First Appropriation for.. 124 

A Hat, The Story of 160 

Akron Forge Co 882 

Aldred. Dr. J. A 955 

Aldred, W. A 953 

Alexander, David, Killed 979 

Alexandria Banks 839 

Alexandria Churches 842 

Alexandria Church Dedication 8tIf>-867 

Alexandria Churches and Schools 841 

Alexandria Electric Light 841 

Alexandria, Factories 838-839 

Alexandria Fire Department 8*J4 

Alexandria lilass Co 454 

Alexandria Happenings 862 

Alexandria, Incorporated 837 

Alexandria Incorporated as a City . . . 840 

Alexandria Land and Gas Co 869 

Alexandria, Lime Stone 837 

Alexandria Mining Co 838 

Alexandria Mining & Exploring Co. , . 838 

Alexandria Uil Field 870 

Alexandria Upera House 839 

Alexandria Press 100 

Alexandria Record 100 

Alexandria Water Works 840 

Alexandria Window Glass Co 839 

Alford. B. F 308 

Alford, Charles 332 

Alford, Geo. W'., City Judge of El- 
wood ^79 

Alfont, Town of 782 

Allen. C. H 1020 

Allen. Capt. Ethan M 370 

Allen. Harrison 1006 

Allen. J. A 1010 

Allen. John 13. 17 

Allen, Reuben 1006 

Allen, William 23 

Allen, Wm. B 162 

Alliance, Town of 678 

Allowance Sale of Lots and Whisky 

Furnished 35 

American Express Co 191 

American Mechanics 802 

American Straw Board Co 452 

American Tin Plate Co., Elwood 882 

American Wire Nail Co 451 

American Wire >'ail Co. Band 580 

Amien. Benj. F ^^6 

Anderson. Adam '5.1 



PAGP 

Anderson and Alexandria Turnpike.. 86 

Anderson Banking Co 314 

Anderson t."adets 197 

Anderson Chief 12, 14, 18, 20 

Anderson City 272 

Anderson City Officials 275 

Anderson, County Seat 31 

Anderson Democrat 96 

Anderson Driving Park 69 

Anderson Fire Department 329 

Anderson's First Band 410 

Anderson's First Fire 273 

Anderson's First Train of Cars 411 

Anderson Flint Bottle Co 453 

Anderson Gazette, 1853 187 

Anderson (Vazette 94 

Andersi>n Glass Co." 453 

Anderson Herald 97 

Anderson Hotels 281 

Anderson Hydraulic 7S 

Anderson Iron and Bolt Co 451 

Anderson, .John 953 

Anderson, John M.. Suicide 965 

Anderson Knife and Bar Works 450 

Anderson Library 323 

Anderstin. Locating 30 

Anderson Lyceum 203 

Anderson Paper Co 453 

Anderson. Population of 280 

Anderson Postmasters 279 

Anderson Rendezvous 107 

Anderson Review 98 

Anderson. Second "Boom" 274 

Anderson. Sewerage of 336 

Anderson Star 98 

Anderson Street Railway 326 

Anderson Township, Boundary of 229 

Anderson Township, History of 271 

Anderson Water V. orks 333 

Anderson Wideawakes 622 

Andrews, Laban, Found Dead 712 

An Eventful Day 232 

An Old Crime 239 

Atheneum, The 94 

Antrim Hotel 186 

Applegate, A. J 801 

Armfleld. A . O 879 

Arnifleld. Tilghman 874 

Armington, C. L 897 

Armstrong. Frank, killed 491 

Armstrong. George 257 

Armstrong. James. 955 

,\rnistrong. Mrs. Nathan 933 

Armstrong Planing Mill Burned 518 

Arnold. T. J.. Editor 100 

Arrest of a Forger 634 

Associate Justices, First 29, 124 

AlhiTton .4 Sons 310 

AtluTloii A Stms. warehouse 199 

Auihl.irs Office. Resigned 122 

Austil. William 879 

Auterbine Church 990 

Await. John A 361 

Await, Mrs. John A 363 

A War Memory 133 



B 



Bailey. James 811 

Baker. B 840 



1026 






PAGE 

Baker, Dr. Braxton 225 

Baker, Gov. Conrad 178 

Ball.Oren E., Killed 8H5 

Ballard. G. M 885 

Ballard, Utto. Narrow Escape fi27 

Ballenser, Dr. L. P 955 

Band. First Anderson 410 

Bank. Pendleton 734 

Bank Robbery (iOI 

Banks, Alexandria 839 

Banks in Anderson S13 

Banks in Elwood 882 

Banner Store Burned till 

Banquet to Dr. Henry Wyman 39t> 

Bar, The Past and Present tJS 

Barker. Charles I 203, 395 

Barnes, James 928 

Barnes. J. P 33 

Barnes. Joseph and Wife 928 

Barnett. D. W., Editor 99 

Barnum. P. T 193 

Barred. The Colored Man 153 

Bartholomew, Col. Joseph Ifi 

Barton. William 878 

Battereall, James, Child Burned 207 

Battle with Officers 517 

Baxter, Joshua 970 

Beal. John 927, 931 

Beachler, Jacob 202 

Beaman, HowellJ., Killed 488 

Beard, William 8 420 

Beaver, John, Killed 494 

Bee. Alexandria 838 

Beeson. John 872 

Beck. Sam'l, Boiler Explosion 907 

Beckwith. Thos. L 157 

Behvemer, A. J., Editor 99 

Bell. Col. Thomas L 193 

lifUf ( .ntaine Train Ditched 200 

ItciH-liel. James, Killed (Ul 

Ken Ilur. Tribe of 302 

Bennett. Joseph 927 

Berry, Hannah. Sketch of 42fl 

Berry, John 23. 27, 31, 59,228 

Berry. Ninevah. Address of 48.421 

Berry, Ninevah. Sketch of 421 

Biddle. Dory 6(>9 

Biddle. Dory, Editor 98 

Biddle, Handle 645 

Biddle, Wm. H., Killed 951 

BiKuer. James 16 

'■Big Lick" 679 

Bilby, Stephen. Drowned 806 

Binder, The Self 141 

Birch. Lenora, Killed 861 

Black. Frederick 843 

Blacklidge. Christian 503 

Blades, James 1006 

Blodget, the Blacksmith 615 

Bloomfield. James 27 

Bloomfield, Lot 27 

Blue. Dennis 873 

Blue. Lindsay 873 

Board of Commissioners, First 228-229 

Board of Justices 33. 228 

Board of Trade. Anderson 445 

Bodenhorn. C. C, Store Robbed 961 

Bodenhorn. Eddie 964 

Body Snatching . . . 484 

Bohring A Hannah Block Burned 573 

Bohring & Hannah Block Falls 481 

Boiler Explosion, Elwood 889 

Boiler Explosion near Frankton 907 

Bolton. Margaret 898 

Bond. Lizzie, Killed 545 

Bone, R. A.. Editor 97 

Bone. W. C, Editor 97 

Bonner. Marshal. Stage Driver 127 

Booco, Isaac 377 

Boone Township 699 

Bordwell, Doctor 223 

Boundary Pipe Creek Tp 873 

Bowen. G, W 190 

Bowers. Aunt Peggy 921 

Bownan. Rev. Dr 929 



PAGE 

Boy. Jarrett. Killed 561 

Boyden, Isaac 885 

Boyer, Harry. Killed 865 

Braderick A L. Fence Co 877 

Branch, Dr. C. N 225 

Brandon. Dr. J. F 227 

Branson Postoffice 973 

Bray. Andrew 685 

Brewer. Frank. Death of 799 

Brewer. Levi, Old Veteran 826 

Bridge. John T 27 

Bridge. The First 129 

Bridge, White River, at Anderson — 456 

Bridges. Iron 88 

Bright. James. Killed 886 

Broadbent, Stephen 933 

Bronnenberg. Fred, Bam Burned 976 

Bronnenberg, Frederick 23. 27 

Bronnenberg. Frederick, Sr 970 

Bronnenberg. Henry 254 

Bronnenberg, H. J 469 

Bronnenberg. Jacob. House Burned-- 942 

Bronnenberg. Michael 944 

Bronnenberg. W. B., Bam Burned 975 

Bronson. Ulysses 475 

Brothers. Chas 494 

Brothers. Mrs. Abner 484 

Brouse. Judge Henry A 175 

Brown. Charley. Drowned 582 

Brown-Cummins Murder 692 

Brown, Geo.. Fall of 562 

Brown. Garrett W 378 

Brown. H. C 909 

Brown. H. J.. Editor 96 

Brown. William 753 

Brownback. Dr. O. W. 446 

Brownlee, W. R.. Editor 96 

Broyles. Ephraim 1006 

Brovles, Madison 1006 

Brunt. A. J 834 

Brunt, Dr. Samuel 1009 

Brunt, John 833 

Brunt. Richard 713 

Brunt. Thomas 700 

Buckeye Mfg. Co 462 

Buckles. Joseph S ._ 169 

Buckles A Sansberry 186 

Buckwheat. George 167 

Buckwheat. "Jim." Killing of 167 

Bulletin. Anderson , 99 

Bulletin. Dailv 568 

Bully of Fall Creek Township 739 

Bundy, M. L 147 

Bunger. George. Suicide 537 

Bunting. G. W 43. 45 

Burglar Shot at Fishersburg 961 

Burglarv, Frankton 925 

Bnrk. Henry 910 

Burke, N. T 327 

Burke. R. E 327 

Burned at the Stake ("Joshua") 15 

Burned to Death 489 

Burning of Big Four Depot 638 

Burning of Doxey Opera House 350 

Burning of Fisher's Snath Factory 349 

Burning of Flax Mill in 1876 348 

Burning of H. D, Thompson's Resi- 
dence 348 

Burning of Henderson Mills 439 

Burning of Junction House 342 

Burning of Olympic Theatre 352 

Burning of \N'alden Warehouse 347 

Burning of West Side Square 338 

Burning of Woodward's Mill 957 

Burr, C. S 321 

Burr. L. J 45 

Burr, Lafe. and the Coons 592 

Bus Drivers and the Baby 383 

Busby, Isaac 742 

Busby, Isaac 156 

Busby. John 33 

Busby .• Samuel 955 

Busby. Thomas 953 

Busby, Vinton R.. County Supt 92 

Butler, Jesse. Killed lOU 



INDEX. 



1027 



c 

PAGE 

Cadets. Anderson 197 

Cady. C. B.. Editor 99 

Take. Johnny 156 

Call, Xathan T T12 

Calloway. B. T 882 

Calloway. H. C 882 

Calloway. James 871 

Calowav. William 386 

Campaign of 1S6S 252 

Campbell. Capt. B . B 252 

Campbell. Colonel 19 

C-ampbell. John A 558 

Campbell. J. P.. Editor 97 

Campbell, Rev. T. M 866 

Campbell. W. B.. Editor 98 

Camp Stilwell 107 

Canaday. Caleb 873 

Canaday. Harrison 334 

Canaday's Store Robbed. Frankton . . . 916 

Canal. Indiana Central 71 

Canal. Old. Riot 72 

Can&field Stationery Co 454 

Capture of Stottler 987 

Carey. O. H. P.. Stage Driver 127 

Carlton. Thomas 132 

Carr. Bruce, (irand Master 48 

Carr. J. S 321 

Carr, Sandy 346 

Carson. James 755 

Carson. Robert 403 

Carter. Thomas, Poisoned 761 

Cartwright. Thomas 1006 

Carver, A . C 851 

Carver*. David K 189, 843 

Carver. William 837 

Cass. Lewis 18 

Cassell. Samuel. First Gas Well in 

County 116 

Casteel. Henry 716 

Casteel, Thomas 716 

Cataract Mills Burned 760 

Cemeteries, A nderson 318 

Cemeteries. Green Tp 781 

Central Glass Works lOlO 

Chambers, Hiram 929 

Chambers. John 929 

Chambers, Mary 929 

Chambers. Nancy 929 

Chamness, John 872 

Chamness. Micajah 832 

Chaplin. Albert 847 

Chapman. X 34 

Chappel. Chas.. Child Killed.... 490 

Chappel. Clem 417 

Chesterfield Brick Works Burned 990 

Chesterfield . Town of 973 

Chipman. D. C 326 

Chipman, Judiu;e M. A 447 

Chittenden. Dr. E. B 401 

Chittenden, Dr. Geo. F 646 

Chittenden, Dr. (ieorge F 206 

Chittenden. Dr. George F 226 

Christian Societies 287 

Church. African M. E 296 

Church. Auterbine 990 

Church, Baptist 292 

Church, Baptist. Colored 296 

Church. Catholic 290 

Church Dedication. Alexandria 866 

Church. Desciples" 291 

Church. Dunkard 294 

Church, Friends' 295 

Church. Hope Congregational 294 

Church. Lutheran 295 

Church, M. E 289 

Church Muddle. 1354 198 

Church of God 293 

Church. Presbyterian 291 

Church, Second M. E 289, 295 

Church. Trinity Episcopal 293 

Church. United Brethren 294 

Churches, Adams Tp 673 

Churches, Alexandria 842 

Churches, Boone Tp 701 



PAGE 

Churches. Duck Creek Tp 717 

Churches. Green Tp 780 

Churches in Anderson 287 

Churches. Jackson Tp 793 

Churches, Richland Tp 928 

Churches, Stony Creek Tp 954 

Churches, Union Tp 971 

Churches. Van Buren Tp 1007 

Circuit and Associate Justices 61 

Circus. The River's 188 

Circus. Van Amberg 189 

Citizens' Bank - 313 

Citizens' Bank. Summitville lOH 

Citizens' Exchange Bank. Elwood 882 

Citizens' Gas Co 448 

City of Elwood 87T 

Clancy. Jno 459 

Clark, Dr. T. J 1009 

Clark. Joel R 446 

Clark. Thomas 79 

Clark. Thomas G 816 

Clark, T. J 194 

Clarktown. Boone Tp 703 

Classen. James, House Burned 196 

Clatterbaui^h. Chas 983 

Clearings. The 154-155 

Cleary. Frank 850 

Clendenin. H 878 

Clerk of Court, First 743 

Clinton. H. V 994 

Clinton. Henry V 170 

Clock. Henry, Burned to Death On a 

Train 820 

Clock Peddlers 385 

Club. Anderson 305 

Club. Athletic 305 

Club, Clio 305 

Club. Columbia 305 

Club. Edgerlie 305 

Club. Fortnightly 305 

Clyde Window Glass Co 454 

Clyde Window Glass Co 877 

Cobum. Alfred 517 

Coburn. Amos 517 

Coburn. John 927 

Cochran, Henry '. 716 

Cochran, William 875 

Coffey. . Drowned 207 

Cole, Albert 449 

Cole. Bicknell 32 

College Corner. Richland Tp 932 

Colored Man Barred 153 

Columbia Encaustic Tile Company 450 

Columbia Rifles 305 

Combs. Suicide 816 

Commandery. K. T 298 

Commissioners. County. First 228 

Commissioners. Districts, First 230 

Condemned to Be Shot 237 

Cone. D. A.. Drowned 470 

Conner. John 19 

Conner, Old Timer 372 

Conner. William 19 

Conrad. David 955 

Conrad »S: Mather's Shops Burned 353 

Conway. Charles 718 

Cook, David O 335 

Cook. Dr. Daniel 955 

Cook. Dr. John O 224 

Cook. Dr. Ward 224 

Cook. Eliza, of Local Fame 930 

Cook. Ira A.. Editor 95 

Cook. John H 15G 

Cook. W. E 395 

Cook. Wm. E., Editor 95 

Cook. Thomas W., Editor 95 

Cook. Zack. Old Timer 932 

Cooke, Dallas 803 

Cooke. James W 203 

Cooke. Thomas 205 

Corner-stone. Deposits 55 

Corner-stone. Inscription 55 

Comer-stone, New Court House, Lay- 
ing of 45 

Corwin. Stephen , 22 






1028 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Corwin, Stephen 723 

Corwin-Stilwell Tragedy 585 

Cory. Samuel 23 

Colterall. James 739 

Cotterell, John 958 

Coughlin. Martin. Killed by Soldiers. . 490 

Counterfeiters' Tools 399 

County Business, Early 59 

County Examiners 91 

County Infirmary 

County Loan, First 229 

County Medical Society 109 

County Officers, Past and Present 1023 

County Offices Kept in a Shoe Shop . . . 122 

County Organization 23 

County Seat, Anderson 31 

County Seat. Pendleton 29 

County Superintendents 91-92 

Court, Common Pleas 62 

Court, First Organized 27 

Court House, First at Anderson ^'i 

Court House, New 35 

Court of -Justices 33 

Court Officials' Dignity 236 

Court, Superior 62 

CowgillTile Factory 1010 

Cox and Tharp Shooting Match 248 

('ox Escapes From Jail 251 

Cox, Isaac U 1019 

Cox, Israel 22 

Cox, Limon M 554 

Cox, Moses 743 

Cox, William 740 

Cox, William, Killed 885 

Cradle, The Grain 140 

Cranfill, Dr. M. L 1009 

Craven. C. W 569 

Craven. Judge Hervy 415 

Crawford ct Meek 36 

Creason, Wm., Suicide 638 

Cree, Hon. Robert H 741 

Cree.John lOOn 

Cree. Robert H 843 

Crim's Bank Robbed 600 

Crini William 498 

Cripe. Mrs. R.. Barn Burned : . . 817 

Crittenberger, D. J., Co. Supt 92 

Crittenberger. D. J., Editor 97 

Critton, Defrees 870 

Croan College 323 

Croan, David 927, 970 

Croan, Prof, Wm, M., First Graded 

School 9,12 

Croan, Wm. M.. Co. Superintendent.- 92 

Croan, Wm. M., Editor 96 

Croke, Pat, Burned 544 

Cross, James P 846 

Crossly, Conrad 22,156 

Crowley, John, Drowned 549 

Crull, Ephraim 899 

Crull, George : 899 

Crutchlield, Moses 983 

Crystal Window Glass Co 1010 

Cummins, Eli B 692 

Cunningham, George 27 

Cunning of a Woman 40, 162 

Curtis, William 22, 23, 133 



Daggett, James W., Killed 975 

Daguerreotypist, M. Stravem 200 

Daily Bulletin 10. 16 

Dainty. Laura E 3.50 

Dale, (iranville 532 

DangerBeld, Henry, Killed 816 

Daniels, H.J 80 

Daring Bank Robbery 600 

Darine Escape 162 

Darrow, George 325 

Dascher, G., Found Dead 214 

Dannherty. Neal 253 

Davis.A.C 377 



PAGE 

Davis, Chas., Old Settler 825 

Davis, Child Burned 818 

Davis, D. B., Gas Explosion 963 

Davis, Jacob 1005 

Davis, James Carson, Suicide 785 

Davis, John P 818 

Davis, John, Supt. Jail 37 

Davis, Judge John 195 

Davis, Marion 507 

Davis, Prof. F. M 978 

Dawson, Sarah, Killing of 99 

Dean, Zackariah 897 

Death in a Ball Room 655 

Death of a Band Teacher at Perkins- 

ville 799 

Death of a Hermit 439 

Deatli of a War Horse 748 

Death on the Chesterfield Camp 

Ground 978 

Decker, Moses. Killed 977 

Deem. T. B., Editor 99 

Deer Killed. Last 709 

Dehority, ■■Cliff" 571 

Dehority, James M 870.878 

Dehority, J, A., Banker 882 

Dehority, J. H., Banker 882 

Dehority, T. L 879 

Dehority, Thomas L 905 

Dehority, W. A 880 

Delaware Indians 11, 17, 18 

Democrat, Anderson 96 

Democrat, Daily, Anderson 97 

Democratic Standard, The 95 

Demott, Frank 344 

Departure of Delawares 13 

DePauw Glass Co 839 

Deposits in Corner Stone 55 

Destructive Fire in 1866 338 

Destructive Storm in 1886 260 

Dewey Family, Pioneers 23 

Dewey & Kinser 23 

DeWitt, Henry, Suicide 968 

Dickson, James M 204,253 

Dickson. Mrs. James M 253 

Dignity of Court Officials 236 

Dillon Home Destroyed ; 473 

Dillon. Jesse. Killed 939 

Diltz. William 23 

Diltz. Wm 969 

Dipboye, A. J 321 

Distinguished Citizens 642 

Diven, Dr. C. E 962 

Diven, George R 192 

Diven, Hon. W. S 192 

Diven, W. S.. Editor 98 

Dobson. Adam 22 

Doggett. H. G.. Editor 98 

Donnell, J. li.. Editor 98 

Douglass. Hon. Frederick, Mobbed .. . 749 

Downey, Edward 516 

Downey. M. H 843 

Doxey. C. T 252, 339, 643,870 

Doxey Brewery Burned 338 

Doxey Heading Factory Burned 574 

Doxey Hotel 285 

Doxey Opera House Burned 350 

Doyle, George 1007 

Drewery, -John 34 

Driving Park, Anderson 69 

Driving Park. Elwood 69 

Drug Store. First 413 

Druids. Order of 304 

Duck Creek Township 715 

Dundee. Village of 874 

Dunham, Dr. Valentine 1002 

Dunham, Hon. Wesley 253 

Dunlap. M. M 158 

Dunn. Capt. Williamson 16 

Dunn. Hannah 548 

Durbin. Hon. W. T 643 

Dwiggins, Bernard 909 

Dwiggins, Daniel 870,1009 

Dwiggins. Elijah 873 

Dwiggins Fence Co 877 

Dyson. Hon. B. H 158 



INDEX. 



1029 



E 

PAGE 

Ends, Burkett 255 

Eagle t'hiiir Factory Burned 608 

Earlv County Business 59 

Early Events. Adams Tp IJ'O 

Earlv Events.BooneTp 701 

Early Events. Duck Creek Tp 716 

Early Events, LaFayette Tp 813 

Early Farming • 66 

Early Incidents. Fall Creek Tp i2i 

Early Indian History H. 17 

Early Physicians '-23 

Early Preachers. Richland Tp 9'J8 

Earlv T'lrnaiines 152 

Early Scttlciiients 22 

Eastburn, .l..lui. Killed 887 

Eastern t*tar. Order of 299 

Eastman. John. Killed 762 

Eastman. Sherman 5*6 

Eaton. Thomas B "10 

Edlin. Martin <87 

Edwins. Dr. S. W 185, 875, 90» 

Edwins. Mrs. .S. W 906 

Edwins Vault at Elwood 906 

Ehrhart, Peter 933 

Election Anderson Tp.. 1853 187 

Election. First. Duck Creek Tp 21.i 

Election. First. Pipe Creek Tp 873 

Electric Railway 326 

Elks. Order of 301 

Elliott Mills 813 

Elliott. Prof. D. K 1S8 

Ellis. E 194 

Ellis. Evan 833 

Ellis. Hampton 621 

EUis. Peter 954 

Ellis. Willis 855 

Ellis. Willis. Co. Supt 92 

Ellison. Floyd S 361 

Ellison, Judge Alfred 900 

Ellsk-Wat-a-SVa 14^17 

Ellsworth. Hannah 723 

Elwood Banks 882 

Elwood Boiler Works 882 

Elwood Bottle Works 882 

Elwood Box Factory 882 

Elwood Brick Co 882 

Elwood Cemetery 905 

Elwood. City of 877 

Elwood. City Officials 879 

Elwood Daily Call 100 

Elwood Driving Park 69 

Elwood. Election to Incorporate 879 

Elwood E.tcelsior Factory Burned 907 

Elwood Factories 831 

Elwood. FirNt Citv Election 879 

Elwood. First Miiy.r 879 

Elwood. First PoNtmaster 878 

Elwood. First Kail Road 878 

Elwood Forge Works 882 

Elwood Free Press 99 

Elwood Furniture Co 882 

Elwood Graded School 881 

Elwood Ice Factory 882 

Elwood Incendiary Fire 896 

Elwood. Incoriiorated as a City 878 

Elwood Iron Works 882 

Elwood Leader 99 

Elwood Lighted by Electricity, First. . 904 

Elwood's Monster Store 882 

Elwood Patriarch Militant 904 

Elwood Planing Mill 882 

Elwood Plate Glass Works, Fire 895 

Elwood Police 879 

Elwood Prize Drill Co 904 

Elwnod Radiater Co 892 

Elwood Review 99 

Elw.K.d Sc.ret Orders 883 

Elwood Scli.iols 881 

Elwood. Supt. Schools 881 

Elwood. Town Laid Out 878 

Elwood \\'indow Glass Co 882 

Emmons. L. H.. Editor 99 

Emporia. Town of 678 

Engineers, City of Anderson 278 



PAGE 

Engletteld, David 533 

Eppard. Louis, Barn Burned 762 

Eppard, Samuel, Killed 934 

Epworth League 305 

Equitable Union 302 

Errick, Isaac K 970 

Escape of a Criminal 162 

Escaped from Jail, Cox 251 

Etchinson, Walter 872 

Etchinson. William 872 

Eventful Day 232 

E.vcursion Train, First 411 

E.vecution of Indian Murderers 775 

Exhibition. Old Time 405 

Express Co., The First 191 

Ewing, Chas. II., Editor 98 



Factories. Anderson 312 

Factories in Elwood 882 

Factories in Madison County 450 

Fair at Huntsville in 1839 67 

Fair. Madison <.'ounty 68, 193 

Fair. The First 66 

Fair, The Pendleton 67 

Fall Creek Township History 721 

Falling of a Shed 477 

Falling of the Stars in 1866 621 

Falls of Fall Creek 726. 766 

Farlow. Hon. James M 158 

Farniint: Interests. Early 66 

Farming Out the Poor 37, 38, 231 

F^irrar. tJeorge D., Editor 96 

Fatally Scalded 760 

Fated House. Jackson Tp 797 

Fear. Geo. W 1010 

Fear. W. C. ^t Co 1010 

Federal Union. The 93 

Fence Viewers 268 

Fenimore. Sam'l 1008 

Fenimore. Stephen 833 

Fergeson. W. H 551 

Ferriter. Maurice ... 1 322 

Fesler. George 263 

Fiddlers. Old Time 382 

Finch. W. A 879 

Finin. James, Drowned 547 

Fire at Frankton, 1854 924 

Fire at Frankton, 1877 909 

Fire Department, Anderson 329 

■'Fire Fly." The 95 

Fire. Incendiary, at Frankton 915 

Fire. West Side", .\nderson 340 

Fires and Casualties in Alexandria. . . 862 

First Blacksmith in Alexandria 836 

First Bridge, The 129 

First Camp Meeting in Fall Creek Tp 725 

F'irst Case in Court. 27 

First Cook Stove in Fall Creek Tp 738 

First Corn Cracker in County 724 

First County < lerk 743 

First County i ouimissioners 228, 229 

First C'.'urtl louse in Anderson 33, 34 

First Death in County 723 

First Drug Store in Anderson 413 

First Election in Richland Tp 932 

First Election, Pipe Creek Tp 873 

First Fire from tJas, Alexandria 868 

First Fire in Anderson 273 

First Gas Light in Anderson 457 

First Gas Well in County, March 27, 

1887 116,838 

First Ciraded School in Madison Co 932 

First Grand Jury 27 

First Grist Mill in Fall Creek Tp 737 

First Hearse in Anderson 355 

First Indictment 27 

First Iron Bridge ; 88 

First Lawyer in Alexandria 336 

First Loan by County 229 

First Local Option 230 

First Marriage, Fall Creek Tjk 723 

First Marriage in LaFayette Tp 813 

First Marriage in Stony Creek ^Pp 956 



1080 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

First Masonic Lod^e in Anderson 36 

First M. E. rhureh ...■ 289 

First Mill in Alexandria 839 

First Mill in LaFayette Tp 813 

First National Bank Failure 583 

First National Bank in Elwood 882 

First Orchard, Duck Creek Tp 716 

First Orchard in (^reen Tp 780 

First Orchard in LaFayette Tp 813 

First Physician in Alexandria 835 

First Physician in Union Tp H7;i 

First Postmaster, Pipe Creek Tp 875 

First Prisoner in Jail 42 

First Public Buildings in Anderson.. 33-34-35 

First Rf)ad in Fall Creek Tp 725 

First Koad in Stony t'reek Tp 954 

First Saloon iu Alexandria 83ti 

First Saw Mill in Anderson 306 

First Saw Mill. Pipe Creek Tp 874 

First School House. Pipe Greek Tp 874 

First School in Anderson 320 

First School in LaFayette Tp 813 

First Scliool Teacher in Alexandria... 834 

First Sjiiyinti Teacher 4K2 

First Store House, Frankton 875 

First Store in Union Tp 971 

First Store. Pipe Creek Tp 874 

First Suicide in County 723 

First Tannery in A nderson 307 

First Tannery in Fall Creek tp 725 

First Tavern Keeper in Alexandria. . . 835 

First Village. Pipe Creek Tp 874 

First White Child Bom in County 723 

Fisher, Benjamin 953 

Fisher. Charles 953 i 

Fisher Cradle Factory Burned 341>- 

Fisher, Dr. J. M 955- 

Fisher, John 952- 

Fishersbur^ Industries 956- 

Fishersburg. Town of 955- 

Fitztfibbons, Thos. F 881 

Flax Mill Burned .348 

Fleming, Thomas J 643 

Fleminn, T. J., and the Colored 

Preacher 613 

Fleming. W. C. Editor 96 

Fleming. W. C 132. 157, 253. 644 

Fliun. Juhn 121-122 

Florida. Village of 815 

Foland. Andrew J 807 

Foland. Edith 805 

Ford, (ieorge 958 

Ford, James 958 

Ford, John 354 

Ford. Thomas 958 

Foreinner. The First 132 

Forest (.'hapel, Stony Creek Tp 954 

Forkuer, Jesse 703,927 

Forkner, John L 362 

Furkner. Lydia 145 

Forkner. Mrs. Jesse 834 

Fornshell. E. E.. Editor 100 

Forrest, John W 157 

Forresters. Order of 303 

Forrestville 702 

Fort Harmar 16 

Foundry. First. Anderson 30S 

Four Story Buildings 567 

Fourth of July Accident 903 

Foust, William, Murder of 897 

Fox, . Suicide of in 1838 749 

Franconi's Hippodrome 196 

Franklin, Joseph , . 321 

Franklin, Roda 542 

Frankton and Vicinity 907 

Frankton Bands 877 

Frankton Brick Works 877 

Frankton Burglary 915, 925 

Frankton, First Trustees 875 

Frankton Flour Mills 877 

Frankton Fraternal 877 

Frankton Incorporated 875 

Frankton Industries 877 

Frankt^tn Leader 100 

Frankton Lumber Co 877 



PAGE 

Frankton Rolling MiU 877 

Frankton Schools 876 

Frankton, Town of 875 

Frankton Window Glass Co 877 

Fraternities. Adams Tp 675 

Fraternal t)rders of Fishersburg 956 

Fraternal Societies, Fall Creek Tp 732 

Frazier, Joseph 85$ 

Free Gravel Roads 86 

Free Mail Service, Anderson 458 

Freel, Benoni 23. 953 

Freel, James 956 

French, James 873 

French Settlers 11 

French, T. A 838 

G 

Game in Boone Tp 708 

Gamewell Fire Alarm 332 

Garrett, Dr. C. V 1009 

Garretson, Dr. J. M 225 

Garretson, Sims, Barn Burned 946 

Gas, Artificial. Anderson 457 

Gas Belt News 837 

Gas Discovered. Alexandria 838 

Gas Discovered, Anderson 442 

Gas Explosion 471 

Gas Explosion, Alexandria 864-865 

Gas First Discovered in Alexandria, 

March 27. 1887 838 

Gas, Natural 116 

Gas Wells. Cost of llS-119 

Gas Wells, Number of 117 

Gazette. Anderson, of 1853 94, 186 

Gedge. Fred C 333 

Gelispie, James, Killed 903 

General History 11 

(iilmore, James, Prosecutor 27 

Ginseng Days 625 

(iipe, Charles. Killed 563 

Gipe, Milton, Killed 564 

Glasco, R. C. Editor 96 

Glasco. Sumner. Editor 96 

Glass Factory, Fishersburg 956 

Godwin, Elenor 503 

Godwin. Richard 992 

Goldsmith, Gardener, Editor 94 

Good, L. M . . 905 

Goode. M. E 879 

Gooding. David S 153, 190 

(iooding. Simeon. Killed 550 

Goodykoontz. E. B 500 

(iordon, John M 1010 

Gordon, O. E lOU 

Gordon, Thomas 1005 

Gored by a Bull 487 

Graduates. First 131 

(Vraham, J. C.. Rescued 865 

Graham, John 860 

Grain Cradle. The 140 

(irain Houses, .\nderson 3lO 

Grand Army. Major May Post 304 

(irand Jury, First 27 

Grangers, The 113 

(ira vel Roads 86 

Green, George W 1010 

Green. The Chief and His Idol 594 

Green Tp. History 179 

Green Tj.. Rangers 787 

Greenlee. C. M 881 

Greenville. Indian Treaty 15 

Greyer. George, Residence Burned... 475 

Griffith. A. J 883 

Griffith House, Anderson 284 

Griffith. Wm 992 

(iriffy. . Shooting of 214 

Grimes. Rev. W. M 343 

Gronendyke, John 881 

"Ground" Hog Dave" 533 

Guenthensberger, Vincennes 477 

Gustin, Andrew 545 

Ciustin. Edwin 977 

Gustin. Sam'l. Esq 981 

Guthrie, Clinton, Soldier. Drowned... 936 



INDEX. 



1031 



PAGE 

Gwinn, James ^^^ 

Gwinn, Jesse 95'' 

H 

Haas. John G H.i 

Haines. C'has.. Drowned 759 

HalBn. Milton. Killed 881 

Ham. B. K 115 

Hamilton. Prof. R.I 321 

Hamilton. R.I.Supt 92 

Hamilton. The Horse Tamer 430 

Hamilton. Town of "95 

Hamm Boiler Works, Elwood 882 

Hancock. Joseph 930 

Hancock. William 930 

Handle Factory, Do-tey & Co., Burned 611 

HanKinK of David Shufer 168 

Hansrinirof Milton White 175-176 

Hanibal. The Elephant 189 

Hannah. James 879 

Hannah. K. H.. Banker 840 

Hannah, R. H.. County Clerk 843 

Hannah. Roy. Editor 99 

Hanson. Jno. C. Editor 96 

Harbit. Kranz 879 

Harden, Samuel 158, 665 

Hardesty. Daniel 33 

Hardesty. Jno. O 150-1.^1 

Hardesty, J. O.. Editor 97 

Hardgrave. A. B 1011 

Harding. Geo. (-' 175 

Hardy. J, O.. Barn Burned 754 

Hardy. -Neal "51 

Hardy Store Robbed 691 

Harnieson. Georsie. Killed 400 

Harless. David 213 

Harper & Cruzen 839 

Harpold. Daniel 34, 236 

Harpold. Ira 987 

Harrell. Jesse D.. Killed 865 

Harriman. Cant. R. M 219 

Harriman. CM 824 

Harriman. Dr. Leonard 225 

Harriman. Dr. S. B 225, 1009 

Harris. Hon. (Jeo. W 829 

Harris. Thos. P.. Editor 98 

Harris, Wm.. Escape of 162 

Harrison. Gen.W. H 14, 19 

Harrison. John A 522 

Harvy. Dr. R 875 

Haskett, Ryburn 83" 

Hat. The Story of 160 

Hatchett. Lewis, Killed 85i; 

Haunted House 466 

Hawkins, Coleman, Shoots J. J. John- 
son 965 

Hayes. Lewis, Killed 804 

Hays, Alexander 979 

Heading Factories 309 

Hearse. First in .\ndersOD 355 

He Climbed the Fence 237 

Hedrick. Calvin. Residence Destroyed 440 

Hedrick. Wm 716 

Hefner. Lewis 905 

Hefner Planing Mill, Elwood 882 

Held the Fort 165 

Hellwig. A. A 254, 373 

Henderson. C. .\.. Robbed 605 

Henderson. Chas. D.. Editor 93 

Henderson's Drug Store 624 

Henderson. Major Edgar 133 

Henderson Mills Burned 439 

Hendricks. Gov. Wm 23 

Hendricks. Lewis 30 

Henry. C. L 116. 643 

Henry, David, Evades an Officer 200 

Henry, Doctor 225 

Henry, J. Fenwick 192 

Henry. J . Fenwick. Editor 94 

Henry, Major Samuel 10*> 

Hensley, Dr. Wm 758 

Hensley, J . L "58 

Herald . A nderson 97 

Herald. Indianapolis 175 



PAGE 

Hero of Richmond. Ky 368 

Hershberger. J. W., Son KiUed 960 

Hiatt. Madison, Suicide 944 

Hickey, John 316 

Hiday, Jacob 33 

Hiday. Jacob B. Juror 27 

Higgins. J. E.. Burned 545 

Highway Robbery 756 

Hildrup, James 874 

Hill. Jasper N 335 

Hill. Rev. John 343 

Hill. Roswell. e.-c-State Treasurer 990 

Hilligoss. E, C. Barn Burned 821 

Hinchman. T. J 194 

Hines. George 898 

Historical Society HO 

History. (General County 11 

History of Madison County Schools 

89, 90, 91, 92 

Hodson. Eli. Uld Citizen 679 

Holland. Elijah. Conductor 79 

HoUidav. Samuel 26 

HoUingsworth. Elias 22 

Hollingsworth. James 18, 158, 812 

Hollowny. E. B 343 

Holsten Camp (iround 929 

Holsten. James, Killed 94S 

Hollsten. J, R 193 

Holsten. J. R 929 

Holton. Forbes 450 

Holton. Noble 450 

Hoosier Fence Co 877 

Hoover. Chas.. Killed 865 

Hopkins. Milton B 89 

Hoppes. Daniel, Murder of 175 

Home. Doctor 225 

Hosier. Peter 212 

Hosier. Philip. Drowned 806 

Hospital. St. Johns ." 316 

Hotel .\ntrim 186 

Hotel Commercial. Pendleton 735 

Hotels of Anderson 281, 266 

Hougham. Wm.. Killed 802 

Houk Boy Drowned 546 

House's .Mill Explosion. Elwood 889 

Howard. John A 909 

Howard. Joseph. Resigns the Audit- 
or's Office 122-123 

Howard. William 1010 

Howe. Michael 522 

Howe. Mrs. Flora May 906 

Howell. John tj.. Editor 94 

Howell. Wm. L,. Editor 94 

Hub and Spoke Factory 309 

Hubbard, Jacob 182 

Huddleson. F'irst Railroad Conductor. "7 

Huddleson. John C 81 

Hudson. Jason ■••• 970 

Hudson. Wm,. First Prisoner in New 

Jail *2 

Hughes. W. F.. Barn Burned 1014 

Hull. Mary »5 

Hundley. James M 1021 

Hunt, A. J.. Stage Driver 127. 1008 

Hunt. Dr. John 226, 816 

Hunt, Dr. J. W 9 

Hunt. Dr. M. V 9 

Hunt. Dr, Wm. A 227 

Hunt. Frank. Killed 561 

Hunt, (ieorge 30 

Hunt. R, J.. Stage Driver 12.. 1008 

Hunt, Samuel. Stage Driver 12T 

Hunt. W. A.. Residence Burned 4.34 

Hunt A Pence Stables Burned 433 

Hunter. K. M 878 

Huntsville Fair in 1839 67 

Huntsville, Town of 736 

Huntzinger, Noah 954 

Huntzinger. Wm., Robbed 965 

Huj.p. lieorge W 878 

Hupp, Svlvcster, Killed »53 

Hupp, W, A 879 

Hurst. Jesse W 350 

Husking Bees, The "5 

Huston, Hon. J. N 870 



1032 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Huston. John 194 

Hydraulic. Anderson 73 

Hyer. John, Killed 5H0 



I 



Idol of Chief Green 595 

Imprisoned on an Island 989 

Independence. Town of 703 

Indiana Box Company 451 

Indian Burying Ground 21 

Indiana Central Canal 71 

Indian History , 17 

Indian Murders. Adams Tp 7615 

Indian Reminiscences 1(57, 594 

Industries, Alexandria 838-839 

Industries. County 465 

Industries in Elwood 882 

Infirmary. County ^7. 38, 231 

Ingalls. Town of 783 

Insanity. First Case 988 

Inscription on Comer Stone, Court 

House 55 

Insurance Company. Madison County 113 

Inquest. An Old 205 

Irey Bros. Burned Out 579 

Irish. Harry nyn 

Irish. Samuel D 156 

Irish. S. D. & Sons 199 

Iron Bridges 88 

Iron Bridge. The First 88 

Ironing Prisoners. Allowance for 35 

Irwin, Benjamin 29 

Irwin, Fred W., Suicide 53»J 

Isanogle. Isaac, killed. 98 

Isanogle. William, killed 987 



Jackson. Andrew 3ti, (51. 131. tj07 

Jackson, Enoch M 131, 215. 343 

Jackson. Jas. H.. Killed 495 

Jackson Township. History of 791 

Jackson's Old Mill Burned 607 

Jail. New 35. 40 

Jail Order For 36, 37. 40 

James. Annon 832 

James, James M 832 

Jarrell. Joseph 2.34 

Jarrett Boy Killed 561 

Jeffries. Charles J., Killed 886 

Jennings, J. T 881 

Jennings, Jonathan 18 

Jenny 8., Child Killed 1013 

Jewish Wedding 437 

Job, Peter 872 

Johnny-cakes 156 

Johns. Wm.. Old Timer 1000 

Johnson. Abel 156 

Johnson. Edmund 335. 837 

Johnson, J . J . , Shooting of 965 

Johnson, M. U., County Supt 92 

Johnson, M. 1'.. Editor 97 

Jones, C. E 395 

Jones. Dr. H. E 227. 462 

Jones, Dr. Thomas N 185. 226 

Jones, Isaac, Juror 27 

Jones, John C 234. 711 

Jones, Joseph, Editor 94 

Jones & McCallister 194 

Jones, Joshua 261 

Jones. Silas. Barn Burned 937 

Joshua. The Interpreter 15 

Judge Adam Winsell 747 

Julia Dean, The 78 

Junction Farm-Ho.use Burned 760- 

Junction House Burned 342 

Junk, Heuben 811 

Jurymen, Professional 415 

Justices, Associate 29, 124 

Justices. Board of 33 

Justices, Circuit 61 



K 

PAGE 

Kathman. Burglar. Killed 961 

Kaufman. A. F 1010 

Kemp. Henry. Killed 805 

Keicher. Peter 927 

Keiser. Alford & HiU 308 

Keller, PhiUip 41 

Keller's Station 814 

Kelley Axe Works 839 

Kelley. Reuben 872 

Kelly, John 403 

Kelsey. John 1020 

Kelsey. Wm 1006 

Keltner. S. M 278, 322, 447 

Kemp, John. Killed 888 

Kidwell. Ira. Jr 885 

Kik-Tha-We-Nund 14, 15, 18 

Kilgne. J . L 870 

Kilgiire Factory Burned 581 

Killbuck, Captain 12, 18, 19 

Killbuck Mills 307 

Killbuck Woolen Mills 933 

Killed by an Officer 857 

Killed by "Damps" 914 

Killed by Dynamite Gilmore 691 

Killed by Lightning 553 

Killed on a Train at Chesterfield 979 

Killing of John Little 910 

Killing of William Burk 556 

King, Daniel 905 

King. Wm R.. Vice Pres 187 

Kinnaman, J. 51.. Killed 762 

Kinnamon, Richard 33 

Kinnard. C. H., Editor 97 

Kinnard. John B.. Editor 97 

Kinnard. John B.. Shot 634 

Kinnard, Wm. M., Editor 97 

Kinyoun. John 39 

Kinyoun, John. Supt 974 

Kinser Family. Pioneers 23 

Kittinger. W. A 247. 900 

Kline. A. B 209.418 

Knight. James W 569 

Knights and Ladies of Honor 303 

Knit:ilt-^. < athulio 303 

Kniylits, Kssi-nie Order of 304 

Knight- nf Honor 303 

Knighlv of Maccabees 301 

Kniwlits ui Pythias 300 

Knights of the Golden Eagle 301 

Knights Templar 298 

Knowland. James T 335 

Kuhn. Louis 41 

Ku-Klux. Summers 789 

Kyle. Wm..Shot 478 

Kynett. Chas.. Killed 516 

L 

Labor Day. Anderson 465 

Lafayette Township 811 

Lake. Richard 186, 201 

Landmark Gone . . . . , 293 

Landry. George 983 

Landrv. Simon 980 

Lane. David H 214 

Lang. Willie, Killed 561 

Langdon. T. J.. Editor 93 

Lapelle Band 158 

Lapelle. Town of 955 

Last Survivor of Mexican War ^21 

Lavery. Chas 493 

Lavin. Michael, Killed 784 

Law-Le-Was-I-Kaw 17 

Laying Corner Stone of New Court 

House 45 

League, Epworth 302 

Lee. Culpepper 883 

Leeson. J. L. & Sons 882 

Leeson A March 907 

Leever A Morrison 310 

Legend. Mrs. E. Reeve 597 

Legg. Arthur 873 

Legg. Samuel. Editor 99 

Legislature, Moot 208-209 



INDEX. 



1033 



PAGE 

Leisure. N. J.. Banker 882 

Lemon, Edward 258 

Lemon, Peter H 165 

Lemon. "Al" 936 

Lemon, John, Death of 9H1 

Lester, Edward J . . Killed 488 

Lewis. J. H.. Editor 98 

Lewis, Joseph B 752 

Lewis. W. H.. Editor 95 

Library, Anderson 323 

Lincoln, t'has.. Conductor 79 

Lincoln. Order of 304 

Linsey, John 22 

Lin wood, A'illage of 815 

Lippiucott's Chimney Works 839 

Liquors Destroyed in 1858 209 

List of Pensinn'ers. 1854 195 

Little, JmUh. Killed 910 

Livery Stables Burned 433 

Loan, Madison County, First 229 

Local Option. First 230 

Loeatine Seat of Justice 29 

Lodges. ( "besterlield 974 

Lodges. Klwui.d 883 

Lodges. Fishersburg 956 

Lodges, Frankton 877 

Lodges, Jackson Tp 796 

Loeb. Isaac 438 

Loeb, Louis, Family 437 

Log Rollings 155 

Log School House 136-137 

Long, Elisha 30 

Long, E. V 395 

Longnet^ker, J. J., Coroner 205 

Lottery, Samuel Pence 613 

Louder, Hiram 931 

Louiso, Geo. P.. Editor 1009 

Love, Vincent R 1010 

Lovett, John W 48, 395, 870 

Lower, William and Wife 813 

Loyal American, The 96 

Luse. Fleming T 395. 417 

Luse. Fleming T., Editor 96 

Lyceum, Anderson 203 

M 

Madison County Bar 63-64-65 

Madison County Fair 68 

Madison County Historical Society... 110 

Madison County Industries 450 

Madison County Insurance Co 113 

Madison <.'ounty Journal 94 

Madison i'ounty Republican 95 

Madison County's First Graduates 131 

Mail ( 'arriers. Early 146-147 

Mail Routes 145-146-147 

Main. Frank, Killed 690 

Maj. May Post, G. A. R 304 

Makepeace, A. I 394 

Makepeace, A. L. & A. 1 199 

Makepeace, Amasa 23,33.970 

Makepeace, " Betsy." Pioneer 1003 

Makepeace. Capt. A.I 663 

Makepeace, Hannah M 206 

Makepeace, H. B 394 

"Mam-Tab" 636 

Manis. Perry 244 

Manor. Harry, Editor 100 

Manufactories of A nderson 306 

Manufactories uf Pendleton 734 

Markle. John 156 

Markle, John. Killed by Lightning 686 

Markle. Lew 345 

Markleville. Town of 677 

Marriage. First in Fall Creek Tp 723 

Marsh. George 832 

Marsh. James D 10, 20 

Martin, Frank 977 

Martin. Isaac, Killed 856 

Masonic t>rder 297 

Masonic Temple 298. 567 

Masons in Court House 36 

Massee. Wm., Disemboweled 916 

Mastadons 9 



PARK 

Mathes Wagon Shops 311 

Matter. Phillip 754 

Mattox, Saml B 193 

Mawson. Albert. Killed 524 

Mawson. Nancy 524 

May, Edwin, Architect ■ . . 38 

May, Maj. Isaac M 105 

May, Samantha 202 

Maynard. Ethan A 951 

Maynard, G. W 525 

Maynard. J. B., Address of 51 

Maynard, Moses 217 

McAtee, William 127 

McBeth, George A 882 

McBeth Glass Co 882 

McCallister, A. S., Editor 95 

McCallister, Carshena 681 

Me<'allister, Dallas 538 

Mc(.'allister. Decatur 689 

Mc(.'andless. H. E 611 

McCartney. Maj.. His Queue 738 

McCartney, Thomas 22.59,228 

McCartney, William ^2 

MfCarty, Jas. A 961 

McCarty, J . C 955 

McChester, Indian Trader 970 

McClintock, Alexender 194 

MeCloskey's Disappearance 633 

McCIoy Glass Works 882 

McClure, John F .333. 653 

McConnell. James H 253. 507 

McCormick A Sweeney 55, 131 

McCuUough.C. K 45. 335 

Me<'ulIough. Dote 539 

McCulIough. N. C, Supt 54. 204 

McCulIough. Neal, Jr 345 

McDermott. James 856 

McDonald. Hon. Joseph E 741 

McDowell. Hon. James F 136 

McDowell. Wesley 979 

McFarland, Mrs. F. B 902 

Mctiuire, Michael. Killed 940 

McKeown, George, Editor 98 

McKinney, Seth. Killed 484 

McKinnon, Joseph. Killed 983 

McKnight, James 556 

McLain. Robert 1010 

McLaughlin. James, Killed 985 

McMahan. Hvron 335 

McMahan Dr. W. V 1009 

McMahan. Knoch B 713 

McMahan. T. J 443. 445. 449 

McMillan, John 333 

McMillan. Thus 957 

AlcXeer and the Spirits 835 

McNeer, Ward 835 

RIedical Societies 109 

Mellett. Jesse. Editor 99 

Melson. James 817 

Members of Madison County Bar 64 

Memory of the War 133 

Menden. Village of 738 

Mendenhall. James W 195 

Mendenhall. J. W.. Editor 94 

Menefee. R. A. & Co. Fire 1016 

Meridian Glass Factory Burned 610 

Metcalf, Stephen, Editor 9" 

Mexican Soldiers 101-102 

Mickler. George B.. Editor 100 

Milbum. Isaac 954 

Military History 101-102 

Milk. Sick 269 

Mill. First in Lafayette Tp 813 

Miller. Ira 847 

Miller, Max 989 

Millerites 990 

Mills. Cataract. Burned 760 

Mills in Adams Tp 671 

Mills in Duck Creek Tp 716 

Mills in Union Tp 971 

Millspaugh. George 37,913 

Minute Men 104 

Mississinewa. Battle of 19 

Mittont:. Sallie. Burned 1015 

Mix. Joseph. The Seer 360 



1034 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Mobbing of Fred Douglass in 1843 749 

Mock, Dr. J. F 22ti, 843 

Mock, Legislature Ovid H83 

Mohan, .James 276, 616, 1024 

Monroe Tp. History 832 

Montgomery, .James 873 

Montgomery, John, Juror 27 

Montgomery, Robert, Killed 888 

Mtintgomerv, William 873 

Moon, Zimri 929 

MoonsviUe 929 

Moore, Aquilla 1007 

Moore, Columbus 1009 

Moore, George 1005 

Moore, Madison 897 

Moore, Samuel 1007 

Moore, Thos. R 161, 897. 962 

Jloot, Legislature 208-209 

Moranvilie, Robt, E., Editor 99 

Moravian Indians 13 

Morearity, .John 514 

Morgan Raid 104 

Morris, W. F 878 

Morris, \Vm. R 27 

Morton, Gov, O. P 105 

Moss, Frank 555 

Moss Island Mills 566 

Mounds and Builders 5 

Mount Pleasant 931 

" Mud Sock," Village of 874 

>l order of Indians in 1824 766 

Mustard, D. F 381, 465 

ilustard. Nancy 813 

Mustard, \Vm 813 

Myers, Anna B., Librarian 323 

Myers, Jasper 190 

Myers, Samuel 158, 397 

Myers, W. H., & Son 40 

Myers, Wm., Awakes a Sleeping Guest 620 

Mvers, W. R 235, 246, 254, 339, 803 

Myers, W. R., Editor 97 

Mysterious Disappearance 633 

Mysterious Disappearance, Jackson 
Tp 796 



N 



Nanticoke, .James 12 

National E.xchange Bank 314 

National E.vchange Bank Gas Explo- 
sion 476 

National Tin Plate t-'o 4.V2 

Natural Gas Era 1 16 

Natural Gas E.Yplosion 476 

NuturaltTas in .\nderson 442 

Neeley, Bazil 650, 970 

Neeley Block Burned 579 

Neeley. HesterA 656 

Negro, First in County 6,36 

Negro Juror, The First 1024 

Nelson, Arbuckle 953 

Nelson , Jasper 246 

Nelson, Saul 947 

Nelson, Susan, Killed 243 

Nelson, William 33 

Nelson, Wm. .\., Sheriff 419 

Nelson, Wm., Suicide 519 

Netterville, J. J., Editor 97 

Newman, Wm. P 157 

New Columbus 676 

Newspapers 93-94-95-96-97-98-99-100 

Niagara Lime Stone, Alexandria 837 

Nichol, George 649, 870 

Nicoson, L. C 837 

Noble, Gov. Noah 71 

Noland, Brazelton 993 

Noland, B. A Co 310 

Noland, Daniel 23 

Noland, James, Killed 492 

Normal, University 323 

Norris, Stephen 832 

Norton Residence Destroyed 472 

Nursery, The First 122 

Nuzum, Capt. Nett 905 



PAGE 

Nuzum, Minor 99 

O 

OBrien, P. T 70.446 

O'Brien's Menagerie 616 

Odd Fellows, Anderson 299 

Odem, Willis, Seller of Scalps 121 

Officers. Battle with 517 

Offices. County. In a Shoe Shop 123 

Officers, County. Past and Present 1023 

Officials, City of Anderson 275-276-277 

Oil Discovered. Monroe Tp 870 

Old Land Mark in Anderson 393 

Old Log School House 137 

Old Settlers, The 156 

Old Time C'unductors 79 

Old Time (;ourt E.vperiences 256 

Old Time Fence Viewers 268 

Old Time Fiddlers 382 

Old Time Husking Bees 125 

Old Time Railroad Engineers 78 

Old Time School Exhibition 405 

Old Time Shooting Match 248 

Old Timer Criminal 121 

Old Villages 324 

Old Wrinkle 1006 

Oldest Man 217 

Olympic Theatre Burned 352 

Omaha Village 324 

One -Mile House 390 

Ooten, Jordan, Old Settler 812 

Opera House, Alexandria 839 

Orchard. First, Duck Creek Tp 716 

Orchard, First, Lafayette Tp 813 

Orestes, Town of 843 

Organization of County 23, 25, 26 

Orr, Stephen, ( 'hild Burned 685 

Orr, Thomas B 46, 48, 803 

Orr & Campbell Saw .Mill 877 

Osborn, Isaac, Barn Burned 816 

Osceola, Town of 844 

Overshiner, Ella 890 

Overshiner, J. M 878 

Ovid, ViUage , 676 



Painter, Harry 857 

Palmer, Isaiah 1008 

Palmer. John 1005 

Parke, Benjamin 18 

Parker. Archibald 66 

Parker, Benj 156 

Parker, Col. G. W., War Horse 748 

Parker, Joseph 819 

Parkins, Wm 23 

Parochial School 322 

Parsons, Carrol 895 

Parsons, John M 879 

Parstins. Solomon, Killed 1015 

Parris. Absolom 614 

Patriarchs. MiUtant, Elwood 905 

Patrick, Palmer 22 

Patrick, Thomas ,• . . . 22 

Patriotism, Madison County 107 

Patterson, "BiUy" 81 

Pavy, J. W., Found Dead 757 

Peake A Cartwright's Varieties 570 

Pearson, Moses 30 

Pegg, Doctor 224 

Pence, Adam 927 

Pence, Cyrus P 191 

Pence A Hunts Stables Burned 433 

Pence, J. W 363 

Pence, John W., Supt 57 

Pence, Samuel, Lottery 613 

Pence. Madison, Killed 938 

Pendleton Banking Co 734 

Pendleton Fiiir 67 

Pendleton, First County Seat 29 

Pendleton Record 99 

Pendleton Register 99 

Pendleton Republican 99 



INDEX. 



1035 



!'A(;E 

Pendleton, Thomas M 33 

Pendleton. Town of 728 

Penisten. David 927 

Pennisten. Isaac C, Killed 401 

Penn. Wm. S 33 

Penna. Glass Co 453 

Pepin. Louis, Killed by "Damps" 914 

Perkinsville, Town of 794 

Perry. Dr. J. W 225 

Perry. J. W 194 

Perry. William. House Burned 807 

Peyton, C 16 

Philadelphia (Quartz Co 454 

Phipps. Geor^fe . 737 

Physicians, Early 223 

Physicians, Past and Present, Chester- 
field 973 

Pickurd, David L 833 

Pickard, Joseph .^39 

Picking Wool 153 

Pierce. Frank 870 

Pierce. Winburn R 157 

Pioneer Busbv. Fall Creek Tp . . 738 

Pioneers Fall Creek Tp 721. 723 

Pioneers Pipe Creek Tp 873 

Pipe. Captain 16 

Pipe Creek Tp. History 872 

Piper, Eva 536 

Pittsbursh Plate Glass Co 8S2 

Pittsford, Wm.. Stage Driver 127, 1008 

Pittsborroush. Village 930 

Plackard. W. E.. Editor 99 

Plaindealer, Anderson 96 

Plate Glass Works Burned. Alexan- 
dria 861 

Plate Glass Works Fire. Elwood 895 

Platter. Foreman A Battreall 309 

Played the Insanity Dodge 922 

Pleads Guilty After Acquitted 263 

Poindexter. Josephus 206 

PoleyWalk Locality 678 

Polk, President James K 101 

Pimieroy. PZdward 543 

Pitur. Farming Out 231 

Poor House ot IH34 231 

Poj'ulation of Anderson 280 

Population of Fall Creek Tp 738 

Population of Green Tp 782 

Population of Jackson Tp 796 

Posey. Governor 16 

Postoffice. A nderson 278 

Postoffiee Burglary 399 

Postotfiee. Linwood. Rubbed 824 

Postoflfice Robbed, Alexandria 853 

pottery Works. Fall Creek Tp 725 

Pouring out Lifjuors in 1858 209 

Puhlic Buildings, First in Anderson.. 33 

Puldic Schools 89, 90, 91. 92 

Pujih, Dr. Joseph 225 

Pu-Ke-She-Xo. Chief 17 

Pump Factorv. Anderson 309 

Purcell. John B 928. 933 

Prather, C. W 278, 322 

Pratt, Hon. Daniel 522 

Prehistoric Period 5 

Premium List. 1854 195 

Press, Past and Present 

93.94. 95, 96, 97. 98. 99. 100 

Preston. Lyman. Killed 977 

Prisoners Ironed. Allowance for 35 

Probate and Circuit Courts 60. 62 

Prominent Citizens of Adams Tp 679 

Prominent Citizens of Bocme Tp 702 

Prominent Citizens of Duck Creek Tp 717 

Prominent Citizens of Green Tp 784 

Prominent Citizens of Lafayette Tp. .. 815 

Prominent Citizens of Monroe Tp 843 

Prominent Citizens of Richland Tp 931 

Prominent ( itizens of I'nion Tp 974 

Prominent Citizens of Suramitville. . .. 1020 

Prophet. The Shawnee 19 

Prtisecuting Attorneys. Past and Pres- 
ent 61 

Pyle. Henry. Railroad Asent 77 

Prisoners. Ironing, Allowance for 35 



Q 

PAGB 

Quick. Cornelius 741 

(^uick City Novelty Co 877 

Quick. George 322 

Quick A Co., Bankers 877 

Quick & Murphy 924 

tjuincy. Town of 877 

Quiltings, The 153 

R 

Railroad, Anderson Belt 85 

Railroad, " Big Four." 76 

Railroad. C.. W. & M 82,83 

Railroad. C. A S. E 84 

Railroad. L. E. & W 85 

Railroad, Pan Handle 76 

Railroad Reminiscences 77 

Railroad Wreck 478. 479 

Railroaders. Early 77. 78, 79. 80. 81 

Railroads. Early Incidents. 77. 78. 79, 80. 81 

Railroads. When Constructed 75 

Railsback. Joseph, Killed 697 

Rambo. E. R 955 

Randall, F. M.. Editor 95 

Randall. P. A 957 

Rauek, David A 464 

Rawie. Henry 3.36 

Ray. Henry, First Settler in Lafayette 

Tp 811 

Rav, Hon. Jas. B 71 

Ray. Martin M..... 27 

Ream. Laura 529 

Reaping Hook, The 140 

Reaping Machine 142 

Rector, Henry. Found Dead 689 

Rector. Wm.. Drowned 687 

Rector, Thornton, Shot 695 

Red Hot Political Campaign 252 

Red Men, Anderson 300 

Reddick. Jesse 24 

Reed. John, Killed 543 

Reeder. Jonathan 873 

Reeve. Mrs. Earle 20 

Reeve. Mrs. Earle, Legend 597 

Relf . Wilson, Soldier. Drowned 936 

Relies of Other Days 8 

Religious Societies, Fall Creek Tp 729 

Reminiscences of Boone Tp 703 

Reminiscences of Fall Creek Tp 739 

Reminiscences from the Anderson 

(iazette of 1853 186 

Reminiscences from the Anderson 

Standard of 1857 200 

Remsburg, Josiah 983 

Rendezvous, Anderson 107 

Republican, Pendleton 99 

Review, Anderson 98 

Richards, Manly 22 

Richards. Samuel 505 

Richardson. Frank M., Assaulted 850 

Richardson, Simon 837 

Richland Tp 927 

Richland Tp.. Organized in 1834 932 

Richmond. Doctor 224 

Richmond. Nathaniel 22 

Rigsby, John, Killed 560 

Riley, Reuben A 187 ' 

Ring. Mary, Shot 908 

Ring's Store Robbed 91B 

Riot on Old Canal 72 

Rivers" Circus 188 

Roach, William. Supt. Jail Building. . . 37 

Robberv of Postoffice 399 

Robb. Robert 1006 

Robertson, Dr. Wm. A.. Killed 558 

Robinson. Milton S. ...205. 209. 659, 803. 804 

Robinson, Yankee 202 

Robinson, Zaehariah 1006 

Roby, Henry 1008 

Rockenfield. Andrew K 765 

Hoekport. Old Village 324 

Rogers, Fenton, Killed 473 

Rogers. Henry 130 

Rogers, Hugh 130 



1036 



PAGE 

Eogers. John 18, 22, 714 

Rogers, Capt. John, Juror 27 

Rogers, Martin. Killed 549 

RoUings, The Log 156 

Ross, A. J 39 

Ross, A, W,, Editor 99 

Ross, George, Editor 98 

Roswell, John 2:n 

Roth, William, Store Burned 610 

Rothehild Glass Co 1010 

Ruddle, Doctor 224 

Runaway at the Fair, 188T 811) 

Runyan, Arlantus 855 

Russell, A. E 141! 

Russell, John, -Juror 27 

Ruth, James, Boiler Explosion 907 

Ryan, H. C 333 

Ryan, Maggie, nee Mohan 322 

Ryan, Townsend 192, 226 

Ryan, T. & D 192 

S 

Sabin, John M 357 

Said, J. J., Child Burned 1012 

Salyers, John, and his Pension 432 

Saunders, Dr. Joseph 115 

Sansbery, Hon. J. W 1,57, 522 

Saved from Prison by "Turning Jack" 234 

Saw Mill, First in Anderson ..< 306 

Seanlan. D. W 900 

Schlater, Edwin, Editor 96 

Schlater. E. P 43, 335, 741 

Schofleld Bolt Works 452 

School Board. Anderson 278 

School E.xaminers 91 

School Exhibition. Old Time 405 

School House, The Old Log 136, 137 

School Statistics 92 

School Superintendents 91 

School Teachers, First 320 

School, Parochial 322 

Schools, Adams Tp 672 

Schools, Alexandria 841 

Schools. Anderson 320 

Schools, Boone Tp 701 

Schools, Duck Creek Tp 717 

Schools, Elwood 881 

Schools, Fall Creek Tp 731 

Schools, Frankton 876 

Schools, Cireen Tp 782 

Schools, Jackson Til 795 

Schools, Lafayette Tp 813 

Schools, Public 89, 90, 91, 92 

Schools, Richland Tp 929 

Schools. Stony Creek Tp 954 

Schools, Township 322 

Schools, L'nion Tp 971 

Schwinn, Jacob 844 

Scientists Visit Anderson 460 

Scott, Doctor, Suicide 862 

Scott. Hardy 198 

Scott, J. P 837 

Scott, Wm 837, 980 

Seat of Justice 29 

Sebern. Tillie. Killed 559 

Sebrel}. Benjamin 380 

Sebrell, Morgan. Killed Last Deer — 709 

Seitz, Herman. Killed 564 

Self Binder 141 

Sentinel. Indianapolis 175 

Settlement. Early, of the County 22 

Sewerage, Anderson 326 

Seybert, Henry 27, 59, 228 

Seybert, Jesse, Child Burned 489 

Shafer, David 169 

Sham Divorce Trial 618 

Shanklin. Andrew 194 

Shannon. Hon. John 859 

Shannon. John 206 

Shannon. Joseph 231, 462 

Sharp. Isaac T.. Recorder 124 

Shaul. Aaron a 59 

Shaul. Jacob. -Juror 27 

Shaul. Prior. Killed 553 



PAGE 

Shaul. Saul 22, 27 

Shawnee Prophet, The 14, 15 

Shelbyville Road 229 

Shelley. William, and -John Sherman. 949 

Shelton. Thomas. Inquest 205 

Sherman. Hon. John E 864 

Sherman. Thos.E 567 

Shetterly. O. C 955 

Shetterly, Samuel 956 

Shetterly. Simon, Falls 562 

Shimer. Isaac. Suicide 982 

Shinklc. John 927 

Shinn, Kobert. Sr 591 

Shinn. Robert, Jr 630 

Shirk's Jewelry Store Robbed 604 

Shively, Frank 807 

Shoemaker, Wm., Killed 917 

Shcjlts. Henry. Killed 865 

Shooting Match, an Old Time 248 

Shoiiting of a Tramp 403 

Shover. Mrs. Maggie. Suicide 686 

Showman Takes a Sheriff's Breath — 616 

Siddall. A. A 499 

Sigler, Dr. Daniel 905 

Sigler. Francis 874 

Sifler. Jaciib 872 

Sigler. Joseph 194. 874 

Silver. Thomas 22, 156 

Silver. William 22 

Simmons. Jeremiah 1010 

Simmons. Mark 878 

Simmonson. Moses. Killed 1013 

Sims. David B 998 

Sims, Dr. Thomas. Editor 94 

Skehan. Patrick 267 

Skehan. Mrs. Patrick 322 

Skeletons. Richland Tp^, Found 937 

Skeletons, Union Tp., Found 977, 978 

Skinner, Elias 535 

Sklute, Abram 896 

Sklute, Simon 896 

Slyfork, Village 973 

Small. A. .\ 447 

Small. A. A.. Editor 98 

Small of Its Size 267 

Smashed the Music Box 355 

Smethers. Willard, Bam Burned 786 

Smith, Isaac, -Turor 27 

Smith, Hon. O. H 767 

Smith, Jeremiah. Killed 856 

Smith. J. E. D.. Killed 552 

Smith. J. P.. R. R. Agent 1009 

Smith. Mrs, J. E. D 933 

Smith,!). H 20 

Smock, John 78 

Snell. James H 175, 253,988 

Snelling. Wm.. Found Dead 1018 

Snyder. Jackson 192 

Societies. Fraternal. Fall Creek Tp.- . 732 

Soldiers. Mexican War 101, 102, 103 

Soldiers of the RebelUon 101, 102, 103 

Sons of St. George 303 

Sons of Temperance 36 

Sons of Veterans, Major May Camp.. . 305 

Spann, Dr. B. F ,375 

Spear, Frank 161 

Spence. Doctor 225 

Spencer. Edward. Killed 855 

Spinning Wheel, The 142, 143 

Spiritual Camp Grounds, Sudden 

Deathat 978 

Spiritualist Society 295 

St. John's Hospital 316 

St. Taiunianv's Day 638 

Stat'c < iia.li: The 127 

Staiidai il ( Jil Co 448 

Stanford. William 961 

Stanley. Allen. Suicide 531 

Stanlev. D . E 953 

Stanley. J. Frank. Killed 919 

Stanton. W. H 454 

Starbuck. J. G.. Killed 565 

Starkey Brick Co. . Elwood 882 

Starr. James. Deputy Sheriff 899 

Stars Fall in 1366 621 



INDEX. 



1037 



i'A(;e 

Statistical Matters 92 

Statistics, Boone Tp 702 

Statistics, Duck Creek Tp 717 

Statistics, Green Tp "83 

Statistics, Lafayette Tp 814 

Statistics, Richland Tp 929 

Statistics, Stony (.'reek Tp 957 

Statistics, Van Buren Tp 1007 

Stephens, Samuel : . . . . 927 

Stephens, Walter, Killed 824 

Stephenson, James 813 

Stephenson, Dr. Joseph 765 

Stevenson, Kehecca 158 

Stevenson, Samuel 158 

Stewart, A. W., Injured at Fair 581 

Stewart, Dr. Jonas 440 

Stilly, James 923 

Stilwell (_'amp 107 

Stilwell, Col. Thos. N 135, 192,204,585 

Stockton. <;eo., Juror 27 

StoRuon. William 23 

Stohlers Store Robbed 696 

Stokes, Whitmill 951 

Stone, Moses 1010 

Stone, U. P 420 

Stores in Union Tp 971 

Storm, Destructive, 1886 260 

Storm, Monroe Tp 858 

Stottler, Geo 987 

Street Railway, Anderson 326 

Streets, McClelland, Killed 514 

Struck by Lightning 885 

Suicide of Wm. Nelson 519 

Sullivan, .T. J 1011 

Suman, John 23, 970 

Suman, Samantha 202 

Suman, Wm 202, 990 

SummitviUe Banks 1011 

Summitville Brick Co 1010 

SummitviUe Incorporated 1010 

Summitville Industries 1010 

Summitviile Lodges 1011 

Summitville tiflicials 1010 

Smnmilville Prominent Citizens 1020 

Suniriiilville School Board 1010 

Summitville Tile Works 1010 

Summitville Trustees, First 1010 

Summitville and Vicinity 1007 

Summitville Wave 100, 1009 

Superior Court 62 

Surber, Mrs., Suicide 684 

Surber, Thos 697 

Susett & Clifton's Minstrels 464 

Swallow, Dr. Judd 1016 

Swann, Geo 231 

Swap Candidates 807 

Sweetzer, Philip 27 

Sweringen, Violette 48 

Swindell, W. A 39 

Swinette, The 188 

Swope, Nancy 1016 

Sylvey, Wm., Killed 888 

T 

Tappan. David 929 

Tavern, First in Anderson 283 

Taxables Fall Creek Tp 738 

Taylor, Andrew B 764 

Taylor, A rmstrong 480 

Taylor, Elizabeth, Barn Burned 759 

Tecumseh, Warrior 18, 19, '20 

Temple. Masonic 298 

Templin, S. S 207 

Terhune Block Destroyed 435 

Terhune, Hon. J. H 158 

Terwilliger A Hays' Academy 196, 204 

Test. Chas. H 27 

Test, Hon. Chas. H 777 

Tharp, Charles, Juror 27 

Tharp, Collins 501 

Tharp Family, The 500 

Tharp Killed at Shooting Match 248 

The Famous Window Shutter 149, 1.50 

The First Negro in County 636 



PAGE 

The First Negro Juror 1024 

The Old Court House 416 

The Old Ginseng Days 625 

The Old Jackson Mills 607 

The Old Log School House 136, 1.37 

The Old Mail Routes 145, 146, 147 

The Old Spinning Wheel 142, 143 

The Old Stage Coach 127 

The One Mile House 390 

The Seer of White River 360 

The Story of a Hat 160 

Thomas, Alonzo, Boy Killed 818 

Thomas, Andrew, Falls 629 

Thomas, Eddie E 1010 

Thomas, John L 115 

Thompson, C. D 175 

Thompson. David's, Tobacco Quid — 947 

Thompson, H. D 91, 175,6,55 

Thompson, H. D., Residence Burned.. 348 

Thornburg, Emma 934 

Thornburg, John W 657 

Thornburg, Thomas 262, 267, 927, 947 

Thornton. John W 203 

Thumb. Gen. Tom 193 

Times. Alexandria 838 

Timmons, Mary, Killed 914 

Tingle, t'urtis L., Killed 580 

Titherington, Lewis , 511 

Titherington, Robert 368 

Todd, Samuel, Son Drowned 806 

Todisman, M. Y., Editor 96 

ToUn, T. J. * Son 40 

Tomlinson, James 832 

Tomlinson, Mark 868 

Tomlinson, Nathan E 833 

Tornadoes, Early 152 

Towell, Chauncy 336 

Towell, S. A 333, 395. 824 

Town of Frankton - 875 

Towns in Sttmy Creek Tp 956 

Townsend. Wm 913 

Township Hkstories — 

Anderson Tp 

Adams Tp 

Boone Tp 

Duck Creek Tp 

Fall Creek Tp 

Green Tp 

Jackson Tp 

Lafayette Tp 

Monroe Tp 

Pipe Creek Tp 

Richland Tp 

Stony Creek Tp 

Union Township 

Van Buren Tp 

Township Schools .,.. 

Township Trustees, Anderson 

Trades I nions. The 

Tradition as to Chief Anderson 

Tradition, Stony Creek Tp 

Train, Geo. Francis 

Traster, Robert D 

Traster, Wm., Killed 

Treadway, Moses 

Treaty at Greenville 

Trees, L. M., in Role of 'Squire 

Trial of Indian Murderers 

Trial of Sawyer Indian Murderer 

Triple Drowning 

Trueblood Bros.. Chesterfield 

True Democrat. The 

Turning -lack Saved Him 

Turnpikes, Early 86, 



271 
669 
699 
715 
721 
779 
791 
811 
8.32 
873 
927 
963 
961 
1006 
322 
278 
221 

20 
967 
636 
169 
531 
541 

15 
590 
772 
773 
806 
990 

94 
234 



l^niformed Patriarchs 462 

Union Glass Company 450 

Union Steel Company 839 

Union Township, Historyof 969 

Unions, Trades 221 

United Glass Company 454 

University, Anderson Normal 323 



1038 



V 

PAGE 

Van Amberg's Circus ISU 

Van Arsdel, W. F.. Editor IIS 

Van Buren Tp., First Election 1020 

Van Buren Tp. . History of 1005 

Vandevender. Capt. H. T 103, 212 

Vangilder. Samuel 27 

Vanhorn. Nicholas 175 

Van Meter. Wm. A.. Suicide 822 

Vanness, Charles \V 903 

Van Winkle, Oren, Suicide 687 

Van Winkle Mills, The 1005 

Van Pelt. Samuel D 867 

Velocipede First 345 

Vermillion, .Jesse 832 

Viceroy, Horse Burned 433 

Victoria, Old Village of 324 

Villages, Richland Tp 929 

Vineyard, Henry, Stabbed 398 

Vineyard, Mrs. Alvin, Killed 535 

Vinson, E. B., Store Burned 1012 

Vinson, Joshua, Fire 1018 

Vinson & Hughes, Burglary 1014 

Volunteers, First, Madison Co 102, 103 

W 

Wagoner, Wm. M 374 

Walden. Elijah 535 

Walden, E. -J.. Grain House 311 

Walden, NoUie 428 

Walden. Thomas, Killed 612 

Walden Warehouse Burned ,347 

Walker, Benjamin 933 

Walker, Dr. M. G 751 

Wallace, .John, Killed 564 

Walker Warehouse Burned 576 

Walker, Winifred, Killed 846 

Wallace, Capt. John M 101 

Walters, Justinian P 638 

Walton, Albert C 515 

Walton, R. J. & Co., Boiler Explosion 551 

Warehouses, Anderson 310 

Warfteld, Dayton, Killed 890 

War Memory. A 133 

Warner, Louis B 437 

Warner, Maurice 1011 

Warner, Wm., Killed 1011 

War Reminiscences 149 

Warring, Dr., Civil Engineer 336 

Water Works, Anderson 333 

Watkins, Francis 158, 877 

Watkins, .Joseph. First Negro Juror.. 1024 

Watkins, Jos. M 877 

Watson, David H 520 

Waymire, -Jacob E 716 

Waymire, Noah 157. 919 

Wayne, Gen. Anthony 15 

Wayts, Wm.. Found Dead 990 

Weatherall Rolling Mill 8,37 

Webb, Jasper. Postmaster 1020 

Webb. L. R 1010 

Webb, Newton 954 

Weichman, Rev. Father B93 

Weil, Rosa 438 

Welker, David, Killed by "Damps".. 914 

Welsh, Dora 539 

Welsh, John 381 

Wertz, J. A., Editor 1010 

Wesley Chapel, Richland Tp , . . . . 928 

Western Telegraph The 93 

West Side Fire in 1875 338,340 

Wick, Hon. Wm , W 29 



PAGE 

Wickersham, Dr. N. L 226 

Wideawakes, Anderson 622 

Wildman, John F 45. 237 

Wilkinson. Joseph 682 

Williams, Aaron 1008 

Williams, Augustus M 132 

Williams, Caleb 747 

Williams, D.N 543 

Williams, J. M 1010 

Williamson, Melissa, J., Killed 983 

Williams, Rufus H 157 

Williams, W. H 1010 

Williamson. Elijah 704 

Williamson, Wm. A 781 

Williamson, Willis 983 

Willitts. O. C, Editor 95 

Willitts, M. A., House Burned 805 

Wilson, Allen W., Editor 99 

M'ilson, Geo. L., Forger 634 

Wilson, Wm 843 

Wind Mill Factory 567 

Window Shutter, The Famous 149 

Windsor Hotel, Anderson 285 

Winsell, Adam 26, 746 

Winslow, Walker, Stage Driver 128 

Winter, George, Editor 98 

Wise. Daniel 23, 33 

Wise, Daniel, Fated House 797 

M'heel. Anderson's First 345 

When Block Blown Up 4.35 

Wliig Eagle. The 94 

White Cotton Moses 744 

White Eyes, Chief 50 

White, Milton. Hanging of 175. 176 

Whitmore. Henry 385 

Whitney, L. R 1011 

Whitney, George 1011 

Wood, David W 692, 963 

Woods, .James, Found Dead 1019 

Woodmen, Modern 302 

Woodmen of the World 302 

Woodward, .James 964 

Woodward, William 964 

Woodward's Mill Burned 957 

Woodworth, Mariah B 807 

Wool Pickings , 153 

Woollen, James H 1009 

Wolves, Contempt for 121 

Woman in Politics 921 

World Coming to an End 991 

Worley. S. & V 716 

Worth, Robert G 497 

Worthington, John. Killed 860 

Wrinkle, Town of 1006 

Wright. James, Found Dead 205 

Wright, Wm 895 

Wright, Enos B 388 

Wvman, Dr. Henry 224, 396 

Wynant, David, Killed 564 

Y 

Yankee Robinson 203 

Young John and His Dogs 384 

Z 

Zahm, Chas. M., Editor 96 

Zediker, J.J 194 

Zediker, John M 1006 

Zeigler, Rev. W. H .397 

Zeller, Jacob 808 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

Abbott Cabin 239 

Berry, Col. Ninevah 422 

Berry. Mrs. Hannah 427 

Biddle. Dorj 569 

Brewer, Levi 827 

Bundy. Hon. M. L 137 

Chief Green's Idol 595 

Chittenden. Dr. Geo. F n4- 

Cravens. C. R 569 

De Hority, Wm. A 880 

Dillon House Ruins 473 

Dyson, B. H Frontispiece 

Edwins Vault 901! 

Falls of Fall Creek 7(ilj 

First Gas Well 442 

Forkner, Jno. L Frontispiece 

Grain Cradle 140 

Harden. Samuel fJtJt: 

Henderson. Major Edgar 133 

Hickey. John 31(; 

Hundley. James M 1021 

Jackson, Andrew H07 

Johns, Wm 1001 

Knight, J . W 5119 

Log School House 137 

Manis, Perry 245 

Makepeace, Capt. A. 1 663 



PAGE 

Mavnard. Moses 217 

Mcilure. Judge John F 653 

Mix. Joseph 360 

Neely, Bazil 651 

Neely, Miss Hester A 656 

New Court House 668 

Nichol, George 649 

Old Court House 416 

One Mile House 390 

Pence, John W 364 

Reaping Hook ' 140 

Richards, Samuel 505 

Robin-son, Milton S 660 

Russell, A. E 146 

Stilwell. Col. Thos. N 135 

Sansberrv. Hon. J. W 581 

Self Binder 142 

Sbaf er. Darid 169 

Spinning Wheel 143 

Thompson, Howell D 655 

Thornburg, John R 658 

Watsou, David H 520 

Westerlield, Dr, J, W 369 

Williamson, Melissa J 985 

Window Shutter 150 

Whitmore, Henry .386 

White, Milton 176 






3 6 ^ 






